10 easy ways to start gardening in your home
If you have decided to start your gardening journey, then you have made one of the best decisions in your life. Starting a garden can be the most rewarding to you. You are going to be beneficial from the garden in every possible way. It does not even matter if you have a flower, vegetable, or herb garden. If you are procrastinating a lot about starting a gardening journey, starting your journey in winter is recommended. Though the starting may seem overwhelming, gardening becomes smoother and happier when you take the necessary steps. Gardening will reward you not only by giving fruits or veggies but also because they will become your children, and you will be at ease taking care of them.
The following steps will guide you to start gardening from scratch-
- Take a decision:
It would help if you decided first what you want to grow in your garden. It may seem very obvious to decide what you want to plant, but it is the most difficult choice. Decide what excites you- is it veggies or flowers, or herbs? You cannot grow everything, literally. Every type of garden needs to be maintained differently. So, it would help if you decided accordingly. It will be easier for you to start with one or two plants, in case you are confused.
2. Choose a sunny spot:
As you are into gardening now, you must consider gardening the supreme power. Most plants need at least 5 to 6 hours of sunlight to flourish and thrive. You will have to observe which part of your home or yard gets the most sunlight, which parts get partial shade, and which are fully shady. Don’t be upset if your area is shady; many plants grow and thrive in the shade. Squash, tomato, and peppers need ideal sun, but if you have a shady yard, you can try your hands on lettuce, beetroot, or parsley.
3. Make your garden plant ready:
Before planting anything, you must ensure that you have removed all weeds and cleared the ground. If you want fast results, like having veggies in 3 to 4 months, then make sure you have started composting and planted the right seed. You need to start with a seed from a good company, decide which varieties you would love, and choose them accordingly.
4. Check the soil:
You can check your soil testing at your local extension office. You will get multiple ideas on the requirements of plants and the soil. You can also read 2 to 3 blogs on this, giving you an idea about your soil. The residential soils mostly require a boost; the soil is low in nutrients and has poor drainage. You can throw compost, dried leaves, and earthworms to boost fertility.
5. Prep the soil:
You should loosen the soil before sowing or planting. As a result, the roots grow easily. You can apply two methods- using a mechanical gadget or digging with your hands. Though the first process is good because it can mix many amounts, it can harm the plant beds.
6. Start with easy maintenance plants:
As a beginner, you have no hands-on experience with taking care of the garden. So, it’s always a better idea to start with low-maintenance plants which require less maintenance and care. You can choose veggies like tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, and herbs like mint, parsley, oregano, etc.
7. Plant wisely:
Select the plants according to the weather. Some plants like to thrive in winter, and some like to thrive in summer. If you live in snowy weather, then your plants risk getting affected by snow. If you can surf the internet and read the guide on planting seeds, your journey will be easier. You need to provide enough space for the plants to grow. Read the garden guide and go through the recommendations there. If you miss to space them properly, you are restricting them from thriving and flourishing.
8. Don’t forget to water:
New gardeners generally overwater the plants or forget to water them! You have to take care of whether the plants need water now or not. Have a check on the weather, if it is moist or dry. Clay soil dries out faster than sandy soil; in sunny and windy conditions, the soil dries out fast. It is better if the plants are watered early in the morning to minimize evaporation.
9. No weeds:
Weeds are not something we want in our garden. Pull out the weeds as soon as you see them. The best way to get rid of them is not to let them start. If there are any dead plants and flowers, try to remove them and notice if there are any destructive insects that are harming your plants.
10. Trust the process: Your veggies may be damaged by cows or other plants, and some insects have spoiled your broccoli. But you should not be upset and give up. It would help if you learned from the failures. Take a diary and note down the things that worked and did not. Use it as a reference for the next season.
