Gardening is a hobby that is worth developing if you have extra space in your home. You will be fascinated by it after some time and it will also keep your mood good and you will have something to work on in your free time. It is considered as one of the most happening hobbies for retired persons, but young millennials too can develop this hobby and enjoy a beautiful and glowing garden in their veranda. All you need to do is to read some blogs and start gardening.
If you are not an experienced gardener and want some tips to start gardening, this blog is for you. Here is a list of gardening tips that will help you to start.
1. Understand your region
Not all soils are the same and this is the first lesson to learn while starting gardening. You cannot grow everything everywhere. Some soils are good for specific types of plants and some are not. You need to understand this basic thing first. Talk with a local gardening group or take some online help and decide which plants to work on and whatnot. There are many online gardening groups you might found who can help you with that. Decide which plants are the best for your soil and you will be ready to start with.
2. Soil testing is important
You need to test your soil to find about the pH levels and nutrient levels. Well, there is no rocket science involved with it. All you need to do is to take a sample of the soil and send it to the local nursery or a local cooperative organization and they will send you a detailed report about your soil. It is important to know whether the soil is acidic or alkaline as it decides the nutrient absorbing capacity. The test results will help you to decide how to treat the soil and which plants to work for. Along with that, it is also important to examine the soil texture. Clay like soil makes it very hard for plants to grow roots and these technicalities are very significant to understand.
3. Go first with easy plants
Go easy as you are a beginner and pro to making mistakes. It is advisable to start with vegetable plants first as it would be inappropriate even if you make some mistakes. Don’t lose heart if you end up making mistakes as we all make them during the initial levels. Experts suggest starting with sunflowers as they are easy to grow and will boost your self-confidence too. It will be a reassuring and satisfying experience.
4. Make a plan
Making a plan for gardening is as important as other things. Many gardening enthusiasts failed during the first stage of gardening due to poor or no plans. How to make a plan. Well, it is very simple. For example, first of all, you need to research how long the plants will grow to avoid crowding. If a plant is likely to live for more than two years, you need to keep a significant distance between the plants to avoid crowding. Plants need enough room to grow and develop and you need to keep this thing in the mind while making a plan for gardening.
Same goes with the height of the plants. Plants that grow short should be planted toward the front end of the garden and taller plants in the back of the garden. This arrangement will help to get enough sunlight for each plant in the garden. Such arrangements must be done carefully to let plants grow without any hindrances.
5. Time to take a notebook and pen
You need to be like a professional when it comes to gardening, especially when you are considering it a serious undertaking. Write down your plans and aspirations in the notebook and also write goals for the garden. You can also jot down your daily gardening activities like irrigation details and other crucial information. Take some time to this exercise and it will help you to manage it professionally.
6. Set a calendar for better planning
This seems very obvious and somewhat laughable, but it is very important to do as it will make things easy for you. Make a calendar and write down your plan for watering, fertilizing and other details. For example, it is very difficult to plant in the summer and the fall is the best season for pruning. If you have a calendar, you will be easily managing those things.
7. Understand watering for plants
Gardening is not a casual affair and you need to spare tour time consistently. Regular watering is one of the preconditions of gardening and you cannot miss it no matter how busy you are..without watering, plants will go plain dry and there will no possibility to bring back to life. A regular and ample amount of water is very crucial for gardening. Also, when a plant is new, it will need more water to grow due to undeveloped root systems. The best time for watering is early morning when a plant can absorb and soak up the water easily. Evening watering might invite fungus and other illnesses to the plants.
8. Experiment a little
When you give some time to gardening, you will certainly want to experiment a little. Read online blogs, join online gardening forums and participate in discussions and talks.
Follow gardening enthusiasts on social media platforms and make some experiments in your garden. You might make mistakes initially, but with time, you will be good at understanding the important things about gardening.