When the weather starts to turn warmer outside, many of us begin thinking about getting out there and planting a garden. After all, it seems as if everything is coming back to life during this time of year so it is only natural for us to want to grow something that is also going to put food on the table.
Of course, there are many different reasons why we may grow a garden. For some of us, it is because we love watching things grow and there is nothing quite like taking a seed, planting it and eventually eating food from it. In addition, the health benefits of gardening extend far beyond the vegetables that we eat. In fact, there is even some evidence that working in the dirt provides healthy bacteria that we otherwise would be missing. This isn’t even to mention some of the benefits to us financially and the benefit of taking care of the earth.
Regardless of why you decide that gardening is right for you, it is a hobby that is both rewarding and relaxing. It gives us the opportunity to spend some time outside and to do something other than sitting in front of a computer or hanging out with our smartphone. When we plant a garden, it provides us with beauty and diversity, which are two things that many of us certainly do appreciate about life.
Of course, there are different ways to garden and it always helps to have a good trick up your sleeve. The following 10 tips can help you to get more out of your gardening and to grow things in ways that you may have never thought of before.
1. Some plants may have a difficulty with disruption. You can use leftover toilet paper rolls as planters. It makes it easier to transplant the sensitive plants because it is less stressful and keeps the roots from becoming tangled with each other.
2. When you are dealing with limited space, you can grow a vertical garden. Even gutters can be used to create a wall garden if you drill holes in the bottom for drainage. Measure them and cut them to size. They can be hung on the wall with wall brackets.
3. Soak seeds in lukewarm water overnight before planting to help them germinate
4. Check out some of the software and apps for creative gardening. They can help you to improve your garden, even if you have been doing it for years.
5. Keep a measuring stick handy to measure the rows of plants and keep them evenly spaced. The handle of a gardening tool can be marked at intervals for that purpose.
6. Label plants and where they are located. Last year’s labels can be recycled if you scrape off the old marker. You can also use flat stones, popsicle sticks or tiles
7. If frost may be an issue, be sure to cover your sensitive seedlings. They can be covered with a terra-cotta pot at night and then uncovered in the morning.
8. Aphids are a relatively common pest but they can be handled easily. Wrap some sticky tape around your hand and brush them from the plants. It helps to remove the aphids without getting them on your hands.
9. You can recycle old plastic water bottles to make an irrigation system. Cut bottoms off, insert them in the ground near the plant and fill them with water. The water will be slowly released into the soil.
10. Recycle leftover water from cooking or collect rainwater for watering the garden. Water conservation is always a good idea.
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