You don’t have to have a green thumb to have a flower or vegetable garden in your backyard, contrary to what many people think. Indeed, gardening is far from being extremely complicated. You only need to invest a little of your time in this project and to know a few tricks to succeed in growing beautiful flowers and growing various fruits and vegetables.
If you always wanted to be able to go in your backyard and come back with the freshest vegetables possible for the ultimate summer salad, or head to your front yard and cut some fresh flowers to bring some delicious aroma and colour into your home, keep reading. There are some easy and practical tips that can help you made your dream come true even if you are known to kill your house plants. To help you have a beautiful garden, we’ve put together a list of amazing gardening tricks. Discover them now!
1. Opt for diversity
If you want a beautiful garden, you should have some diversity when it comes to choosing the fruits and vegetables you grow. Why is that? Planting several types of shoots in your garden will not only keep pests at bay but will also promote a good sharing of water and nutrients.
2. Transform your gutters into planters
Do you lack space in your garden? Why not design a vertical garden with gutters? All you have to do is install them on one of the outside walls of your house, then put plants or aromatic herbs in it. This is a creative way to address the problem of lack of space.
3. Water your flower and vegetable garden the right way
Some people tend to water their plants too much, which can harm the growth of fruits and vegetables. You have to water your plants once or twice a week maximum.
4. Tackle mould with cinnamon
You decide to replant cuttings in your garden? Mould may develop. Fortunately, you can prevent mould from growing by putting a small amount of cinnamon in the soil in your garden. This spice acts as a hormone for the roots of cuttings. So it’s a natural way to fight mould.
5. Take care of your garden
It is important that you maintain your garden. So take the time to remove weeds near your garden or vegetable garden once or twice a week. Not only do weeds spread quickly, they can also absorb water and nutrients for your plants. If you want to get rid of it without too much hassle, you can spray white wine vinegar.
6. A few flowers and plants to add to your garden
If you don’t have a green thumb, some species of flowers and plants are easier to grow. Here are some examples of plants to integrate into your garden:
- Sweet peas: Plant 4 or 5 of them, spacing them about 50 centimetres apart.
- Daisies: Sow in May on your property.
- Cosmos: Sow them around May.
- Phlox: Plant them in March, April or September.
- Morning glories: Sow 5 or 6 seeds at a distance of 50 centimetres apart.
- Hosta: This plant does not require much maintenance, sun or water.
7. Salvage your coffee grounds in your garden
Is coffee part of your morning routine? Be aware that you can keep the coffee grounds for your garden. Coffee has a lot of nitrogen and when you pass it under some water, you rid it of its acidity, which makes it a very good fertilizer for plants. It can thus provide them with the nutrients they need to grow.
8. Kill parasites with your coins
Surprisingly, you can keep snails and slugs far away from your garden with some coins from your wallet. To do this, stick some coins in your garden or you can also place some under your plants.
9. Place your garden in the right location
To have a nice garden, here are a few tips to follow to make sure it’s in the right location:
- Avoid placing your garden close to a big tree. Your flower or vegetable garden should be, minimum 5 metres away from a tree. If you place your garden too close, the tree’s roots will take all the nutrients and water intended for your garden;
- You should make sure your garden gets enough sun. Indeed, your plants should be in the sun for 6 hours a day;
- If you can, choose a place far away from big wind gusts.
10. Make planters for your seeds
If you are a meticulous person, know that you can make planters for your seedlings using egg shells. To do this, simply crack your eggs by gently shelling the top and use the rest of the shell to plant your seedlings. Once you see the small shoots of your plants appear, you can plant them in the ground.
11. Here are some additional tricks to help you with your garden
- After a rainfall, don’t walk in your garden. This moves the soil, which risks of increasing the spread of weeds;
- Are you transplanting cuttings? Be careful not to damage their roots;
- When you plant your seeds, don’t put too much earth on them. The quantity of earth should be equal to the size of the seed;
- Avoid transplanting your baby plants when the sun beats down on your garden.
With these gardening tricks, you should be able to grow tons of fruits and vegetables or grow all the flowers in the world. After all, gardening is not complicated! All you need to do is take your time and to know what to do.
Cover photo: www.gardensall.com
