10 Ways to Make Gardening Easier
Some of these tips are common sense and some may seem like more work in the short term, but they all really will make gardening easier for you. And that way you'll have time to create even more gardens!
Feed
the Soil You've heard it a thousand times, but do you do it? Start with
great soil and you'll wind up with great plants. Healthy plants get fewer
diseases, attract less insect pests and require less water. Plus you won't have
to remember to fertilizer every other week.
Start with a good analysis of your existing soil. You can have all the
essential nutrients tested or just the pH.
Many nurseries provide this service as well as your local Cooperative
Extension Service. If your soil is deficient in any minerals
or nutrients, amend the soil
according to recommendations. Then keep adding organic matter, like compost,
regularly. Slow release, organic fertilizers can help supplement deficient nutrients. But feeding plants with synthetic fertilizers can actually destroy the beneficial organisms and organic matter within soil and only provide a short fix. It's like turning your garden into a drug addict. It will need regular doses of fertilizer and more and more to get the same effect.
Group
Plants by Their Needs I'm sure you've heard the saying "Right plant
for the right spot." That's the beginning of the equation. Of course
you're going to want to put sun lovers in the sun and ground covers where they
can roam. But consider how efficient it would be if you put all your water hogs
together so you could just turn on the sprinklers or drag the hose to one area and
be done. The same goes for plants that require a lot of deadheading
or vegetables that need to be harvested daily or hourly, like zucchini. You can
still mix in different bloom times and variations in color, form and texture.
It's just the heavy maintenance chores that should be consolidated.
Choose
Lower Maintenance Perennials
There will always be prim Dona plants you have to have (although probably less
and less of them as you get older), but make the backbone of your garden
perennial flowers that can take care of themselves. Plants like Astilbes
and Sedums that look good all season and don't need deadheading, pinching or
staking. Here are even more low maintenance
perennials.
Raised
Beds & Containers It's much easier to control your garden if it has
definite boundaries. Containers
provide the ultimate in control. You control the soil, water, exposure and even
limit the growth of the plants in the container. Raised beds separate the
garden beds from their surroundings. Ideally, lift the beds up by 6 inches or
more. You'll have the benefits of controlling your borders and you'll be saving
your back from some bending.
Install
Drip Irrigation This is one of those suggestions that sound like it's going
to cost a fortune and require a professional to install - and it can. But it
doesn't have to. They've reduced drip irrigation to a tinker toy level. Believe
me, if I can grasp it, so can you. There is an initial cost, although no where
near what you might fear, and you will need to do some measuring. But unless
you rely solely on rain to water your gardens, you will actually save money in
the long run. Drip irrigation is far more efficient than any other type of
watering. Plus it puts all the water right where your plants need it. Add an
inexpensive timer and think of all the time you've saved yourself.
Mulch Again, this is common sense and something
you've been told a thousand times. Yet many gardeners only view mulch as
decoration. Mulch does make a garden look more attractive, but it also keeps
the soil and plant roots cool, retains moisture so you can water less often,
prevents weed seeds from seeing the light of day and sprouting and feeds the
soil. Right there you've cut down on watering, weeding and fertilizing time.
Time Released
Fertilizer and Water Polymers Container gardens are the exception to the
Feed the Soil rule above. It's not practical to use compost or garden soil in
containers and so some supplemental feeding is necessary to keep the plants
going. Containers also dry out more quickly than garden bed soil, especially if
the bed is mulched. So start your container gardening season by adding some
slow release fertilizer pellets and some polymer crystals that grab hold and
slowly release water to the plant roots. Add both at planting time. Both
products are widely available at garden centers.
Ergonomic Tools
A lot of gardening is repetitive motion and can be very stressful on the
joints, especially the wrists and back. Thankfully garden tool companies have
been coming out with more and better tools that work with the body, taking some
of the bending and squeezing out of garden work. Look around for ratchet
pruners, bent rakes, cushioned handles and trowels that don't require you to
bend your wrist.
Wheels Watch a child with a new wagon. They can't find enough things
to put in it or enough places to go. Now think about how long you've put off
moving that cement bird bath or how many plants are still sitting in pots on
your driveway because you didn't want to make one more trip. This is why man
invented the wheel. Get yourself at least one good garden cart or
wheelbarrow and don't go out into the garden without it. You
can tote your tools, move plants, harvest, toss weeds right into it and glide
down to the compost heap. No matter how small your plot is, you'll get more
done with wheels. If you have a very large plot, consider wheels with a motor.
Child
Labor Show your children and grandkids early in life how much fun and how
exciting gardening is. They may never enjoy deadheading the petunias, I know I
don't, but planting, harvesting, learning what's a weed, collecting insects -
these are all activities that
will get them out into the garden. All right, maybe it won't
lessen the work load, but good companionship can make it seem so.
Sorry,
didn’t have time to get to all your questions, will try to e-mail most of you
back personally. Until next time…Happy Gardening!!
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