Planting a Seedling
Are you thinking about starting a garden? Maybe you’ve tried gardening before and ended up having a bad experience. Well don’t worry you’re not alone and hopefully this little guide will give you some ideas and help you in the initial planning stages so that your next experience will be a resounding result.
The first thing you need to consider is what type of garden you want. Whatever you do don’t try to cover every base from the start. There’s plenty of choices and it’s often difficult to choose just one, but you should be able to narrow it down. By achieving this you’ll make your gardening experience not only easier for you but also for your plants. Moreover, if you choose similar types of plants, then it shouldn’t be too difficult to care for them all.
So let’s look at a couple of ideas.
Flower Gardens
If you’re looking to add a spectacular blaze of color to your yard, you’ll want a flower garden and your best choice is perennial flowers. Perennials come in an extremely wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors and more often than not form the foundation of a gardens design because they add blocks of brilliant color. Because perennials return year after year you can count on having bursts of color in your garden at about the same time year in and year out. Perennials also tend to be more robust than their fragile annual cousins. You will need to be sure to choose perennials that are adapted to your climate area though. You can download a wildflower growing guide from Lorenz’s OK Seeds here. And remember, Lorenz’s carry a wide variety of perennial wildflower seeds that are ideal for your new flower garden.
Keep in mind that like any garden those containing perennials require regular maintenance to ensures your plants are always healthy and thus always look striking. Staking, pruning, deadheading, dividing, fertilizing and pest control are some of the maintenance tasks you’ll enjoy when growing perennials.
Grow, Harvest and Enjoy Your Own Veggies
Vegetable Gardens
If you don’t think flowers are your cup of tea then perhaps you’d like to try a vegetable garden? While vegetable gardens usually require a little more work and research than flower gardens, they can be much more rewarding. This is because you can enjoy preparing delicious meals with your own, home grown, fresh produce almost every day of the year! When starting a vegetable garden, keep in mind that you you may want to add more variety later on. Planning simple things like this will make future expansions much easier. Once all your current crops are out of season, you will have plenty of space for new crops. A vegetable garden is ideal for someone who wants fresh produce, but doesn’t want the hassle of perfecting their garden. If you’d like to explore veggie gardening a little further don’t forget to see our article on fall vegetable gardening.
Water Gardens
Water gardens are becoming very popular and perhaps you might like to try your hand at one of these. Water gardens can add a whole new dimension to your yard by adding the relaxing element of burbling and gurgling water. A water garden doesn’t have to be elaborate, it’s simple enough to make one using nothing more than a couple of containers. There’s a wide variety of plants you can grow in a water garden including submerged, floating and marginal or bog plants some of which are attractive in their own unusual ways. The bottom line is that water gardening can be a lot of fun and generally take about the same effort as a normal garden to maintain. Moreover, imagine how relaxing it is to sit by your garden listening to the relaxing sounds of a gurgling and bubbling stream right in your own yard. Don’t forget to see our Introduction to Water Gardens article.
Fruit Gardens
Enjoy Delicious Strawberries from Your Own Fruit Garden
Another type of garden you might consider is a fruit garden. There’s nothing like home grown fruit. However, be warned it’s definitely a high-maintenance garden. Keep in mind that some fruits will not grow in just any location so it’s a good idea to become familiar with the types of fruit growing in your local area. When it comes to choosing what fruits to grow it’s a good ides to grow what you know your family enjoys, you can always expand later on. One thing you can be sure of is that pest control will be a major issue due to the sweetness of the fruit you’re growing. As such, you need to choose a pesticide that won’t harm the fruits or leave nasty residues . You also have to take into careful consideration soil types and conditions climatic conditions and potential issues with fertilizers. Putting in another crop during its off-season could be disastrous to your fruit gardens growth process so make sure you look into this before making any decisions. If you’re willing to put lots of work into maintaining a garden, then a fruit garden could be a good choice for you.
Herb Gardens
A final type of garden you might consider is a herb garden. As with the veggie and fruit gardens there’s nothing better than preparing meals with your own home grown herbs. If you decide to plant a herb garden it’s critical that your
Maintenance is Important but doesn't have to be a Chore
plants get at least 6 hours of sunlight per day. This is regardless of whether your herbs are growing in pots/containers or in a traditional garden bed. Soil types are also important as herbs generally prefer soils that drain well. Herbs also enjoy being watered regularly, pinched, groomed and natural fertilizers. They are also less prone to disease and pest infestations than many other plants. Apart from using your herbs fresh from the garden you can also freeze and dry your home grown herbs to ensure a year round supply of your favorites.
So now that we’ve outlined some of the main garden types that can be grown. The decisions now up to you. Just make sure you don’t get into something you can’t handle, the ultimate aim of any gardening project should be enjoyment for you, your family and your friends.
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