Does the way your garden look have you feeling down?
It isn’t always easy to keep your garden in tip-top shape. It’s a complex ecosystem, and you need to treat it right for it to thrive.
You aren’t alone in your journey either. Gardening is more popular than ever. Estimates say that 1 in 3 households in America has a garden.
If you don’t know what to do to keep your garden healthy, this post is for you. We will tell you about the most important things you can do to keep things looking good.
Follow the seven steps below to get started.
1. Pick the Right Soil
Do you know what kind of soil your plants need to thrive? Not all plants are the same. If you throw random plants in the same spot, you might not like the results you get.
You also need to make sure your soil offers the right conditions. You will need it to be permeable, fertile, and loamy.
Plants also need a specific pH in your soil. If you work with your soil to improve it, you will get far better growth.
Your soil always wears down over time. Many gardeners rotate their plants through the years to improve the quality of the ground.
Make sure you have a plan, so you get the best results every year.
2. Watch for Bug Damage
Don’t discount the damage bugs can do to your garden. You might think that a bit of cosmetic damage here and there isn’t a huge deal, but you’d be wrong.
When there is damage to the appearance of a plant, it provides an opening for a disease to get in. The bug may not kill the plant itself, but it provides the means for an infection to get in and finish the job, 
Make sure you take the proper precautions to stop pests from overtaking your plants. Research the pest control products you need and make sure that your plants can co-exist with them.
3. Water Your Plants Correctly
Rain is often not enough to get the proper amount of water to your garden.
Make sure to adjust the amount of water you give your plants based on the amount of rain you’re getting.
There is also a correct way to water too. Try to use watering methods that limit the amount of moisture that ends up on the plant’s foliage.
Many diseases require water in the soil and the air to move. By limiting the ability of a disease to move, you can prevent illness from overtaking your garden.
4. Do Trimming at the Right Time
You need to keep everything trimmed, but there are better times to get the work done. Most gardeners agree that winter is the best time.
You want to do your trimming during the winter to get rid of any dead limbs while the plants are dormant. Dead limbs contain disease that can spread quickly to your other plants if you aren’t careful.
This practice goes for trees too. When you save your dying tree limbs from impeding on your garden, they won’t have the opportunity to cause problems in the future.
If you wait until spring to do your trimming, any disease that is in your limbs has a higher chance of infecting your plants.
Winter weather can also cause damage throughout the year. Try to take care of this damage before the spring season comes around.
5. Watch for Overcrowding
Always keep an eye on the spacing of your plants. When plants crowd together, it creates humidity, which is a condition that allows the disease to spread through your garden.
One of the diseases you will see is mildew. When you give your plants enough to breathe, humidity won’t build up and won’t provide mildew the moisture it needs to survive.
Plants that are too close also compete for resources. They will need to share water, sunlight, and nutrients. This competition means some of your plants may not be able to grow healthy.
Unhealthy plants are also more susceptible to other diseases. The disease can spread fast if your plants have easy access to each other.
6. Make Sure Plants are Healthy When You Buy
It’s hard enough to keep plants healthy when they are in the garden. You can introduce disease yourself if you buy a plant that has an infection.
Take the time to research the plants you’re planning on purchasing. Each of them has a specific look to them when they are healthy.
When you learn the signs of unhealthy plants, you can make sure you don’t accidentally introduce disease into your garden by your own hands.
Looking at the outward appearance of the plant is also not enough. Some plants in the store won’t have good root quality. Make sure you verify this as well so it can stay healthy in your garden.
7. Take Care of Weeds
Weeds are a pain, but you need to deal with them. They starve your garden of resources and lead to the death of your plants.
On top of that, weeds are nesting spots for pests. When you allow weeds to overtake your garden, these pests will feed and introduce disease to your garden.
A common tactic to help with weeds is to apply a tarp under a layer of mulch. This method works in the short term, but weeds will start growing above the tarp as animals drop seeds into your garden.
It might be easier for you to pull up your weeds weekly instead of replacing your tarp. Chose whichever method is easiest for you.
It’s a lot of work to keep your garden healthy. But if you do the work, you will end up with a healthy garden that will produce food for years to come.
Make sure you follow the above tips to help keep your garden in shape.
Are you looking for ways to use the food you’re growing? Our food blog has plenty of tips you can make use of.