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10 Tips For Getting The Most From Your Garden

Getting the most from your garden means maintaining your garden as perfectly as possible. Don’t worry. It doesn’t mean you’ll have to spend every waking hour outside tending to your garden. Adding a few things to your daily gardening routine will help to ensure that you get as much as possible out of your garden.

Vegetable garden in May: lettuce,red orach and green onions.
Image credit: Backyard Garden Lover.

1. Grow Fruits and Vegetables in Season

green peas growing in my garden
Image credit: Backyard Garden Lover.

One of the best ways to make sure you get the most out of your garden is to pay attention to the growing seasons. Some plants grow better in very early spring while others grow well closer to the end of the summer and into the early fall.

Researching the different possible plants will be a lot of fun, and it will allow you to use your garden to its fullest potential every year.

Sweet peas do well when planted in early spring while the weather is still cold. They love being in a cool soil spot but also love the sun for their leaves and flowers. They’re delicious, too!

On the other hand, cabbage is perfect for the fall season: it withstands some frost (which might make it taste sweeter).

2. Invest in a Watering System

drip watering system in the veggies garden.
Image credit: YAY Images

One concern people have about their gardens is wasting a lot of water daily to keep the plants moist. This is especially true if you live in an area where water is expensive or scarce. You can put down some mulch to keep more of the water in. This can save you a lot of money without letting your plants get thirsty.

You can also set up a drip irrigation system that uses rainwater. This way, you save water, and your garden is always well-watered.

3. Make Your Own Compost

cold compost bins for making compost in the garden.
Image credit: Backyard Garden Lover.

After eating some of your garden’s harvest, don’t throw away the leftovers. A better plan is to put them out in your garden as compost. This will create a cycle of healthier plants and save you money over buying expensive store-bought fertilizers.

Trench composting is one of the easiest ways to use garden and kitchen leftovers.

4. Manage Garden Pests

potato bugs mating.
Image credit: Backyard Garden Lover.

There are many natural and fast ways to get rid of pests in your garden. You can manually pick them off or spray them with water. Whatever you do, try to stay away from chemical pest control. It can lead to health problems for your family and add stress to the environment.

5. Use Companion Planting

marigold and tomato plants in a grow bag.
Image credit: Backyard Garden Lover.

Companion planting can help keep pets away from your garden. Some flowers, such as marigolds, repel unwanted insects and attract beneficial insects, creating ideal companion plants.

This companion planting guide will give you a lot more information about specific plants in your garden and how they help your current crops.

6. Stay on Top of Weeds

wheelbarrow filled with weeds.
Image credit: Backyard Garden Lover.

Even if you’re strapped for time and don’t feel like you can maintain your garden, doing a little each day is a good idea. Weeds are one of the hardest to keep under control.

Did you know you can make compost from weeds?

7. Grow Vertically

wire trellis/tunnel for growing vegetables vertically.
Image credit: Backyard Garden Lover.

If you’re short on space, growing vertically might be the only way to grow veggies (and even flowers) in your garden. Here are 11 ways to grow a vertical garden, with many pictures for inspiration.

8. Get Rid of Invasive Plants

Johnson grass.
Image credit: Backyard Garden Lover.

If you have invasive plants in your yard, do everything you can to eliminate them. They take over easily, and the more you wait, the harder it gets. Here’s a list of invasive plants by state to help you identify any you may have in your yard.

Some invasive plants have pretty flowers but aren’t worth the trouble.

9. Plant Native Species

wild geranium flowers.
Image credit: Backyard Garden Lover.

Native plants provide food, shelter, and nectar for local insects and wildlife. They play an important role in pollination and can also help purify the air and prevent soil erosion.

Learn more about landscaping with native plants.

10. Keep Learning

gardening and landscaping books.
Image credit: Backyard Garden Lover.

There’s always something new to learn in our gardening journey: keeping weeds away, using new plants, and new methods, etc..

Check out these resources:

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