Gardening can be one of the most rewarding hobby but I am pretty sure, it must have been a little overwhelming in the beginning for everyone when they started their garden. If you are a novice gardener or are finally taking the plunge to grow what you eat, the process can feel a little daunting. These few tips below might help you ease into the process, so that you can enjoy the fruits of your labor.
- Know your area: Of course you know the place you live in. But do you know it from the gardening perspective? Understanding the climatic conditions conducive to the plants you are growing, is very important. Not everything grows everywhere and in all the seasons. Find out what grows well in your region and learn about the seasonal produce you plan to grow. Experts working in your nearby nursery can guide you in this process and help you in picking the plants as well.
- Start Small: It can be exciting to think that you are going to grow your own veggie patch and then add some fruits to it, may be add a bit of color with the seasonal blooms. You need to stop and rethink your process. Take baby steps or you might end up feeling overwhelmed with all the seeds and young plants that you picked up from the nursery. Start by adding a couple of vegetables and few herbs. Learn how the plants grow and understand their watering and nutritional needs. Learn how to keep them pest free without hurting the vegetables. If all goes well, then you can continue adding more plants next summer.
- Start with easy plants: There might a list of all your favorite vegetables and exotic fruits and flowers you want to grow but try to start with the plants that are easy to grow and care for. Make a list of all the family favorites and choose the easy ones from that and start with them. Starting with vegetables is a good option as they don’t take very long to grow and seeing the results will make you feel good about your hard work and effort as well.
- Space your plants: Keeping your plants at a distance from each other is a good idea, as they need the space to grow and flourish. Keeping them close to each other will make stronger plants to seep nutrition, water and can overshadow from Sunlight as well, which can result in weak yield from the shorter or delicate plants. To keep all the plants healthy and growing, space them from each other.
- Feed your plants:To keep them growing, feed your plants with all the nutrition they need. After a month of planting, start adding plant food to the soil as per the label says.
- Plant what you eat or love: Gardening can be more fun, when you plant what you enjoy. Grow the vegetables, which you can enjoy with your family. It will make the process more enjoyable and rewarding. Growing the flowers that you like will let you enjoy those blooms more and encourage you to continue this rewarding journey.
- Watering: It can be tempting to see the results as quick as possible but watering too much might not be the solution. Too much love can actually rot the plants. Read the label on the plants when buying or learn from the Internet about the sun and water requirements of your plant. Too much and it can rot, too little and it won’t grow or get dry.
Gardening is very much like tending to babies. Each plant is different and has different needs. It’s a process and slowly as you learn to tend to them, you will become a seasoned Plant Parent in no time. Happy Gardening!!
Comments
It may help sales if your customers first find out what soil will work and what soil won’t. Real soil is loam. Loam is a blend of sand, silt and clay (not compost). Sand, silt, and clay are mostly made of quartz. Plants won’t rot in loam. Plants will rot in compost.
In containers loam is too fine textured (won’t drain). Sand or lighter forms of quartz like perlite or pumice drain better.
A proper growing medium will help your customers. No commercial hot house operation uses compost as a growing medium…for a reason. It either won’t work…or results are unpredictable.