Learn to Garden
By
User:limia @timeAndDate(1296228449)
Spending time outdoors while cultivating the earth can be a very satisfying experience. Because of this,
gardening has become one of the most popular hobbies around. Gardening can help relieve stress, foster creativity, and beautify one's home. Regardless of why people garden, there is nothing like giving a little love back to Mother Nature.
Gardening isn't easy or simple; buying some
seeds to sprinkle on your lawn may not turn out too well. But with a little hard work and help from this guide, you can gain the basics of gardening.
Garden Location
The first step in gardening is to pick out a suitable spot. Look for available areas on your property or, if none are available, search for a community garden. Community gardens are pieces of land that are collectively worked by a group of people. To find out more about these, you can go to the
American Community Gardening Association's website.
Garden's and Sunlight
Climate and Weather
In order to have a successful garden, you will want to choose plants that grow best in the climate and region you live in. You don't want to plant a palm tree in the cold chill of Alaska!
Each region has what is called a growing season, which is the period in which climactic conditions are best suitable for plants and crops to grow. Typically, this is between the last and first frost of the year. A great tool for determining the best plants for your particular part of the world is the
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone maps. These use climactic conditions to determine the survivability of plants in a given region. It was first developed by United States Department of Agriculture, but has now been adopted by a number of other nations. The links below offer more information about American growing regions.
These are not the only regions.
Garden.org has a full list with in-depth gardening information about each particular region.
Choosing Plants
Types of Plants
The basic groups of plants are
annuals,
perennials, and biennials. Annuals live for just one growing season and maintain their full bloom throughout. Perennials grow for three or more seasons, but are only in bloom for a few weeks each season. Biennials require two seasons to completely grow; the first year, they will grow small low-lying leaves. The next year, the plant will flower.
* Popular Annuals:
marigold
* Popular Perennials:
aster
* Popular Biennials:
carrot
Having a combination of flowers from each group is a good idea; this helps keep the garden diverse and reduces the amount of replanting that must be done every year. You'll want to make sure that you have plants that bloom at different times.
'''Flower Gardens'''
Flower can do wonders to transform a drab landscape into something beautiful. The popularity of flower gardens makes it easy to find plants and resources that suit your needs.
For the beginner gardener, it's often recommended to start with annual flowers, as they are widely available and easy to grow. From bushes to
flower bulbs, you can create a beautiful, diverse landscape from flowers alone.
* Great flowers for beginning gardeners:
balsam
'''Herb Gardens '''
starter kit to begin your gardening journey.
* Great herbs for beginning gardeners:
rosemary
'''Fruit and Vegetable Gardens'''
Growing your own fruits and
vegetables has become quite popular in the past few years. It can be quite satisfying to eat produce you grew yourself.
* Great fruits and vegetables for beginning gardeners:
tomatoes
Getting Your Garden Ready
When it comes to planting, you can choose to plant seeds, seedlings, or a combination of both.
* Planting from seed to flower requires the most work as you follow the plant through its entire life cycle. You can choose to start the seed outside, but as some plants need a long growing season, this is not always a good idea101.html'>Starting seeds indoors and then transferring them to an outdoor garden will be the better choice.
* Seedlings and mature plants are more expensive than seeds, but more convenient to grow. They also are a good idea if you want to add something after your initial planting.
* Planting both seeds and seedlings increases the chance that something may grow, which is the biggest concert for a beginning gardener.
Taking Care of Your Garden
Once you've finished planting, it's time to begin taking care of your garden and ensuring that the plants grow.
Watering
Again, be sure to follow the water requirements for your plants. There is no one size fits all rule to watering plants and too much or too little water may mean life or death for your garden.
Pest Control
The last thing you want are garden pests eating away at your beautiful plants. Pests come in two forms: animals and insects.
Not all pests are harmful. Ladybugs and birds feed on small insects that may damage your garden, and thus are nature's very own pest-repellent.
For more information on pest control and other garden problems, go to
GardenGuides.com.
Weed Control
Weeds are invasive plants that just seem to pop up everywhere. Many have spent hours trying to get rid of weeds only to have them reappear. If weeds are your problem, there are a number of solutions to choose from.
* '''Herbicide''' is sprayed on the weeds to kill them. Be careful and read the instructions, though: some herbicides won't hurt ornamental plants while others will kill anything it touches, weed or not.
* '''Granular weed killers''' are spread with a head or lawn spreader, or simply sprinkled onto the weed. The chemicals seep into the soil and disrupt the growth of weeds. Granular weed killers are effective but take longer to act on growing weeds.
* You can '''hand pull''' some weeds. Making sure that you are wearing
Tools for Gardening
Here are some common gardening tools that you may encounter.
Quick Picks
Related Guides
* Indoor Herb Gardens
*
Outdoor and Garden Products
*
Garden Tools
*
Gardening Hand Tools
*
Gardening Resource Page
*
Gardening Tips
*
Annuals and
Perennials
*
Theme Gardens
*
Vegetable Seeds
*
Herb Seeds
*
Weed Control
*
Garden Insect Management
