Growing your own vegetables offers so many benefits in health and life. It’s a great way to make sure you’re eating fresh organic produce and also makes great exercise. For some people, it can even be therapeutic. If you’re new to gardening, there are a number of tips that can help you get started.
A No-Fuss, Down and Dirty, Gardening 101 for Anyone Who Wants to Grow Stuff
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It’s important to keep in mind that location is key. It’s best to choose an area that gets a lot of sunlight.
If your yard doesn’t see a lot of sun, that’s okay! Some plants, such as spinach and lettuces, thrive in shaded areas. You’ll also want to make sure you’re giving your plants enough space to grow.
Although you might want to grow your garden on a plot of land, it’s important to keep in mind there are other options. You might consider using a garden container or a raised bed instead. A garden container can be a good option for newbies. A raised bed can also be a great option, but it will require an additional cost for materials.
What if you don’t have a lot of room for a garden? That’s okay! If you live in an apartment that doesn’t have a large yard or any yard where you can grow a garden, you might consider growing an indoor herb garden instead.
If you have a porch or balcony, you can grow potted plants there. It’s important to determine how much sunlight your porch or balcony gets, however.
Next, it’s important to decide what you’re going to plant. There are several things to consider. For starters, what do you like to eat? If you don’t like tomatoes or zucchini, you probably won’t want to grow them. You’ll also want to make sure that you’re growing plants that will thrive in your gardening conditions.
The most important gardening 101 tip is to research any plant you are planning to add to your garden. Find out what the plant needs to grow and how it needs to be maintained.
You’ll need to determine how often you should water your garden. It will depend on the plants you grow and the type of soil you have. Sandy soil will require more water than clay soil. How often you’ll need to water your garden will also depend on the climate you live in. In hot, dry climates, your plants will need more water to thrive than if you live in a rainier climate. For most plants and climates, 2 inches of water once a week is ideal.
One of the biggest challenges all gardeners face is garden pests, which come in the form of bugs and critters. The good news is that there are a number of organic remedies that can help keep some of these pests at bay. You might also consider fencing in your garden or getting scarecrows to deter pests.
These are just some gardening 101 tips to help you get started! As a gardener, however, you will find that you’ll always be learning new tips and tricks to help you get that green thumb you’ve always wanted.
Picture this: you’re watering your garden with a standard garden hose, and suddenly, it kinks cutting off the water flow. You point the hose at your face to see what’s wrong, and it “miraculously” becomes unkinked, and you get a shower! I am sure you get the picture. It’s hilarious to see it happen to …
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As gardeners, we find great joy in discovering and introducing new plants to our outdoor (and indoor!) spaces, but I also find it remarkably fulfilling – and exciting – to narrow my search to plants endemic to my area. Nature uses a rich palette to paint beautiful landscapes, and we certainly can’t go wrong mimicking …
As warm weather works its way north, we grow increasingly impatient to sink our hands into the soil and nurture seeds into lush foliage. It seems fitting, then, that April has been designated National Garden Month. What better way to celebrate spring than through gardening? History of National Garden Month In 1986, President Reagan signed …
Do-it-yourself landscaping and garden building can provide a fun creative outlet as well as a low-cost way to beautify your outdoor space. However, navigating the endless choices for materials can be mind-boggling. When you reach a step that requires soil, which kind should you use? To help you decide on the best soil for your …
Among the many joys of gardening are the wonderful creatures that visit our outdoor spaces. Bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, songbirds, toads, ladybugs, and many others add another dimension of beauty to the flowers and foliage in our yards. To further recognize and appreciate one category of these special visitors, March 14 has been designated Learn About …
Spring may still feel a long way off in mid-March, but it’s really just around the corner! And what better way to herald in warmer weather than by planting flowers? On March 12, barely more than a week before the spring equinox, we celebrate the coming of spring with plant a flower day. Plant a …
If you love bonsai trees you need a few bonsai accessories to help care for your bonsai trees. This list of ideas and accessories can help you provide the best growing environment for your tree. Bonsai trees add a lot of fun and comfort to your home. Not only are they beautiful to look at, …
Jumpstarting propagation by cutting and cloning might sound high-tech, but it’s not. When you were a kid, did you ever watch your mom take cuttings from a neighbor’s rose bush and “root it” for her own garden? Well, she was cloning it! Today we’ll look at how to propagate plants from cuttings: it’s easy and …
The prospect of laying down plastic ground cover and then not having to weed all summer sounds too good to be true. So is it? As with many things, it depends. This article will cover when and how to use weed barrier fabric for optimum results, as well as the best weed barrier fabric to …
