Top Seven Gardening Tips

There are so many things we need to do to have a healthy and beautiful garden.  We need to plant at the right time, keep up with weeding, and deal with pests.  We need to roots out dead plants and harvest ripe vegetables and fruits.  We need to water, but not too much.

The most important things you need to do for your garden depend on your garden.  It makes a difference whether you're taking care of raspberries, kale, or a patch of lawn.  Still, there are seven things you need to look out for in almost any garden or lawn.  Here are our top seven gardening tips.

•  Take care of your soil.  Plants need air, sun, water, and soil.  Different plants have different requirements.  Western dogwoods want to be wet, and just about any kind of cactus prefers to be dry.  Most plants prefer a soil rich in organic matter.  Learn about your plants and keep them well supplied with rich humus (organic matter), an appropriate mineral balance, and fertilizer.  (If you farm organically, look for organic fertilizer.  “Fertilizer” doesn't mean “chemical.”) 
• Buy appropriate tools.You can garden with just your fingernails, of course, if you have a thing for dirty fingernails.  But you might find it more effective if you stock up on a few key tools.  Which tools you buy depends, again, on what kind of gardening you're doing.  In general we'd recommend gardening gloves, shovel, hoe, wheelbarrow, trowel, and of course a hose and hose reel.  Obtain other gardening tools according to your preference.
• Get a compost bin.A compost bin is a particularly handy tool, so it merits its own tip.  As mentioned in point #1, your plants need good soil in order to grow.  Good soil means soil rich in organic matter.  Compost is one of the best and cheapest ways to return organic matter to your soil.  There are many, many kinds of compost bins (of course), so you'll want to look around and decide what works for you.
• Water!  Unless you're growing desert plants, you have to make sure they're watered, and even desert plants need water sometimes.  Find out what your plants need in terms of water and make sure they don't get too much or too little.
• Protect against pests.Most small-scale gardeners have an easier time with pests than do large-scale gardeners or farmers, mostly because small-scale gardeners can pay close attention to each particular plant.  But small-scale gardeners need to watch out for pests, too.  It doesn't take many to wipe out your garden.  Don't forget fencing, pepper wax, and whatever else you use to keep animals away, too.
• Make a gardening calendar.  There are so many things to remember each season.  Take some time to make a gardening calendar.  Prune and dead-head (deflower) in the spring.  Plant fall bulbs in the summer.  In the fall, prepare for winter: turn off your outdoor water source, empty your water hose, and bring your hose and hose reel indoors.  Make a list of all the tasks you need to do each season and organize them on an annual calendar. 
• Say goodbye to weeds.The definition of a weed is a plant that grows where it's not supposed to.  If you want poppies growing on the north line of your garden and tulips on the south, that that little tulip stalk sprouting among the poppies is a weed.  Take it out!  Be able to distinguish the plants you're meaning to grow from the ones you're not, and remove the unwelcome guests early.  If you have a lot of trouble with weeds, try covering your bare soil with straw or mulch.

We can't tell you everything you need to know to grow a great garden.  Our top seven gardening tips are the gardening basics.  Whether you're growing roses or rutabaga, zucchini or zinnias, you'll need to learn about and pay attention to our seven basic building blocks.  From there…know your plants!