For someone who is blessed with a green thumb, gardening is a joy. Being able to turn something from a wilderness into a lush area filled with colour and fragrant scent is a talent and encouraging your garden to grow is part of the package. If you’re new to having a garden to play with, then you’ll likely feel a bit overwhelmed about how to make your flowers and vegetables grow properly.
Gardening is seasonal, especially if you understand what plants should be grown and when. Spring is the best time to dig out your land and grow your garden into something beautiful. So much of the summer time is spent watering, weeding and watching for any movement. Check out our step by step guide to beginning your own garden, from the soil to the stems!
Know what to grow
Spend the cold winter months planning what you want your garden to be. Some people prefer to have a garden purely for growing their own fruits and vegetables. Others just want somewhere that looks beautiful, so go for flowers. If you pick flowers, you need to decide on annuals – which last all summer but need yearly planting. Or whether you want perennials, which regrow every year but bloom for shorter lengths of time.
Pick where you plant
Your garden needs to be optimal for growth, so you need to look beyond the best liquid fertiliser and look at the space you have to plant. Most flowers and food need at least six hours of sunlight to be able to be nourished. You should make sure that you know exactly how much sunlight each area of your garden gets, so that you can efficiently plant your flowers and know they’ll have enough light.
Clear the crud
Turning over the garden is a big job, but if you don’t clear the old sod that covers the area, your plants won’t grow. You need to work on the soil and this takes compost and elbow grease. Soil needs to be improved and you can turn your compost into the soil you have so the organic matter works its way through.
Pick the plants
Once you’ve got the grounding of your garden sorted, it’s time to pick the plants. Whether you have a method for how you plan to do your garden – such as planting rainbow colours – or you have an idea of how your garden should look, choose wisely. Annual plants like marigolds and cosmos always brighten up the garden and short blooming perennials like pansies and cornflowers pop colour through more often.
Work the water
Plants and vegetables need water – but not too much. Flower seedlings should never be left to dry out and daily watering is necessary. As they get bigger, lessen how often you water and water in the morning so they have the day to settle. So go get that watering can and start watering!
Seeing how your garden grows is always a pleasure, especially if this is your first go! You’ll get the green bug once you get started, which will encourage you to keep up your gardening year on year.
