Gardening should be fun, exciting, healthy, and delicious, but many times we forget the fun part because we see so much work that can consume our lives during our garden season. Here are ten tips to help keep you on track for success in the garden.
1. Lay down a weed blocker. If you have the money, buying weed blocker to lay down around your garden will help knock out some of your daily garden weeding on your to-do list.
2. Buy the right tools. There are several gardening tools that really do make your life easier including gardening gloves, a kneeling bench to save your knees, spading fork, rake, hoe, trowel, garden hose, shovel, and a cart or wheelbarrow to help you move plants, veggies, or dirt around the yard.
3. Use soaking or weeping hose pipes for watering. These are specially made for gardens and can be looped and left around your garden plants from early spring until harvest. This can help cut your watering costs because they target the base of your plants and there is less water loss.
4. Consider combining efforts with neighbors or friends. Ask around to see if someone wants to help you with the garden and share the costs and the harvest. You would be surprised to learn how share cropping, of sorts, can help benefit both parties, especially if you both live busy lifestyles.
5. Plant what you’ll eat. Don’t make the mistake of planting exotic sounding vegetables if your family won’t touch them. Plant the things you like to eat so that when you have a bumper crop, you can freeze or can the leftovers for winter.
6. Work smarter, not harder. There’s really no clear answer to this one except to think ahead to your next move. Try and work as if you’re preparing for the next thing. This one might just take a little experience to understand.
7. Consider planting flowers to help boost your vegetables. There are flowers that can repeal certain pests from your garden. There are other flowers that can help boost your vegetables. Do a little research to see if you have room for complimentary plantings. The end result will be a visually beautiful garden.
8. Plan the right vegetable placement. There’s nothing worse than nurturing beautiful vegetables, harvesting them, and preparing to eat them only to bite down and taste something awful. Sometimes this is due to bad cross-pollination. Make sure you consider this when you’re planning out your garden.
9. Don’t plant too much. Many fall victim of over-planting in their first few years of gardening. Experts say it’s better to start small than to overextend yourself. You’ll only end up frustrated and exhausted.
10. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Finally, it might be good idea to find a few friends at your local gardening store. Someone you can trust and who might be willing to give you some good advice.