Top 8 Gardening Tips
Top 8 Gardening Tips with The Backyard Gardeners
1. Want Monarch butterflies in your garden? Plant native milkweed. Plant it and they will come. Milkweed is the preferred plant for the mama monarch to lay her eggs. As the monarch caterpillar grows it voraciously eats the leaves of the milkweed. The leaves are toxic, not to the monarch, but to birds and other enemies thus leaving the caterpillar alone.
2. Potted plants are like your dependents. Plants in pots are totally dependent on you for food and water, much like your children. Keep an eye on your potted plant’s needs as the plants roots are unable to reach down into the soil for water and nutrients.
3. Plant in odd numbers. Three can be tricky in human relationships but in gardening this fits very nicely. This composition looks more natural to the eye and gives the illusion that the plants are bigger and healthier. If you bought four plants at the nursery, plant three in a triangle and one as a focal point.
4. Keep cut flowers fresh with pennies. Even though the penny may not be worth much these days, try putting a penny into your vase of flowers. The copper works as a fungicide to kill bacteria and fungus that attack your freshly cut stems. Thanks to Abe your cut roses will last longer.
5. Don’t overdo it. You may have heard the saying, “If a little is good, a lot is better.” For the beginning gardener it’s better to start small. Start with a 3’ by 3’ bed or no more than 6 good sized pots. This will give a good harvest of vegetables and be easy to manage.
6. Use egg shells as fertilizer. Dried egg shells are rich in calcium carbonate and can be worked into your backyard garden as fertilizer. Crush the shells to help speed up the process of breaking down so that plants can more readily use the nutrients.
7. Mulch. Reduce your watering needs up to 50% by mulching. Mulching on top of the soil reduces evaporation, keeps the soil cool and helps suppress weeds. When the weather is hot, mulching is one of the best actions you can do to save water.
8. Coffee grounds as an organic slug deterrent. Spread a few coffee grounds around your seedlings or new plants to help keep slugs away. The grounds cause the slugs to produce an excess of slime causing them to dry out.
Mary and Brian are backyard gardeners who like to share their passion for all things gardening.
Visit them at TheBackyardGardeners.
Please take time to check out our first gardening book Backyard Garden Basics
Please leave a comment below right now!
Also, we would appreciate it if you would consider sharing this blog post with your community if you thought it was helpful to you. If you do, we really appreciate it.
1. Want Monarch butterflies in your garden? Plant native milkweed. Plant it and they will come. Milkweed is the preferred plant for the mama monarch to lay her eggs. As the monarch caterpillar grows it voraciously eats the leaves of the milkweed. The leaves are toxic, not to the monarch, but to birds and other enemies thus leaving the caterpillar alone.
2. Potted plants are like your dependents. Plants in pots are totally dependent on you for food and water, much like your children. Keep an eye on your potted plant’s needs as the plants roots are unable to reach down into the soil for water and nutrients.
3. Plant in odd numbers. Three can be tricky in human relationships but in gardening this fits very nicely. This composition looks more natural to the eye and gives the illusion that the plants are bigger and healthier. If you bought four plants at the nursery, plant three in a triangle and one as a focal point.
4. Keep cut flowers fresh with pennies. Even though the penny may not be worth much these days, try putting a penny into your vase of flowers. The copper works as a fungicide to kill bacteria and fungus that attack your freshly cut stems. Thanks to Abe your cut roses will last longer.
5. Don’t overdo it. You may have heard the saying, “If a little is good, a lot is better.” For the beginning gardener it’s better to start small. Start with a 3’ by 3’ bed or no more than 6 good sized pots. This will give a good harvest of vegetables and be easy to manage.
6. Use egg shells as fertilizer. Dried egg shells are rich in calcium carbonate and can be worked into your backyard garden as fertilizer. Crush the shells to help speed up the process of breaking down so that plants can more readily use the nutrients.
7. Mulch. Reduce your watering needs up to 50% by mulching. Mulching on top of the soil reduces evaporation, keeps the soil cool and helps suppress weeds. When the weather is hot, mulching is one of the best actions you can do to save water.
8. Coffee grounds as an organic slug deterrent. Spread a few coffee grounds around your seedlings or new plants to help keep slugs away. The grounds cause the slugs to produce an excess of slime causing them to dry out.
Mary and Brian are backyard gardeners who like to share their passion for all things gardening.
Visit them at TheBackyardGardeners.
Please take time to check out our first gardening book Backyard Garden Basics
Please leave a comment below right now!
Also, we would appreciate it if you would consider sharing this blog post with your community if you thought it was helpful to you. If you do, we really appreciate it.
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