A garden not only enhances your property and brings serenity to your life but it also provides a positive channel for creativity and energy. Gardening is noble for both body and mind. It not only gets you out into nature but also lowers body mass index, depression and anxiety. At times, Gardening can be all time consuming or they can demand only a few hours a week of your time. It doesn’t take much time to plant a small sapling but taking proper care is very important. Here are 5 essential aspects of successful gardening.
- It’s all about the ‘Soil’
The soil is a living organism that fosters plants and as such is critical to a blooming garden. Select a good spot for the garden and then dig in. Chop up and remove all grass and weeds. With a hoe or a shovel, loosen the soil, turning it and pulling out rocks, sticks, and other waste matter.
Loamy soil is what you want. It is a blend of sandy soil, which is loose and dry, and clay soil, which is rich in nutrients but heavy and thick. For most beds, dig down six to seven inches into the soil so that the ground is nice and loose.
- Light Matters
Depending on the size of your garden and how it is situated, you may not have much choice when it comes to light. There are plants suitable for every climate and weather. If your garden gets a minimum of six hours of full sun every day, you can plant vegetables and flowers requiring full sun. Sunlight is very important for any plant or even living organism. Sunlight provides important nutrients and helps plants in photosynthesis.
- Watering Strategies
All gardens need water. Water the garden at least three times a week, giving it a good soak, so that the water completely penetrates the soil, but don’t overflow the patch. A hose with a watering rod is effective for small gardens. For larger spaces, a sprinkler that wavers is a good idea. You can also make your own watering system with as simple as a plastic water bottle as its main component. When the sun is hottest, the water vaporizes quickly and does your garden very little good, hence proper watering is a must.
- Yes to Fertilizers
Fertilizers add nutrients including the two most crucial for a garden: nitrogen, which helps in leaf growth, and phosphorous, which helps with root health and growth. Chemical fertilizers are very efficient and powerful, but organic fertilizers do a great job, too, and have the added production of doing more to improve the soil over the long term. Sprinkle the fertilizer over the dirt and scratch it into the soil with a fork or a rake.
- Essential Equipment
In the beginning stages, gardening requires a few tools. The bigger the scale of your gardening, the more tools you’re likely to need. For potted flowers or pot gardens- containers, potting soil, a watering can, and a small trowel is basic equipment that’s needed. But for elevated beds or large garden beds in the ground, it’s useful to have a trowel, watering can, shovel, hoe, and digging fork. Larger gardens might benefit from the use of bigger equipment, such as a rototiller, for arranging the soil.