Spring is here even as it snows in certain areas around the globe, specifically the United States. But there are specific key points to address. Firstly, there is a difference between flower gardening and vegetable gardening. The two are extremely different especially when it comes to regulating temperature, which species can survive through a random morning frost and which ones cannot.
The Biggest and First Step to Gardening
Figuring out what type of flower species or vegetable/fruit plant you’d like to plant. Now for a beginner it’s very highly recommended on choosing a flower plant that can be first started as a seedling to be planted in a planters pot and kept in a regulated temperature home. The temperature variety acceptable for the plant will be printed on the back of the paper, in which the seeds come in. With an added step being, location, location, location. Locating where an area has full sun, afternoon, or morning sun in vitally important. Typically both plants and vegetables require 5 hours of full sun per day. But, knowing that if you live in the northern part of the United States, morning sun is best. While in the southern part of the United States, afternoon to evening sun is the best time.
Do Not Do This
Like the photo above, bees are essential to a healthy ecosystem. Let those little cute bumblebees go from flower to flower, do not swat at them. You need them for your garden, which means no pesticides whatsoever. Try organic solutions to a pest problem, but do not use chemicals as this can kill off your plants and ecosystem.
Any pollinators will help your garden flourish and even help cross pollinate different flowers which can cause some incredible and mysterious new species of flowers.
If You’re a Gardener but It’s Your First Winter
You created and laid out your new garden last Spring and now Winter has come and gone, what do you do to check and see if everything is okay? Did you set up any type of fencing around the area? How are the plants themselves that you’ve covered to ensure they would not receive contact with snow or frost? Or have new animals moved into the area? These are the question you will need to ask, to ensure that your garden stays stable and keeps growing.
An important task is too see if a fence has bowed, split, or weathered heavily. This can cause animals to tear down or simply walk into the garden.
How heavy was the snowfall that Winter, do your plants look damaged or do they have ice damage? Mostly plants can be revived from frost damage but if it’s severe, you will loose the plant.
Have you spotted new animals prints in the soil, or have you noticed your plants seem to have a bite taken out of them? Rabbits will eat broccoli, beans, and lettuce. Be sure to keep an eye on your lettuce since this is the most likely vegetable a rabbit will go after.
Invest in Ordinary Garden Tools
Do not go for the outlandish and extreme gardening tools because they look pretty. Go for the most basic looking gardening tools, here is a beginners batch:
Spade
Gloves
Sheers
Garden Fork
Rake/Hoe
Towel
Watering Can
Wheelbarrow
These items are essential from professional to beginner on all levels, you will be needing these and most likely replacing a few of them after a while.
Test Your Soil
Since you’re new to the game, a pro gardener tests their soil about every 3 years. This testing can show what nutrients or organic materials it needs and which it has too much of. If there is a high number of phosphorous going on, that means do not add fertilizers that contain a lot of that nutrient. To gain more insight into testing your soil, just visit your local garden or greenhouse shop. They can point you in the right direction.
The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.
Alfred Austin (30 May 1835 – 2 June 1913)
Begin Transplanting
The time has come to utilize those biodegradable planters you’ve planted your seedlings in. Now those biodegradable pots do not need to be completely destroyed while planting. Instead ripping edges does allow the plant to get use to the new soil. We’ve all have heard of transplanting shock, but doing it this way with a biodegradable planter helps wonders. Also the biodegradable planter anymore has nutrients packed into it to allow the plant to feed and thrive off of it.
This guide aims to helps those struggling with knowing what tools to buy and what type of planters to use while holding your seedlings.
