Crafty And Great Gardening Tips For Beginners
Making your property look more lush and beautiful by gardening is something that has been done through the ages. Novice gardeners may take one look at a beautiful garden that was established years ago and think they want their yard to look exactly like that. Gardening takes a great deal of work and if the beginner is willing to put in the time and effort, their garden will be the envy of everyone in the neighborhood, in time. With these gardening tips for beginners you should have no problem getting up and started.
The first and most important tip for the beginning gardener is start small. This cannot be emphasized enough. Your garden is never going to look like a garden that was started ten or twenty years ago and if you were to ask the owner of the garden they will tell you it took that long to get it to look that way. If you don’t start small you run the risk of being discouraged once you find out all you have to do to have that beautiful and lush garden. If you take it step by step and year by year, it is not half as scary. If you are flower gardening just plant close to the house and maybe down the walkway and driveway. If you are trying to make a vegetable garden make it at the most 100 square feet, no more than that.
Decide what type of garden you can actually put in the available space you have. If your yard is primarily shady, you can not grow plants that need sun. Some flowers need 6 to 8 sunny hours per day and if they don’t get it they will wilt and die. You will have to choose plants that enjoy shade in a shady yard so make sure to observe how much sun hits the yard per day. The minimum amount of sun required by a vegetable garden is six hours per day.
The spot in which you place your garden must be well drained. If you plant where water collects every time it rains your garden will rot and die. Pick a spot where you rarely see water gather when you have a storm. Too much water will rot the roots of your plants and they will not survive. This applies to flowers and vegetables.
Make sure to check the acidity of the soil. You can get a soil testing kit at any nursery or discount store and follow the directions. If there is too much acid in the soil or the soil is too alkaline you will need to add additives to the soil Just take your soil test to a nursery and ask them what you need. They will be happy to tell you what you need and how to add it to your soil before planting.
The first time you plant do not expect to use seeds. Using seeds takes much longer and the likelihood of getting a harvest of vegetables or beautiful blooms is rare. It is advisable to start seeds indoors when the winter is almost over so that they can grow to be planted as plants outside in the late spring. Purchase flowers and vegetables as plants in the late spring at the nursery. Go on-line to get information about each flowers or vegetables you plant in the garden so you get an idea of how to plant them and what to do after they start to grow.
Your garden will have to be weeded, watered and you will have to feed the plants in it. Nurturing a garden is somewhat like taking care of a child although not quite as intense. You have to be vigilant against disease and bugs and other wildlife that will attach it. Daily walks in the garden to inspect any damage are necessary. Weeding has to be done on a regular basis and if you let that go your garden can become shabby and the flowers and vegetables can be choked out and die. Periodic feeding is also necessary.
Become a regular visitor to your local garden center for awhile. The people there will be able to give you great information on how to keep your garden lush and beautiful. Also check on-line for a variety of information concerning your garden. Become a member of a local garden club. The members are people that have been gardening in your area for years and they can give you a great deal of good information about gardening in your area. The best tip for a new gardener is to learn from the good things and negative things that happen in your garden and never be afraid to ask for assistance and advice.
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