Home Gardening – It’s Not Just for Kids Anymore

The secret of successful home garden planning is in the soil. In many cases the soil will provide the perfect balance for a successful garden. A soil that has good hydration, good structure, and sufficient nutrients can be developed by adding organic matter and fertility improving organic materials such as straw, peat or coconut coir. Mulching will also help your plants thrive. A little bit of care in the early stages and you will end up with an awesome garden full of colorful flowers, edible fruits and vegetables.

Vegetable gardens can be small, as in a window box, or very large, as in a large field or row across the back yard. Forest gardening is a sustainable, low-maintenance, plant-based, food-production method based around natural woodland ecosystems, adding shrubs, bushes, herbs, vegetables and fruits that have all yield directly useful to us. This type of gardening promotes biodiversity and improves soil fertility.

Plant nutrition is the most important factor in vegetable growing success. All home gardeners should learn how to select their plant food, or plant diet, choosing the appropriate variety of vegetable varieties for the area, soil condition and climate. It takes a well-balanced plant food to nourish plant life to grow healthy and strong. In addition, plant foods should be selected for their taste, color and texture, to best meet the intended food source.

One of the most important principles in home gardening is to provide an adequate amount of water. The gardeners should provide a continuous, reliable supply of water whether it be from rain, a hose running off a nearby stream, a bird bath, or whatever the weather brings. Mulching will help keep the soil moist, but one should never over-water the soil. Instead, moisten the soil just enough to moisten the first time you water a plant.

Home gardeners must also learn how to properly prepare their garden beds for the vegetables they plan to grow. A number of diseases such as botulism, E. Coli and cucurbitacinosis are airborne diseases that can be transferred by a mere trace of an airborne fertilizer. These diseases can be deadly, especially to small children and pets. Therefore, it is vitally important that gardeners properly prepare their gardens for these diseases and insects.

Home gardening can become a delightful pastime for a whole family. It does require a great deal of work, and the gardeners’ efforts are rewarded by the abundant fruits and vegetables they produce. However, for those who want a more permanent relationship with nature, gardening can become an integral part of that relationship. Gardening requires hard work and attention to detail. In return, the gardener will reap the rewards of a beautiful garden full of healthy produce. So, the next time a gardener tells us he or she wants to share gardening, it may be time to reconsider…make it a shared hobby.