Gardening is a great way to grow delicious fruits and vegetables right in your own backyard. Nothing is better than fresh tomatoes on your salad or a salad that is totally comprised of what you’ve grown. Use the common sense advice in the article below to ensure a bountiful harvest.
Make sure to lay the sod properly. Your soil should be prepared before you lay the sod. Remove any weeds, and break the soil up into a fine tilth. Compact the soil lightly and firmly, and be sure to create a flat surface. Gently sprinkle water on the soil until you are certain that it is thoroughly moistened. When laying down sod, create staggered rows with offset joints. Firm sod until there is an even, flat surface; fill in gaps with soil. Keep the sod moist and avoid walking on it until it is well-rooted, usually two to three weeks.
If you work with clay soil, you have probably found using a shovel very frustrating and exhausting. To make the clay soft so you aren’t working as hard, take floor or car wax and rub a light coat on the surface of the shovel using a clean cloth, then buff the surface. The wax will help keep dirt from sticking to the shovel, and will also keep the metal from rusting.
Choose plant strains that will give you the best harvest with the biggest yield. Hybrids are usually hardier in terms of disease and weather resistance, and are designed to produce more.
Yes, you really have to weed. Weeds steal nutrients from plants, robbing a garden of its potential harvest. A clever way to accomplish this is with the help of some white vinegar. It can kill weeds. Try spraying some white vinegar in water when you are pulling weeds from your garden.
If you find that you have soil that has high amounts of alkaline, mix used coffee grounds throughout the soil. This is an easy and inexpensive method to increase the acidity of your soil. When you can eliminate excess alkaline from the soil, it makes what you are growing much healthier. This means your veggies will taste better, and your flowers will be more vibrant than ever.
Horticulture Knee Pads
Get some horticulture knee pads if you find yourself kneeling on the ground a lot to do your horticulture. Spending lots of time on your knees while gardening can injure them and create lasting pain. A pair of good horticulture knee pads can cushion your knees for more comfort.
Fertilizer in the garden is a must. If you decide to use manure, which is great for your plants, choose a pathogen free commercial product. You have many different choices for fertilizer; choose whichever is best-suited to your plants but definitely use one.
To keep pests away, you can use plants in the garden or other natural materials. For example, slugs can be deterred by the presence of marigolds or onions. Using wood ash as mulch around the base of trees and shrub seedlings will also help keep away insect pests. Using these natural methods will reduce the need for potentially harmful chemical pesticides.
The hobby of gardening not only gives you something enjoyable to do, but produces tasty vegetables, herbs and fruit right at home. The vegetables and fruits that you pick will add your own unique flavor to the dishes in which they are used. Follow these tips to garden efficiently and enjoy it.
