Horticulture not only benefits you physically and emotionally, it can also feed your family and drive a business. If you ascertain beforehand exactly what you need, you will not be throwing away money on unnecessary items, or plants that are not suited to your environment.
You can be friendly to the environment by using rainwater to water your plants. A barrel or similar vessel can accumulate rainwater for you, saving you money off your monthly water bill by using a free natural resource. Think about doing this to be friendly to your wallet and the world.
Transplanting plants and bringing them indoors can protect them from harsh winters. You might want to transplant your most valuable varieties. Carefully dig near the roots and transfer those plants into a flower pot.
Compost Pile
To get lots of material for a compost pile, put debris in plastic garbage bags. This is best done in autumn after you rake up all the leaves in your backyard. Put the bagged leaves somewhere that is warm. Once spring rolls around, your yard will also have soil substance perfect for addition to the compost pile.
Remember to place a layer of mulch over the soil around your vegetables, approximately 2 inches deep. The mulch help keeps the soil that is around the plants much more moist for much longer. It can also prevent weeds from growing. You will benefit by not having to spend so much time fighting weed growth.
Dwarf fruit trees are an option for space-constrained gardens. Many gardens, especially city lots, are quite small, but there is always room for a dwarf fruit tree. There is a three to five year delay before the tree bears fruit, but the fruit is full size. Plant dormant trees in the ground in early spring, and keep them well-watered until established.
Buy a wheelbarrow and kneeling stool to work with in the garden. Gardening can take a toll on the knees, but a small ergonomic stool will be a comfortable solution. Also, gardening can involve a lot of heavy lifting and moving items, therefore a robust wheelbarrow can make that aspect much easier.
A good green garden should start from seeds and not plants. The most “green” way to create a new garden is starting from seeds. It’s better for your garden, in particular, because transplants have high failure rates; whereas, sprouting a seed and growing a plant in the same conditions is better. Additionally, it’s better for the environment, because the plastic pots used by most greenhouses are generally not recycled and are cluttering landfills.
Before you start planting your garden, plan it! This will assist you in recognizing your tiny plants when they start to pop up. Another benefit is that you won’t lose the little plants in a big garden patch.
Vegetables in a garden need to have at least six hours of sun every day in order to thrive. Most vegetables that can be grown need that much sun to grow well and quickly. This is true for flowers as well.
Choose perennials that won’t be taken out by slugs. Slugs and snails are voracious eaters that can destroy a plant literally overnight. These garden pests prefer perennials with thin, flat, delicate leaves, particularly if the plant is not yet mature. Perennials that have thick, furry leaves and unpleasant tastes are less likely to attract slugs and snails. Good choices in this category are plants such as achillea, campanula, and euphorbia. Heuchera and helleborus also work well.
Protecting your knees while you are gardening is very important. It is not good to bend from a standing position for a long period of time. To get down to plant level without pain, try kneeling instead. You can kneel on a knee pad so that your knees are more comfortable.
Keep track of your garden by creating and maintaining a planting calendar. A calendar of this nature helps tell you what to plant when each seasons comes. It can help you to be prepared ahead of time, and know what to buy, as well as when to buy it. You can write it down on paper, or use computer software to create your calendar.
You will need the correct information, lots of patience, and the ability to spend time working outside. But soon you will see the work begin to pay off, as the garden begins to grow.