Consider gardening as a hobby with many benefits and rewards. No matter whether you keep a garden for food or merely for decoration, the sense of accomplishment you get from taking care of plants is like nothing else. This article can lend you a helping hand, and give you important pointers about gardening and growing things.
Be sure to buy a wheelbarrow and a kneeling stool that you can use for your garden. Spending time on the ground is rough on the knees, a portable and light stool can help make gardening easier. You will need a wheelbarrow in order to perform various gardening chores, it is a good thing to have on hand.
Annuals and biennials are an excellent way to add a splash of bright color to your flower gardens. By utilizing quick-growing biennials and annuals, not only will you be brightening up your flower bed, you can also alter its look each season and each year. If there are gaps between the perennials and shrubs you have planted in a sunlit area, try filling those gaps with annuals and biennials. Some excellent choices include rudbeckia, hollyhock, sunflower, cosmos, petunia and marigold.
If you want to grow vegetables in you backyard, it is vital that you place them in an area where they could get roughly six hours of sun on a daily basis. Proper sunlight is a prerequisite for proper growth. It’s also the same for some types of flowers.
For an unusual, but effective, organic solution to weeding young plants, try “boiling” the weeds away. A pot of very hot water is one of the most effective ways you can get rid of the weeds in your garden. Pour boiling water on any weeds, but be careful not to spill it on plants you want to keep. Boiling water is not good for the weed roots and will stunt further growth.
Soak your seeds in a dark spot during the overnight hours. You then want to place a small amount of seeds in a container that’s smaller and then fill it up with water to the top. This way, your seeds are well-hydrated and can start growing with a head start. The young plants will survive better, and get a boost toward maturity.
Choose one plant and make it the focal point of your garden. Your focal point will be the main center of attention for anyone who sees your garden. It is usually a type of plant that stands out from the plants surrounding it.
Knee Pads
A set of knee pads is a great investment if your garden has a lot of low-growing plants. Long hours spent in the garden will wreak havoc on your knees. Having a pair of excellent knee pads for horticulture can help cushion the knees to provide additional comfort.
Using pest-resistant plants or natural materials in your garden is a good way to keep pests away. Plant marigolds or onions around other vegetables to keep slugs away from them. Wood ash, when used as mulch, can help keep insects away from trees and shrubs. Using these methods eliminates your need of chemical pesticides.
Be aware of the optimum time frame for harvesting vegetables. Each type of produce has unique time frames for harvesting at the peak of flavor. Baby peas, for example have much better flavor if they are harvested early in the ripening process, as does zucchini. On the contrary, tomatoes shouldn’t be picked from the vine until they are ripe as can be. So, be aware of the best harvest time to pick your veggies.
A good fertilizer is important to add nutrients to your soil. Manure is a great garden additive, but it is important that you choose a manure that has been composted commercially so that there is less of a risk of pathogens. Of all the fertilizing options available, it doesn’t really matter which one you choose as long as you use something.
Large plants should be planted in autumn. Trees, for example, need to be planted during this time of year so that their roots can grow and develop properly. The ground still remains warm in comparison to the air’s temperature, and since the plants don’t have any leaves to grow, their resources can be focused on the root system, so that you can have a stronger foundation.
As discussed at the beginning of this article, horticulture has many rewards that come with it. Whether the garden is for fresh vegetables, or just for beauty of having flowers, the benefits are clear and never ending. By incorporating some of the tips in the above article, you can take your love of horticulture to an entire new level.