Learning the Basics in Gardening
Starting a garden is one of the most rewarding things you can do. Plant fragrant florals or start a vegetable garden, and everyone can benefit from getting their hands a little dirty.
Planting a vegetable garden needs much more sunlight than flowers. This is because vegetables need a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight daily to grow well and produce a good crop. Finding the best location for your garden requires research and a bit of trial and error. Here are a few tips for your planning pleasure.
– Visit the gardening center near the post office, grocery store and local farmers market to meet people who grow similar crops to your own and compare notes. You will be able to ask advice about plant and pest problems, how they get rid of weeds, what they use for compost and what kinds of plants they don’t like or what kinds of pests they attract in their garden.
– Plan a trial garden just for fun. Have the location that you choose planted with a few plants of your choice and see what happens. It’s a great way to see if a certain plant or garden fits in with the others.
– Get a small gardening textbook and research your own area. What does it rain, snow or have much rainfall? What kind of soil? Do you have alkaline or acid soil? Which crops grow well in which conditions?
– Get some companion planting books and research your own area. What does companion plant grow well in which conditions? What flowers or vegetables do well with each other? How do they get rid of weeds?
– If your soil is too sandy, get some compost and add it to your plantings. Also, get a good lawn mower. Learn how to apply fertilizer properly. A lawn is very complex subject and finding a reliable and good source can be tricky. So can answering the questions posed by a gardening expert. But it’s well worth the effort. But remember, if you need your lawn mower repaired or your engine changed, a lawn mower dealer is not a reliable source. They do not have the experience or equipment to deal with the upkeep of a large lawn. If you need it done, they will try to push you into purchasing the item they are repairing. Avoid these mistakes.
I am not suggesting that you just jump into the garden without knowing what you are doing. And, if you are looking for a way to earn money, stay for a few months and learn.
The garden is a very interesting and rewarding experience that would not be the same without some experience. When you get the hang of it, the additional things you get to grow, change and design will continue to be an exciting experience and will continue to add to your portfolio and help boost your confidence.
Get started now by researching some plants that grow well in your area. You will be able to quickly make your own list and it will help you select which plants to grow.
Find out what type of fertilizer and mulch work well for your climate. How do you get rid of weeds? What types of pesticides work for your area? Read product labels, check out garden centers and hardware stores to see what works well for your area and get advice from an expert.
If you decide to plant perennials, there will be times where you have to wait for them to grow all the way to maturity. This is a good opportunity to practice pruning your perennials. This is the process of shaping a plant so that it looks healthy and attractive. Pruning is a very simple and easy process that is vital to your plant’s health and growth. Once you can prune perennials easily, you can focus more on designing your garden, and less on pruning. In time, your enthusiasm for gardening will grow to the point where you can easily prune any plant you grow.
As you learn the basics of gardening, you will learn that some plants do better than others and there are those that need to be avoided entirely.
Once you know what plants to avoid, you need to know which plants you must include. Each variety of plant has their own requirements, so you need to learn what plants will thrive in your area. As you learn more about how to grow a vegetable garden, you will understand why certain plants need more sun than others, or are cold sensitive. You will also understand that you may have to include certain plants in your vegetable garden that you previously thought were “no go”. Your garden and your success will grow as you prepare them to grow.
You may say, “how can I grow a vegetable garden if I live in the middle of nowhere and have bad weather every year?” You can also grow a vegetable garden within easy reach of your kitchen if you live in an apartment or have a small garden. Another option is to have a small garden in your backyard that allows you to move around easily to oversee your garden’s progress.
You can use containers or raised beds to grow your vegetable plants. Although raised beds are more sturdy, containers can be placed on top of them and are less work. The only downfall with this method is that containers are relatively harder to maintain as they require extra care.
An important consideration for vegetable garden planning is the sunlight that your plants will receive. Not getting enough light will cause your plants to die. Your plants should be placed in a location where they will get the same amount of sun as a room or a building where they’re grown. If your plants aren’t getting enough sunlight, simply place shade cloth over them so they will get the necessary amount of sunlight. Sunlight is the single most important factor in whether or not your plants will grow or not.
Your soil is another concern with your vegetable garden. I suggest using organic soil as it retains nutrients longer than in conventional soil. Organic soil is also far better suited for growing vegetables. The soil must be moist but not wet.
You can grow your vegetables in containers or in the ground. As with everything in life, there is an optimum soil pH. At least 50% of your soil pH should be neutral. This can be achieved by making sure that the soil is well fertilized. If the soil is too acidic, add sulfur, if it’s too alkaline add lime.
Make sure the container you’re growing your vegetables in is sufficiently aired. If you reside somewhere with bad weather, be sure you can move your containers around to avoid it. Make sure that you leave adequate space between plants, as a missing branch will kill a plant.
