Gardening can be very useful, rewarding and fun. Whether you decide to grow a flower garden or plant some fresh herbs, you’ll find that tending to your plants is incredibly fulfilling. Read this article to learn some important tips about horticulture, and taking care of your growing plants.
Start your plants in some pots and plant its seedlings in the garden. Doing this will increase the survival rate of all your outdoor plants. This method also gives you the freedom of tightening time periods between each planting. Your seedlings will be ready to be planted when you remove your old mature plants.
Turn the handles of tools you have on hand into rulers to make measurements in your garden. Tools with substantial handles, like rakes, hoes and large shovels are great for taking measurements. All you have to do is lay them on the floor then use a measuring tape to measure their length. Label the distances onto them using a permanent marker pen. Now, the next time you do work in the garden, you’ll actually have a ruler at your fingertips.
If you’re growing veggies in the garden, they need to be in a spot that lets them get about six hours of sun daily. Most vegetables need that much sun to grow rapidly and successfully. Many flowers also require adequate sunlight to flourish.
If your soil is highly alkaline, try mixing used coffee grounds into the soil. This is an easy and inexpensive method to increase the acidity of your soil. You will discover that your vegetables are more flavorful than ever before.
For an unusual, but effective, organic solution to weeding young plants, try “boiling” the weeds away. Water is cheaper than chemical herbicides, and less hazardous to humans and soil. Just douse the weeds directly with boiling water, taking care to avoid damaging nearby plants. Boiling water kills weeds by destroying their roots. Weeds won’t be able to survive, never mind grow, with damaged weeds.
Carefully read and follow the instructions that come with your chemicals and tools, especially when you’re just starting to garden. If you ignore them, you can irritate your skin in most painful ways. Following instructions for the use of harsh chemicals can keep you safe from serious injury.
Use a wheelbarrow and a kneeling stool when you’re working in your garden. It is important to protect your knees when you are kneeling in the garden, and a foam kneeling pad will help with that. Horticulture involves moving heavy objects and dirt, so a wheelbarrow makes for a wise investment.
Learn the best harvesting time for each kind of vegetable you plant. Most vegetables have a relatively small harvesting window when they will taste best. Peas, for instance, should be harvested rather young if you wish to obtain the best flavors and texture. On the contrary, tomatoes shouldn’t be picked from the vine until they are ripe as can be. So, it is good to learn about the best time to harvest your vegetables.
Cooled water left over from steaming vegetables can be fed to them as a little snack. Tea and coffee grounds can be used to add acidity to your soil for plants like gardenias and rhododendrons. Chamomile tea can be an effective treatment against fungus attacking plants.
As has been noted above, there are many rewards inherent in gardening. The benefits ranges from seeing your garden filled with brightly colored flowers and thriving, luscious green plants, to cutting your grocery bill in half by providing your family with fresh home grown vegetables. Take your gardening to greater heights of enjoyment with the tips you’ve gotten here.
