The Benefits of Gardening
Gardening adds colour to our world, but it also offers multiple benefits to the gardener, including an excuse to be out of doors on a lovely summer day. Still not convinced? Here are 10 good reasons to “dig in”:Keep the Age of the Child in Mind
When introducing children to gardening, keep the age of the child in mind. Children are impatient and expect quick results, so get them to plant quick-growing plants such as sunflowers and tomatoes. Similarly, sunflowers have large seeds that are easier for very young children to handle.Hand over Ownership
One of the best ways to encourage your children to take an interest in gardening is to give them individual plots. The ownership of the plot will inculcate a better sense of responsibility and ensure that they remember to water their garden and weed it. The size of the plot should depend on the age of the child. You could start off very young children with a container garden that they can easily water. Locate the child’s plot in a sunny spot that has easy access to a water source. Depending on the age of the child, you can help by weeding, removing bugs, or watering.Gradually Involve them in All Gardening Activities
While very young children are likely to only be interested in some aspects of gardening such as planting the seeds or watering, you can gradually involve the child in all gardening activities. Teach your child how to compost organic material, weed, remove pests, and harvest. As the child grows older, you can ask them to take part in mulching and fertilizing, pruning, and harvesting. You can also increase the area of the garden your child manages and let them choose which plants to plant each year.Safety Measures When Gardening with Children
When gardening with children, you need to ensure that adequate steps are in place to ensure their safety. First, you need to make sure that the plot allotted to your child is close to the house and visible from the home for better monitoring. While even very young children should be given proper gardening tools, these should be the right size for them to use safely. Some garden tools and implements should only be used by children under supervision. Apart from this, you also need to make sure that your children are not exposed to chemical fertilizers and pesticides. This is best achieved by keeping your entire garden organic. If that is not possible, keep pesticides out of the reach of children and explain that certain products are not to be used by them.Planning Garden Beds
When planning garden beds for children, make sure that they are not very wide so that children can reach the center of the beds with ease. This means that the garden beds should not be more than four feet in width. Additionally, you need to leave adequate space between the beds for children to move around with ease. With very small children who may not be the most coordinated or have that attention to detail that adults have, you need to leave around two feet between the beds to ensure that they do not trample on the plants.Using the Garden as a Teaching Tool
To be most effective, the garden should be used as a fun teaching tool. This can be done by letting children get muddy and dirty as they explore all aspects of the garden. While you are gardening with children, you can introduce them not only to the plants in the garden, but the insects, small animals, and birds that are part of it. Installing a bird feeder and bird bath can help add color and interest to the garden. Help your children identify the birds and insects in your garden even as you teach them the names of the various plants.Be Flexible
In order to ensure that your children enjoy gardening and spending time outdoors, you need to be flexible. Let the children choose what they want to plant and allow them to make a few mistakes. This is how children learn – they learn from their mistakes. No different than adults really though. Very young children are likely to pull up plants along with the weeds, trample on seedlings, over water the plant beds, and so on. While this can result in a less than perfect garden, your children are likely to find the process enjoyable and take pride in productive work. While children need to be supervised to ensure that they do not injure themselves when using garden implements, they should be allowed to experiment and make mistakes so that they learn to appreciate the joys of gardening as well as other life lessons. And certainly they can enjoy some of the fruits of their labor as well.What to Look for in a Potting Bench
A potting bench should be made of high-quality wood that can withstand exposure to moisture and sunlight. Red cedar or other natural woods or pressure treated wood can be used to make a potting bench.Sturdy Base
In addition, the potting bench should have a sturdy base that will be able to carry the weight of pots with soil, sacks of potting soil, fertilizer bags, a watering can, and some tools.Height
The main work surface of the potting bench should be slightly lower than your kitchen counter. This is because many of the pots you work with will be more than a foot in height. A very high potting bench will not let you see inside the pot when you are lining the base with gravel, charcoal, and other materials.Multiple Shelves
There should be multiple shelves that can hold a variety of tools and equipment that are required to make potting easier. The shelves should be place such that you have a clear four feet by two feet surface to place the pots on and work.Built in Sink
Another salient feature is the built in sink. This can help collect debris, soil, and other material with ease for cleaning up. A sliding lid over the sink can increase the work surface while the sink is not needed. A detachable sink will make clean up much easier as the debris can simply be dumped in the compost bin.Grate for Collecting Soil
Another feature that can help make a potting bench much easier to use is a grate for the work surface. This will help the potting soil fall through and collect in a bin below for reuse, ensuring that you do not have to worry about spilling potting soil or fertilizer.Wire Mesh, Lattice, or Pegboard for Hanging Tools
While most potting benches have a shelf for keeping tools, some come with framed wire mesh, lattice back, or pegboard for hanging tools. This keeps the bench and work surface uncluttered and enables you to reach out for the tool you need with ease.Storage
Some potting benches have built-in drawers to store tools and fertilizer. These can be left outside the garden shed and yet keep the tools dry and protected from the elements. It also helps you remain organized. Regarding the weather, extreme cold, humidity, and heat could wear down your tools. Putting them in drawers will help preserve them for many more years and even be suitable enough for your children to use.Wheels
Wheels and a handle can be of marvelous help if you have a large garden. Imagine the ease of gardening if you are able to wheel the potting bench to different sections of the garden instead of having to lug containers to the garden shed or potting bench for transplanting, repotting, or adding compost and fertilizer.Paint or Sealant
Whether your potting bench is placed in the garden shed or outside, you need to ensure that it has multiple coats of waterproof paint or sealant. This will help protect the wood from exposure to moisture and sunlight.Maintenance of your Potting Bench
Maintaining your potting bench is relatively easy. You need to wipe it dry after use and paint it once a year. Move the potting bench indoors, either to your garage or a garden shed in the winter months to help preserve it for longer. Potting benches can be as simple and basic as you want with a working surface, a storage shelf, and a smaller shelf to keep tools. On the other hand, a potting bench with a framed mesh for hanging tools, wheels, and handles to help move it, a sink or grate to collect debris, and drawers or covered storage to hold potting soil, fertilizer, and tools can make it much more comfortable to carry out numerous gardening tasks.Location of the Potting Bench
The potting bench can be placed in the garden shed or outdoors. However, you need to ensure that there is plenty of air circulation and light on the work surface. If you are placing your potting bench in the garden shed, place it close to a window that lets in natural light and air. If you plan to locate your potting bench outdoors, try placing it under a tree or close to the walls of the house so that you will have some shelter from the elements as you work on potting, transplanting, and other constructive tasks.General Watering Tips
Whether you have planted only drought-resistant plants or some sections of your garden have plants that require regular watering, you need to follow the rule of occasional deep watering rather than frequent shallow watering. A general rule of thumb is to water the plants once a week so that the soil receives an inch of water. Avoid watering the leaves since this can lead to the growth of fungi. Covering the soil with mulch will also help prevent water evaporation from the soil, helping to delay watering sessions.Drought-Resistant Plants
Yarrow ‘Coronation Gold’: These are golden yellow flowers that bloom among tall silvery gray leaves. The flowers bloom from mid-summer to early autumn. The plants grow up to three feet in height and require plenty of direct sunlight and soil that handles moisture well with the proper drainage capabilities. Silver Artemisias: You can add fragrance to your garden with this silvery gray leafy plant. The aromatic leaves grow from between one and a half feet to four feet in height depending on the variety you choose. These plants thrive in direct sunlight and when they are growing in well-drained soil. They can be invasive and you need to divide them often to limit their spread. Purple Coneflower: Another plant that prefers direct sunlight and well-drained soil is the purple coneflower. The plant grows to be between .6 to 1.3 meters or two and four feet in height. Tall Bearded Iris: This hardy plant also requires direct exposure to sunlight and well-drained soil. It blooms in spring and is a great ornamental plant with blade-like leaves and purple flowers with six petals. The plant grows to be more than .6 meters or two feet in height. Rosemary: Another hardy plant that produces both flowers and aromatic leaves. The pine-like leaves add a distinct aroma to the garden while the sun-loving plant will thrive on well-drained soil and less water. Common Thyme: This is a garden plant that blooms in late spring and early summer. The bush-like plants grow to a maximum of one foot in height and the flowers are white or light purple in color. The plant can be grown in either direct sunlight or lightly shaded areas. Lavender: These mounding plants flower in the summer. The silvery gray leaves of lavender are spiky and the plant grows to between two and three feet in height. The flowers can be lavender, purple, or white depending on the variety you choose. Common Sage: The wooly gray green leaves of this plant make them attractive throughout the growing season. The plant prefers direct sunlight and a soil that is not too saturated and that allows the water to drain away appropriately. It can grow to between .6 to 1 meter or two to three feet in height. Hens and Chicks: This is a succulent plant with blue green leaves that are tipped with red or purple highlights in the summer. The plants should be placed in direct sunlight or lightly shaded locations and the soil should not be flooded. Snow-in-Summer: This plant is very short, only six to ten centimeters or two to three inches in height. The leaves are silvery and the flowers are star-shaped and white. The plant thrives in direct sunlight and in soil that does not hold water for extended periods of time. Creeping Phlox: This is a hardy plant that grows in fertile soil that is well drained. The flowers bloom in late spring or early summer. The plant is only six to 21 centimeters or two to six inches tall and the leaves are bright green and form a majestic background for the white, pink, or violet flowers. These plants can make attractive borders. Sedum: This plant has fleshy evergreen leaves and grows well in average or fertile soil. The plant requires direct sunlight. It flowers in summer and produces loose clusters of purple or white flowers. The short plant attains a maximum height of about 14 centimeters or four inches. An eco-friendly garden should make every effort to conserve water, using drought-resistant plants, storing rain water in barrels, and using mulch to help the soil retain moisture for a longer period of time. These steps will ensure that your garden is lush and enticing without consuming a lot of precious water during the dry months.Overall Considerations when Planning a Flower Garden
You need to begin with a plan that should include large deciduous trees, evergreen hedges, perennial flowering shrubs, and finally seasonal plants that add color. Following this scheme when planning a flower garden will ensure that your garden has structure as well as color.Plant the Trees First
If you are starting a garden from scratch, plant the trees first. The deciduous trees will grow to be large and cast a shade over a large section of your garden, so locate them with care. The trees should be located at spots where you would like to place a bench or similar seating and away from where you want a lawn or flower bed that will require plenty of sunlight.Hedges
Once the trees have been planted, decide on the location of hedges to create paths and alleys. These should be planted next.Perennials
After you have planted the hedges, decide where you want to locate the perennial flowering plants. These will grow to be tall and need sunlight as well.Flower Beds
After all of these have been located, make flower beds that can border the lawn or line the paths. Plant these with flowers that will add color to the garden. By planting a mix of flowering plants that bloom in the summer as well as those that bloom in the fall, you will be able to have a colorful garden for a longer period of time.Different Flower Garden Styles
While the basics of a flower garden design are the same, each garden should be unique and reflect your particular style. Before you begin planting the trees and the hedges, consider what sort of flower garden appeals to you. A flower garden can have curved paths and a profusion of blooms in an informal array, straight alleys and more formal design, easy to grow flowers or a group of exotic orchids or cacti. Additionally, you need to keep in mind the flowers that will grow best in the climate conditions of your locality.Width of Flower Beds
When planning your flower beds aim for a broader bed that will accommodate multiple layers of flowers. A minimum of five feet width is needed to ensure that the flower bed has at least three layers of flowers, giving it a colorful and lush appearance. If your garden is larger, you can even make the flower bed 10 feet wide and plant multiple layers of flowers of varying heights and colors.Borders vs Islands
Again, the decision to have flower bed borders or a flower island depends on both your tastes and the space available. Plant flower borders along hedges and close to the fence or wall of the house. If you have a large lawn, you can also include an island flower bed. While border flower beds have the large plants away from the path and toward the house or hedge, island flower beds should have the taller plants at the center and gradually taper off to the shortest plants.Sunshine, Climate, and Soil Types
When planning a flower garden and choosing the plants for it, you need to take into account the amount of sunshine the garden receives, the climate, and the soil type. Of these the soil type is the easiest to fix. Just get the soil tested and add fertilizer, manure, and compost to the soil to improve its health and ability to sustain various flowering plants. However, your choice of flowering plants should also take into account the sunlight the garden receives and the climate of the locality. Consult with the local horticultural organization to find out which flowering plants grow best in your area and select your plants from them. This is especially a marvelous idea for new gardeners, as local plants are more likely to thrive even under an inexperienced gardener. Some plants require shade, so these can be planted in areas of the garden that receive less sunlight, ensuring that most of the garden has colorful plants that will add vibrancy to the outdoors.Leave Space for Growing
When planning a flower garden, keep in mind the final size of the plants. This will help you space out the flowering plants at an adequate distance so that they do not crowd each other or leave the flower beds looking sparse. Each plant has its own space needs and you need to learn about them before you begin planting the seeds, seedlings, or cuttings.Creepers
Apart from flower beds, a garden can also have creepers and climbers that flower. Planting a climber that flowers in the fall close to the trellis will provide a colorful and shady arbor for the summer and the fall.
Whether you are a new gardener or have been gardening for some time now, there are ways by which you can increase your vegetable garden yield. These steps can help you get more vegetables out of your garden this year.
Improve Soil Quality
The most important way in which you can increase your vegetable garden yield is by improving soil quality. This can be done without too much work by covering the vegetable garden plot with compost and hay at the start of winter. By the time you are ready to plant, the compost would have been worked into the soil by the snow and rain as well as insects, ensuring nutrient-rich soil for your vegetables with less effort on your part. The deeper the layer of composted soil, the healthier the plants.
Use Raised Beds
Another way of increasing vegetable garden yields is to use raised beds. This has multiple advantages. The raised beds reduce the amount of space taken by paths. Moreover, the soil can be made more nutrient rich much more easily as compost can be worked into it. Both these benefits will increase the yield of the vegetable garden.
Round Out the Beds
When you use raised beds, you can also round them out. This increases the surface area available for plants. When multiplied by the length of the beds, the amount of additional space is significant enough to increase yields. Plant greens and similar plants at the edges of the raised beds, making them easier to harvest as well.
Stagger the Plants
Another way of saving space when planting vegetables is to stagger them. Instead of planting them in straight rows, plant them in triangles. This will enable you to plant more in the same area while still ensuring that all of the plants get sufficient sunlight, water, and nutrients to grow to their maximum potential.
Use Vertical Space
Fix vertical trellises and poles at the sides of the raised beds and train vines of beans, melons, and similar plants on them. This will help save garden space and ensure healthier plants as well. The vertical plants will escape fungal diseases. Harvesting is also easier as you will be able to spot the crop of vegetables much more easily.
Interplant
You should also interplant or mix up the plants in your vegetable garden to maximize the use of available space. Compatible plants can be grown together to ensure that weeds are kept out and all available space is used by vegetable plants. For instance, if you plant corn, pole beans, and squash together, the corn stalks will support the pole beans and the squash will grow on the ground in the space between them. You can also grow tomatoes, onions, and basil together or plant carrots, radishes, and onions together.
Plant Successive Crops
Another way to make the most out of your vegetable garden is to plant and harvest successive crops. If you select quick growing plants, the first lot can be harvested before a second crop is grown in the same area. Before planting the second crop, ensure that you add more compost to the soil to make it nutrient rich.
Stretch the Growing Season
In order to grow two crops, you will also need to stretch the growing season. This can be done by growing seedlings in your greenhouse or garden shed before the start of spring. Once the weather becomes warmer, transplant the seedlings to the garden. The head start will enable them to mature faster, leaving you with the time to start a second crop. This too should be started in the greenhouse as the first crop starts to mature.
Move Plants Indoors
Toward the end of the growing season, you can prolong the growth period, by simply moving some of the plants indoors to your garden shed or greenhouse. For instance, if the tomatoes have yet to ripen and the weather turns chilly, all you need to do is cut the vines and hang them indoors in a warm area. The tomatoes will continue to mature and ripen, ensuring a bountiful harvest.
Enjoy Your Increased Vegetable Garden Yield
If you love gardening and want to increase the supply of fresh vegetables that your garden yields, you do not have to look for more ground space. Instead, simply improve soil quality, plant quick maturing plants, space the plants properly, and transplant seedlings.
Each of these steps will help increase your vegetable garden yield. Additionally, the labor and materials used is not significantly higher. By spacing the plants closer together, you will be able to spend less time watering, weeding, and harvesting, maximizing the productivity of your garden with ease.
Select the plants that are best suited for the soil and climate around your home, and reduce the amount of labor you need to put into it.