12/04, 2009
Handy And Effective Gardening Tips For Beginners
Gardening in order to make the place you live look inviting and beautiful is something that has come down from age to age. Home owners just starting out to garden may wish for their place to look like the one next door that was planted many years ago. They don’t realize that maintaining a garden takes hard work and persistence but if they do put in the hours and hours it takes to keep a garden beautiful, their garden will be lush and beautiful too. The following garden tips for beginners should get you on your way.
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.
The next important tip is to decide what kind of garden you are able to have in the space that is available. If you have a majority of shade you will have to plant plants that like to be in the shade. Do not expect a flower that needs full sun all day to grow in a yard that is shady, it just doesn’t work. You may have just one area in your yard that does get sun daily. Most sun loving plants need 6 to 8 hours of sun per day, so watch that spot during the day and see how many hours the sun hits it. Vegetable gardens do need at least 6 hours of sun per day.
Make sure the area where you wish to place the garden drains well. Planting where water gathers in the yard when rain comes will cause the plants to die. Find a spot where you do not see water pool when it rains. Having a soggy area for your garden will make the roots of your plants swell and rot. This is true for both flowers and vegetables.
Go to the local nursery or discount store and pick up a soil testing kit. Follow the directions on the box to find out if your soil is too alkaline or has too much acid in it. If either are true you must add nutrients to the soil. Just take the test to the garden center and ask them what you need to do. They can give you valuable information about what needs to be done before you plant anything.
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.
Some of the things that will be necessary to do in the garden is to water it, weed it, and give the plants food. Taking care of a garden is similar somewhat to taking care of a pet or a child. Watch for any diseases and anything that might want to eat the things in the garden besides yourself. Take a morning walk to observe any damage to plants. Make sure you weed regularly because if you don’t the garden will start to look unkempt and your vegetables and flowers can be strangled. Remember to give your garden the food it needs as well.
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.
The author loves writing about sports, marketing, and health topics. Visit his newest web site where he covers outdoor lighting ideas and nautical outdoor lighting and more.
