5 Super Simple Gardening Tips to Make Your Garden Grow

Did you know that tending to your garden can actually reduce stress, improve sleep, and increase feelings of calm? You don’t have to be a green thumb to start a successful garden — it just takes the right tools and techniques. Even small spaces are perfect for growing gardens; any home or apartment has the potential to become a lush oasis with the right information. Fortunately, there are plenty of simple ways to make your garden grow. From choosing the right plants to keeping pests at bay, these tips will help your garden thrive. Once you follow the pointers below, you’ll find that tending to your patch of earth is an enjoyable hobby rather than an arduous task. So plant those seeds, tend those plants, and watch your garden grow.

Grow plant companions

When you start growing different types of plants together, you create a companion garden. Companion gardening is an age-old practice that’s proven to work. You can start by choosing plants that attract beneficial insects, or plants that repel insects that might harm your other crops. For example, basil repels mosquitoes while dill attracts bees — a welcome combination in any garden. You can also grow plants that have similar growing conditions together, either to save space or because they require the same nutrients. For example, tomatoes and peppers are both part of the nightshade family. Similarly, herbs and vegetables like to be grown together because they benefit each other. Good Gardn

Rotate your crops

No matter what you grow in your garden, you should rotate your crops every few years to avoid soil depletion. A typical rotation plan includes growing a nitrogen-fixing legume, a non-legume vegetable, a broadleaved herb, and a root vegetable. You can find an online rotation calculator to help you create a custom rotation plan based on the specific needs of your garden. If you keep the same plants in your garden year after year, they will deplete the soil of nutrients. So, by rotating your crops every few years, you can avoid this problem and keep your garden healthy.

Use a soil pH test

The soil pH plays a major role in how well your plants grow — and knowing your soil’s pH level will help you select crops that thrive in those conditions. The ideal pH level for gardening ranges between 6 and 7, but most soils are either too alkaline or acidic. Fortunately, you can use a soil pH test to determine whether you need to change the soil’s pH level. You can buy a soil pH test at your local garden center or online. Soil pH affects the availability of nutrients, so if your garden’s soil pH is off, you may need to supplement it with fertilizer.

Add compost and fertilizer

Since your soil may be depleted of nutrients, you should add compost to help improve its quality. Compost is made up of decomposed organic matter, such as leaves, grass clippings, vegetable scraps, and newspaper. It’s the best way to enrich your soil, providing your plants with essential nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. To make compost, start with a bin and add organic matter to it over time. Once your compost is fully composted, you can add it to your garden soil to enrich it and provide nutrients. Another good way to boost the nutrients in your soil is to add fertilizer. There are many types of fertilizer available, including organic options.

Timing is everything

When is the best time to plant various types of crops? Well, that depends on your region and the weather. You can find out what type of climate you live in, along with average temperatures and rainfall levels, at places like Weather Underground. If you don’t know what to plant in your garden, you can find out by using a gardening calendar. This is a good way of organizing your gardening activities and making sure you don’t miss out on important planting and harvesting dates. A gardening calendar is especially useful if you’re a beginner since it will help you learn what to do each month.

Don’t forget to water

Watering your plants is one of the most important gardening activities, even if you live in a humid climate. Without enough water, your plants will become stunted and susceptible to pests, like aphids and spider mites. You can estimate how often you need to water your plants by checking their soil and feeling how moist it is. If the soil is dry, it’s time to water. Depending on the size of your garden, you may need more than one water source. While a sprinkler is a good option in a large garden, it’s not so effective in a small space. If you have a small garden, consider installing a soaker hose or a drip irrigation system. These are smart ways to water your plants, and they’ll save you time and money.

Conclusion

A garden is a great way to spruce up your home, save money on groceries, and get some exercise. Any beginner can grow a beautiful garden by following these simple tips. All you need is a little bit of know-how and a lot of patience. Once your garden is established, you’ll see the benefits every time you walk out the door and breathe in the fresh air.

This article is provided by https://www.goodgardn.co.uk/