By Despina Mallar


Most property owners maintain at least a little garden in the back yard. I myself cultivate a garden that I worked on for some time. When I started this small garden, my very first crop did not add up to more than half a bucket full. With the help of my grandfather, since then, I've been able to grow more than enough fruit and veggies to feed my entire family. But like I said starting up a garden is not as effortless as it appears and in this article I am going to share with you a few tips I have learned over the years.

When picking a spot for the garden, makes sure the spot gets at least 8 to 10 hours of direct sunlight each day. Lacking enough sunlight on your garden can provide you with poor results. Ensuring that you have enough sunlight is a foundation to a great garden.

Once you located your spot, you want to till the dirt with manure and seaweed. The seaweed doesn't need to be from the ocean, you can locate seaweed in just about any lake, pond or even river. From tilling these materials into the topsoil you will be adding much needed nutrients your crops will need to flourish. In case you'd rather not use manure and seaweed, homemade or commercially made compost is likewise effective in adding nutrients to your soil.

When you are watering your garden, you should pay significant attention. Whether you provide too much water or too little water, you will not produce a lot of fruits or vegetables. As a foundation, you must be sure your plants are getting 1 to 2 inches of water each week. This helps your plants grow strong and deep roots. In the event you wind up having to water your garden because you don't get enough rain, try to take care of the watering before 10:00am. If you irrigate in the afternoon you take a chance on the vegetation of the plants burning from the sun. If you do it in the evening, there could be risk of fungal growth since the water does not evaporate.

When it comes to keeping insects off your plants I have some things that may seem strange but they work great and you won't have to use harsh chemicals. The first thing we advise is to plant lavender, basil and peppermint around your garden. These plants are effective at helping to keep many types of insects away from your plants, plus deer and rabbits don't like them as well. Here is yet another excellent method to keep the bugs away. Mix together one to two tbsps . of essence of garlic and 2 tablespoon of dish lotion with 1 cup of vegetable oil. You will next add two tablespoons of this kind of mixture to a water filled spray bottle. Then once weekly use your spray bottle to squirt this mixture on all the plants.




About the Author:



blog comments powered by Disqus