As spring shows its sunny face, you might start to feel that itch in your fingertips to get down in the dirt and get started on your spring garden. While you should definitely give into that urge, before you start digging, make sure you have all the info you need on designing, watering, fertilizing, and generally caring for your perfect garden. To start you off, here are some helpful gardening tips from Hometalker and experienced green thumb, Brenda at The Blonde Gardener.
First, consider your landscaping and how you want your garden laid out on your property. How do you come up with a good garden design? Sometimes it’s just convenience. A garden design usually comes to me when I’m mowing the yard or digging and dividing plants. If I have an area that’s hard to mow, I usually deem it suitable for a flower bed and that dictates the design. When I start dividing plants, they have to go somewhere, why not the new flower bed? This method just makes perfect sense to me.
Another thing to consider when designing is the distance to a water source. I garden in NW Arkansas and I have four water barrels I use to collect rain water. I also have outdoor faucets on either end of the house. The shade gardens can go a little longer without water, but the sunny gardens may need water every day. I don’t have any irrigation systems anywhere on my property, but I do use soaker hoses with timers when the excessive heat and humidity hit.
The last step to a healthy garden is tasty fertilizer. I don’t fertilize my gardens with synthetic fertilizers. Instead, I have two large compost piles going year round and I use those throughout the year. I also use mainly native plants in my landscape, and they are pretty much maintenance free once established.
Looking for more tips and how-tos on gardening? Follow Brenda to see how she makes her garden grow, and check out our popular gardening page on Hometalk!
Hometalk Experts are standouts in their industry and provide trusted advice on home improvement and gardening projects. Experts include reputable interior designers, painters, contractors, craftsmen and real estate professionals. Hometalk Experts are an active part of Hometalk's community, answering individual questions and providing inspiration through their own completed projects.
