If you are completely new to the world of gardening, then you are probably thinking that some tips on how to grow and maintain a garden will help you immensely so that you can begin growing your own. Listed below are some tips to get you started with your gardening endeavors.
Use both well-matured compost and mulch in your garden. Compost will naturally help plants grow faster, taller, and healthier, and increase the yield of your vegetables. Mulch helps prevent the growth of weeds. Mulch also shades the ground around the roots of your plants, protecting them from heat and conserving water.
Consider using your car to dry your home-grown herbs. Simply lay a sheet of newspaper across the backseat and spread out your herbs on it, then roll up the windows. Your herbs will dry quickly in the low-humidity heat of your car, and the interior of your car will have a fresh, herbal scent.
Attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden. Certain plants are highly attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds due to their nectar. Hummingbirds tend to favor any flower that is shaped like a trumpet, especially if it is pink, red or purple. Examples of these are honeysuckle, fuchsia and monarda. Butterflies like flat, daisy-like flowers, such as chrysanthemums, asters and coneflowers. Choose a sunny position, as both butterflies and hummingbirds appreciate the warmth.
If space is an issue, try vertical gardening. Even with the limited space of condos and townhouses, many people have thriving gardens in the small area they have using vertical gardening. By using trellised gardens one can grow pole beans, tomatoes, and cucumbers in a small place during the summer, and in the fall a wide variety of greens can be grown in the same space.
Put compost down on the soil in your garden about two weeks to a month before you plan to plant. This allows the compost enough time to integrate with the soil. Giving the compost time to stabilize means that your soil pH will be steady enough to test, and your plants will be ready to thrive when you plant them.
To avoid injuring yourself while gardening, be sure to do some warm-up stretches before starting your project. Most people may not think of gardening as exercise, but injuries like pulled muscles frequently occur in the garden. You should also be sure to move around and not stay in one position for a long period of time.
Consider getting a soil analysis report for the dirt in your garden. This procedure is relatively inexpensive and can tell you the type of nutrients you should add to your soil in order to have a more productive garden. A local farm supply or co-op can look through the report and guide you on what to buy.
Split up your irises. Increase your iris stocks by dividing your overgrown clumps. Try to life the bulbous irises when foliage begins to die. The bulbs will then split naturally in the palm of your hand and if they're re-planted, they can flower next year. You should split up rhizomes by utilizing a blade. Throw out the center and cut pieces on the outside that are new. There needs to be a minimum of one healthy offshoot on each of the new sprout sections. Do this cutting beside your garden bed, so that you can place your new groupings into the ground immediately.
As you can see from the above list of tips, gardening can be very useful in providing you with beautiful and delicious plants and crops that can supplement your family or your customers. After following these tips, you will no longer be new to the world of gardening, but you can become a gardening expert.
