
Gardening is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding activities there is. Regardless of what you grow, cultivating and caring for plants brings a special kind of satisfaction. Read this article and you will have some fantastic tips for being a successful gardener.
The handles on your horticulture tools can be used as a convenient measuring instrument. Larger handled tools like rakes, hoes, and shovels make great measuring sticks. Place the handles on the floor, then set a measuring tape alongside them. Then, transfer the measurements to the handle using a permanent marker. Now, every time you work in your garden, you are going to have a powerful ruler at the touch of your fingertips.
Flower Bed
Biennials and annuals are great if you would like to better your flower bed. Fast-growing annuals and biennials can brighten up a flower bed, and allow you to change the look from season to season and year to year. They are very useful for filling in the gaps between perennials and shrubs in a sunny area. Attention-getting options exist such as sunflowers and petunias.
Regular weeding is essential to the health of any garden. Weeds can take a promising garden and turn it into a shell of its potential. White vinegar is a pesticide-free way to battle weeds. White vinegar will kill those pesky weeds. A spray solution is much easier to apply than to rid your garden of weeds by hand.
Shelter your deciduous shrubs. Cold weather is very hard on these tender shrubs, and potted shrubs should be shielded and protected. Connect the tops, and then place a sheet over the top of the wigwam. Doing this is a lot more effective than wrapping up the plant with plastic because it lets air circulate, which could avoid any rotting.
A set of comfortable knee pads makes a great investment if your garden is full of plant material that stays low to the ground. If you spend a large portion of your gardening session on your knees, it could create pain over time. You can be more comfortable in the garden with a good pair of gardening knee pads.
Your plants need to be kept dry, but sill receiving a good amount of air. Many diseases, as well as most parasites, prefer moisture. A common parasite to plants is fungi. Fungi can be controlled with fungicide sprays, but it is important to treat your area with the spray, before you see any problems.
Fertilizing is an important step in preparing your garden soil. Manure is great in enabling plants to grow, although it’s vital to use commercially composted products in order to lessen the risk of a variety of pathogens. Of all the fertilizing options available, it doesn’t really matter which one you choose as long as you use something.
Familiarize yourself with the optimum harvesting time of your vegetables. Most vegetables have a relatively small harvesting window when they will taste best. For instance, zucchini and baby peas have the best taste when you pick them early. By contrast, it’s best to wait until tomatoes are fully ripe before picking them. Take some time to learn about the best harvest time for the vegetables that you have growing.
Make sure your pesticides are focused on only what you’re trying to kill. While broad-spectrum pesticides will kill most pests, they will also kill helpful insects. In fact, beneficial insects are more likely to die than pests if you spray these types of pesticides. As the population of “good” bugs dwindles, your garden may become overrun with pests. This can result in your using more pesticides to eradicate the problem.
Vegetables are softest during the warmest hours of each day, so picking them then, no matter how gently, runs the risk of damage. Be certain that you cut picked vegetables straight off from the vine itself and not by twisting them off, because you don’t want to harm the plant.
If you want your children to enjoy your organic garden, plant some tasty strawberries. Children love to snap up these sweet juicy fruits for themselves and will be much more willing to eat other foods you’ve planted as well.
It is important to protect your knees when you are horticulture. Bending over for extended periods can be harmful to your joints and muscles. Kneeling is a great way to reach your plants without causing stress to your back. For extra comfort, purchase a knee pad for use as a cushion between your knees and the ground.
Have all of your tools available to you as you garden to increase efficiency. Carry a large bucket with you or wear pants with a lot of pockets. Keep your gloves, a trowel, small pruning shears and other tools handy and make quick work of your garden maintenance.
Try to keep plastic bags on hand to cover shoes that are muddy. This allows you to keep going, getting back to your garden quickly.
Pine Needles
Pine can make surprisingly great mulch. Some plants do better in soil with high acidity as they are highly acidic themselves. There is no better, or easier, way to make your acid-loving plants happy then to use pine needles you already have on your beds. If you spread a few inches of pine needles around your garden beds, when they break down, the acid they contain will leach into the soil.
As mentioned, gardening can be an enjoyable, rewarding hobby. The fruits of your time and labors fail to stop yielding, regardless of the dividends are vibrant color outside your windows or fresh foods on your kitchen table. Incorporate some of the tips you find here and you can greatly enhance the joy you have already found in horticulture.