DIY gardening tips: How to make the most of your garden

Gardening is a blessing for most people. Not only can it provide food for the body, it provides nourishment for the soul. Many people love to garden for its therapeutic value. Gardening produces beautiful plants, adds needed oxygen back into the atmosphere, and is a wonderful hobby to keep fit and maintain positive energy. Its benefits are endless. But how do you go about making a nice garden? How do you begin a garden project? That is the focus of my discussion, specifically, DIY gardening tips and how to make the most of your garden.

Before I begin my ten point list of do-it-yourself gardening tips, I would like to say straight away that you should not overexert yourself while gardening. Only do what you can do. Opt for safety, not quantity, by exercising caution when lugging heavy loads, and when working in the hot sun for extended periods of time. Keep fresh water nearby and drink often. Along the same lines, do not lament for what your neighbor has. Trying to keep up with the Jones might cause you more heartache and bodyache than you need or want.

DIY Gardening Tip #1

Before starting any gardening project, find all your implements first. It is much easier to work if you have all your tools, equipment, pots, soil, fertilizer, and plants handy. Assemble everything close by your work area so that you are not running back and forth tiring yourself before you get any real work done. Plus, when you have things at your fingertips, you are less likely to get discouraged and quit. You can keep moving at a nice pace and see the results of your labor much sooner.

DIY Gardening Tip #2

If you are going to do a considerable amount of gardening, consider purchasing a dolly or some type of cart to carry the heavy loads. Even small bags of soil or fertilizer can become difficult to move when you have been working for a while. And, there is no need to put extra stress on your body parts when you have a better solution. If you cannot afford to buy a cart, use the wheel barrow or something else that you already own. An old child's wagon can also help and you might find one free in the garbage or cheaply priced in the second hand shop. You might even own a garbage pail on wheels that will work just as well. Whatever you have to lessen the load, use it.

DIY Gardening Tip #3

Although you don't need to buy expensive equipment, you should at the very least buy items that can make gardening tasks more comfortable. Examples include:

  • a hat and/or visor to prevent sunburn or sunstroke,
  • gloves to keep the fingernails clean and the fingers protected from cuts,
  • pads for the knees so they are cushioned when kneeling down,
  • ergonomic hand trowels, shovels and scoops will keep the tension down on hands and wrists helping to prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome,
  • and a durable bag to hold everything as you work and move through the garden area.

DIY Gardening Tip #4

Use small spaces in your yard or around your home wisely. In fact, when used properly, small spaces can become lovely areas for a greenery garden, flower garden, or maybe even a vegetable garden. The key to small areas is to read about different plant types and choose the right items for the area. For example, planting a baby weeping willow tree might work the first year, but it is invariably going to grow into an adult tree becoming very tall and wide. It doesn't make sense to place this type of tree in a small area. But, the newer versions of grafted trees which stay very small might work well with some little flowers at the base of the trunks.

DIY Gardening Tip #5

Maintain your garden on a regular basis to prevent overgrowth and a huge cleaning project. If weeds are a problem, for instance, keep them at bay by picking them out as you see them. Don't wait until they have taken over your whole garden. Not only will the task be quite onerous and time consuming to clean them up, but the intruders might take valuable nutrients away from your real plants. Additionally, if you have mistakenly planted too many plants in one area, some are going to force out the others, so prune the area in order to strike the right balance. Likewise, if you keep the area maintained, you will notice pockets that need filling.

DIY Gardening Tip #6

Use organic matter to help boost the soil's immunity. Try to add organic manure or decomposed leaves to your garden. This helps to keep away disease and also maintains the right balance of insects. As you know, some insects are good for your garden, while others are pests. You want to take advantage of what nature offers in order to keep your garden healthy. Take special care if spraying pesticides and herbicides, as the chemicals do not distinguish between good bugs and parasites, or your plants and weeds. Everything can be changed negatively, ruining your beautiful garden. Finally, any chemicals that are harmful to pets and children should be avoided.

DIY Gardening Tip #7

If buying more mature plants is too expensive for your budget, start your own seedlings and saplings. You can do this quite easily indoors and fancy tools are not needed. Simple milk cartons or cut down water bottles will be excellent containers in which to start your plants for the next gardening season. And, if your backyard area is more concrete than soil, you can certainly use any number of discarded items to make your garden. Wooden boxes are excellent containers in which to grow lettuce or herbs. An old tin pot or even a bathtub can make a perfect garden.

DIY Gardening Tip #8

Do not be overly-ambitious with your goals. Avoid the temptation to create a grandiose display. If you know how to plant, cultivate and harvest a large vegetable garden, then go for it. But if you are just starting out, grow you garden slowly. Start with one item and work it until harvest, then move on to other plants. This will curb the waste, and it will make you more proficient at maintaining your garden. Plus, it will be much more enjoyable when you reap the rewards of what you have sown.

DIY Gardening Tip #9

If you live in an area that has distinct seasons, you need to choose plants, flowers and vegetables that match the season. For example, if the temperatures reach below zero, there is no point in planting tulips or crocuses . Yet, you can get your bulbs planted in the autumn or fall before the first frost so that they are ready to bloom the next spring. Before planting anything, check the plant's properties to understand if your environment is best suited to that plant. Remember, too, that in areas with four seasons, you might want to plant different varieties so that something is alive during all seasons. Of course, winter might be the exception when the ground is covered with snow.

DIY Gardening Tip #10

Use your garden to attract pretty birds, insects and other wildlife. Humming birds, cardinals, canaries, butterflies, bees, and other birds will keep you entertained and reward your efforts with their daily visits if you provide the right environment and a sanctuary that suits a specific species. When choosing items for your garden, find out what types of plants attract specific wildlife. Just be sure the animal in question is native to your area, otherwise all the plants in the world will not be able to attract them to your garden.

As you can see, there are plenty of options for your do-it-yourself garden. You can create a beautiful space on a limited budget and with limited supplies. By using some of my DIY gardening tips on how to make the most of your garden, you should be able to create something of which you can proud. And if you don't like the results of the garden, just try again next year, or add to what you have already completed.