Gardening Tips – The Best Ways To Create And Use Fertilizer

When you do your gardening, you always end up with some leaves and weeds, dead plants and probably some grass clippings. Most people see this as rubbish and send it off to the landfill. Not only is this a waste of one of nature’s fertilizers but it takes time and money to get rid of this garden ‘rubbish’. So, what alternative is there? Well, a gardening tip to consider is do what nature would do and use all this garden ‘rubbish’ to provide nutrients for your garden. Following are the gardening tips to help you convert this garden ‘rubbish’ to compost.

The first thing to know is that organic waste is considered better for your garden than any chemical fertilizer on the market. Nature has a decomposition process that promotes proper chemical change resulting in excellent nutritional benefits to the plants in the garden.

Of course, the question is, “Where shall I put this pile of smelly garden ‘rubbish’”? Gardening tips; your compost heap shouldn’t be smelly and if it is, you need to alter the composition of it to prevent it becoming anaerobic ie too much nitrogen. This requires the heap not being too wet and having enough oxygen. Once you’ve got the balance right, you will find that the decomposition process is actually producing some fertilizer that isn’t a pong to the nose!

So, what does this suitable place for a fertilizer heap look like? Gardening tips; is should be an area that has plenty of width space and not too deep. If it’s too deep, the materials down low in the pile will not be able to get enough of the necessary requirements, and you end up with a smelly heap. Try to choose an area where you can spread out the garden ‘rubbish’. You can, if you’ve got the space, have two heaps side by side. Remember, it’s width not depth that’s important.

What rubbish can you put into the heap to be converted to garden food? Gardening tips; it must be quickly decomposable – that is, able to rot away quickly. Did you know that orange peel takes years to decompose? Therefore, it’s not suitable; nor is meat or diseased plants. However, you can use most other organic material including grass clippings, woody plants, leaves, and vegetable scraps. Using your lawn mower, shred garden ‘rubbish’ to help quick decomposition.

How do you start the composting process? Gardening tips; make the materials as small as possible. Mix up the pile quite frequently to allow oxygen into the heap which will aid the decomposing process. Water periodically, but not too much as this is a sure way to invite anaerobic micro-organisms which will give you a smelly pile.

No matter what, your compost pile will be a little unsightly. Gardening tips; find a place that isn’t easily seen and is also near the garden areas that you will want to fertilize. Be aware of your neighbours; it may be out of sight for you but right in the vision of your neighbor. They really don’t want your compost heap near their entertaining area! Construct a compost pen for your pile, or buy a ready-made compost bin to contain all the decomposing material.

Summary:

Use your garden ‘rubbish’ as garden food and put back nutrients into the soil. Some gardening tips will ensure that you get a good start to making your own fertilizer.

Basic Gardening Tips for Beginners

You’ve decided to plant a garden but you need basic gardening tips for beginners, this is the place to be. Gardening has become a delightful hobby for people all over the world.

There are many rewards for the gardener, the visuals of his creation, the scent of the blooms, great fresh air and lots of exercise. Imagine a weekend spent in the yard with your feet up drinking in the spectacular gardens that you have created the fruits of your labor and love. If you are a beginner gardener, here are some basic gardening tips. No matter how much room you have, you can create a masterpiece garden.

The basic garden tips for beginners will help you create new gardens and make it a successful and joyful experience. In the beginning go slowly, start small but use your imagination. Choose a project that will not take a long time to complete. If it takes you weeks to finish a project you will get frustrated and start to hate the project you wanted to enjoy. Even if you have 75 or 100 square feet you will be amazed at how much you can plant.

If you are determined to have a larger project, then work in sections and turn your attention to one area at a time. This way as each section is finished you can enjoy that completed job. This will also build up your confidence as you go along making the next section not so daunting.

But for a beginner gardener a small scale garden is optimal. You are going to have to learn the basics of gardening, all about disease, the best way to control weeds and pests, the all important watering and when and how to fertilize. After your initial project you can enlarge the garden or plant one somewhere else in your yard with your new found confidence.

To cut down on the weeding of your garden, place mulch around the plants. This serves three purposes; it cuts down on weeding, as well as aiding in temperature control and water retention. Granted there are some gardeners that love to work the soil and weed the plants but it would be more rewarding to tending to the plants or just watching them grow. To maintain really healthy plants water for longer periods of time but less frequently. Do not let the plants dry out. Always water early in the morning so the plant leaves have time to dry out during the day which helps prevent fungal disease.

After planting, try to have your garden remain pesticide free. An especially good natural deterrent is as follows:

In a jar, combine 1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid and 1 cup vegetable oil. Shake vigorously. In an empty spray bottle, combine 2 teaspoons of this mixture and 1 cup water. Use at ten-day intervals (or more often if needed) to rid plants of whiteflies, mites, aphids, scales, and other pests.

These are the basic gardening tips for beginners. Remember, that you can create lovely gardens in containers which you can move around as you please. There are hundreds of different plant combinations and containers that you can use for a container garden. So, if you are an apartment or condo dweller, you can plant lovely gardens on your balcony or patio. The basic tip here is that container gardens will dry out much faster than the plants in the ground so be vigilant about checking them for moisture.

Happy Gardening And Good Luck!

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

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Make Gardening a Family Event

Show them how much you enjoy gardening. Spend time in your garden. It is especially easy to stimulate a child’s interests when they see you having fun.

Make gardening easy. Don’t expect a perfect garden. Allow your family to work at their own pace and within their attention spans and age range, especially children.

Dig it! Kids love to dig. This is a great way to teach the basics while letting them play and just have fun. 

Let them play an active role in planning. Take your children to the local nursery and let them pick seeds or transplants to start their garden. Take your time and let them browse and enjoy all of the beautiful plants.

Grow a theme garden. This is a great way to let your children use their imagination and express their creativity. The sky is the limit. Some great ideas are gardens that coincide with the holidays, alphabet gardens, a garden themed in their favorite colors, a sensory garden where you can experience different smells, tastes, textures and sights, or a “Freedom Garden”.

Give children their own “kid sized” tools. They don’t have to be expensive. You can go with an old spoon and a bucket that you have around the house or you can venture down to the garden center and purchase garden tools made for children’s hands.

Give them a space to call their own. It doesn’t have to be big. This will teach them ownership and responsibility, and your children will be able to take credit for their own little space.

Get crafty! Press or dry flowers to make a beautiful arrangement, make potpourri, or make a pomander ball. Children love making things and will be amazed at the crafts and gifts that they can make from the garden.

Grow a vegetable garden. Your children will be amazed that they can grow their own food. Be sure to use organic pesticides.

Use gardening to brush up your children’s math and science skills. Let them count the seeds they are planting, or teach them how plants are living things. Not only will you capture their attention, you will be polishing their skills as you go.

Have a contest. Kids love to be rewarded. Be sure to give each child a reward; the biggest tomato, the prettiest flower, or perhaps the best tasting herbs (a little Spray-N-Grow will help!)

Don’t try to do it all! Pick a few of these tips that you know are best for your family and have fun with them. After all, gardening is meant to be fun and easy. And with a little help, something the whole family can enjoy.

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