How To Grow A Great Garden

The trees are budding, the grass is growing, and you’re thinking of all those wonderful garden plans you never got around to last year. This year, get a head start on the season with some tips to help save time and avoid disappointment. And don’t forget to involve the kids – this is one of the few times you can give them permission to play in the dirt!

• If your only winter crop was couch potatoes, be careful. Don’t strain those underworked winter muscles. Bend at the knees and lift with your legs, not your back.


• Check your garden chemicals and dispose of last season’s leftovers appropriately. Don’t buy more chemicals than you can use in a season – the smaller the bottle, the better.


• Avoid using insecticides by planting marigolds, basil, mint, chives, onions, and chrysanthemums near or in your garden. Secretions from these and many other plants act as a natural insect repellent.


• If cleaning out the fireplace is on your schedule, great! Save the ashes – your flower beds love them.


• Starting seedlings in vermiculite to get a jump on the season? Be sure to transplant them as soon as the second pair of true leaves form, or they’ll starve.


• Your soil is ready for planting when you grab a handful and it crumbles. If it forms a ball, it’s still too wet to start gardening.


• Mulches can keep the soil from warming up, so wait to apply mulches until plants are three to four inches tall and the soil is warm.


• Use leaves, grass clippings, coffee grounds, and tea bags to form a compost pile, and use it to enrich your soil. For best results, chop elements into small pieces before adding them to the pile.


• Many of last year’s plants will multiply. If you’re going to thin them out, pack up a few as gifts for your neighbors (this is a great job for kids).
  
  And don’t forget to sit back and enjoy your handiwork! – Adapted from homemadesimple.com