Worthwhile And Effective Gardening Tips For Beginners

By Matt Sumerstone

Making your property look more lush and beautiful by gardening is something that has been done through the ages. Novice gardeners may take one look at a beautiful garden that was established years ago and think they want their yard to look exactly like that. Gardening takes a great deal of work and if the beginner is willing to put in the time and effort, their garden will be the envy of everyone in the neighborhood, in time. With these gardening tips for beginners you should have no problem getting up and started.

Beginning gardeners should not tax themselves by building a garden too big for them to maintain. This is probably the most important tip of all. Be aware that a beginner can not possibly make their garden look like one that has been there for years and if asked, expert gardeners will tell them that it took years to get their garden too look the way it does. If the novice gardener just takes things slow they will not get discouraged. Beginner gardens for flowers should be built around the foundation of the house or down a walk way. Vegetable gardens should only be built to 100 square feet because any more than that is too big and too much to take care of in the beginning.

Decide what type of garden you can actually put in the available space you have. If your yard is primarily shady, you can not grow plants that need sun. Some flowers need 6 to 8 sunny hours per day and if they don't get it they will wilt and die. You will have to choose plants that enjoy shade in a shady yard so make sure to observe how much sun hits the yard per day. The minimum amount of sun required by a vegetable garden is six hours per day.

Watch for well drained areas in your yard. That is where you need to place your garden. If you build a garden where water collects your flowers and vegetables won't even have a chance. If the plants sit in water the roots will rot and your plants will die. Both flowers and vegetables hate to have wet roots.

Go to the local nursery or discount store and pick up a soil testing kit. Follow the directions on the box to find out if your soil is too alkaline or has too much acid in it. If either are true you must add nutrients to the soil. Just take the test to the garden center and ask them what you need to do. They can give you valuable information about what needs to be done before you plant anything.

Avoid buying seed packages the first year you build a garden. Most seeds need to be started indoors in the winter so that they grow and are big enough to plant when the time is right. Purchase already grown plants to plant at the end of spring and do this with both vegetables and with flowers. Look on-line to see the planting instructions for all plants you wish to put in the garden.

Your garden will have to be weeded, watered and you will have to feed the plants in it. Nurturing a garden is somewhat like taking care of a child although not quite as intense. You have to be vigilant against disease and bugs and other wildlife that will attach it. Daily walks in the garden to inspect any damage are necessary. Weeding has to be done on a regular basis and if you let that go your garden can become shabby and the flowers and vegetables can be choked out and die. Periodic feeding is also necessary.

Get to know the people at the garden center for at least a few years. They can give you good information and also check for other information on-line. Make sure the on-line information is suitable for the area in which you live. Also join a local garden club to get information that will be valuable to you. Make sure to have fun with your garden. There will be good things that happen and bad. You need to take both and learn from them and make sure to not be afraid to ask for good information. - 29857

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