Gardening Tips

Instructions Step 1: Do some research Research your vegetables. Check a gardening book or web site for the specific harvest times or sizes for your garden’s particular vegetables. TIP: Consult your local agricultural extension service to get detailed information on growing seasons in your area. Step 2: Check leafy vegetables Check leafy vegetables for color, …

Instructions Step 1: Choose a level site Select a level location for the raised bed and clear the site of any existing vegetation. TIP: Choose a site that gets at least eight hours of sunlight each day. Step 2: Construct the walls Construct the walls of the raised bed. You can use untreated lumber, bricks, …

Instructions Step 1: Choose a layout Choose a layout that does not require you to walk on the beds; 4-by-4-foot beds are a good choice. TIP: Allow adequate spacing for walkways — 3-foot aisles work well. Step 2: Build or purchase frames Build or purchase garden box frames. They can be made of practically any …

Instructions Step 1: Start a compost pile Start a compost pile. Layer it with equal parts of brown matter — for example, straw and dry leaves — and green matter, such as grass clippings, kitchen scraps, and manure. Keep the pile wet, and turn it occasionally. Step 2: Build your soil Build your soil. Add …

Instructions Step 1: Wear safety goggles Wear safety goggles whenever there is a risk of small particles flying through the air — for example, when pruning or using a lawn mower. TIP: Wear earplugs when operating loud equipment. Step 2: Wear gloves Wear gloves to protect your hands from skin irritations and cuts. Step 3: …

Instructions Step 1: Remove plants soil Remove dead plants and flowers, and dump the soil from your flower pots to prepare them for winter storage. TIP: You can add fertilizer and nutrients to the soil and reuse it the following season. Step 2: Protect terra cotta pots Protect your terra cotta pots by storing them …

Instructions Step 1: Find a location Find a location for your first garden club meeting. It can be at your home or at a local nursery or garden center. Step 2: Set a date Set a date for the meeting. Step 3: Make a flyer Make a flyer advertising the meeting and inviting fellow garden …

Instructions Step 1: Choose mulch type Choose either organic mulch that will provide your garden with nutrients or inorganic mulch that can withstand the elements and not decompose. Step 2: Collect organic mulches at home Collect organic mulches around your yard such as grass clippings, dead leaves, bark chips, and composted fruits and vegetables from …

Instructions Step 1: Hand pull Pull velvetleaf plants by hand before their flowers have produced. Try to pull them out by the roots. TIP: Wear garden gloves to protect your hands. Step 2: Dig Use a garden trowel to dig up velvetleaf before it blooms. Step 3: Spray Fill your spray bottle with white vinegar …

Instructions Step 1: Ensure good drainage Make sure the soil in the garden has good drainage. Step 2: Plant for microclimates Position your plants to match the garden’s microclimates — the areas exposed to sun, shade, wind, heat, and cold. TIP: Group plants that require the most water together so they can be watered at …

Instructions Step 1: Listen to forecast Listen to local weather forecasts for frost warnings during vulnerable periods of the growing season in order to take proactive steps to protect your plants and flowers from a freeze. Step 2: Water plants Water your plants and flowers late in the day to raise the temperature of the …

Instructions Step 1: Research and choose location Read up on the plants you want to grow, especially how much room and sun they need, and what sorts of rows they should be planted in. Plants will need at least six hours of sun a day. Pick vegetables that grow well where you live. Then mark …

Instructions Step 1: Select ivy plants Select ivy plants, choosing small-leaf varieties to grow ivy indoors and the English or Boston ivy for groundcovers or to grow outdoors on a brick wall or trellis. TIP: Ivy may be propagated from cuttings by placing tip cuttings in a jar of water until roots appear, then planting. …

Instructions Step 1: Mix ingredients Mix four parts seed meal, one quarter part finely ground agricultural lime, one quarter part gypsum, one half part dolomitic lime, one part bone meal, and one part kelp meal in a 5-gallon plastic bucket. TIP: Look online or in catalogs for the best available prices Step 2: Spread mix …

Instructions : Poison ivy is poisonous and will cause an itchy rash on most people. Be careful when handling this plant. Step 1: Eradicate with cultural methods Attempt eradication of the poison ivy through cultural methods, such as continually cutting the plant at the ground or covering the infestation with black plastic sheeting. Completely cover …

Instructions Step 1: Learn the basics Understand the basics. In organic farming, the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers is prohibited. Instead, farmers use natural methods to create and maintain healthy soil, control weeds, reduce pests, and manage diseases. TIP: Any organization selling more than $5,000 of organic produce a year must be certified by …

Instructions Step 1: Work with your climate Work with your climate. Most seed packets contain information about the type of weather needed to grow a particular plant, and the region of the country where the plant grows best. Don’t forget to factor in how much sunlight your particular garden gets. Step 2: Test your soil …

Instructions Step 1: Shop Shop end of season sales at your local garden store. If you are lucky, you can find perennials big enough to divide. Step 2: Purchase by flat Purchasing plants by the flat can sometimes save you 20 percent. Share the cost with a friend if you don’t need all the plants. …

Instructions Step 1: Consider location Grow plants near the southwest side of your home to maximize evening winter sun. Step 2: Water before first freeze Water your plants before the first freeze. When frost is in the forecast, water your plants in the morning so they’re not wet as night approaches. Step 3: Add mulch …

Instructions Step 1: Purchase plants Select the dwarf plants and shrubs you want from your local garden store or nursery. Consider the maximum height and width of each plant. TIP: Use specially formulated acid shrub fertilizer for dwarf shrubs. Step 2: Transfer plants Transfer plants to containers at least 16 inches in diameter or plant …

Instructions Step 1: Find participants Organize a meeting of friends and neighbors who are interested in starting a community garden. Step 2: Choose a type of garden Decide whether you want a vegetable garden, a flower garden, or a combination thereof; whether or not it will be organic; and if each member will have their …

Instructions Step 1: Identify the cause Lift the plant from the pot to check the root system. The roots should be light colored; if not, they are rotting. Step 2: Fix what is causing the problem Cut out the rotten parts of the roots and a half inch into the good part of the root …

Instructions Step 1: Before transplanting a plant into a new pot, even out its shape by trimming away any excess growth around the top of the plant. TIP: Transfer your plants outside, or lay down a tarp or sheet so that you can easily clean up excess soil. Step 2: Sterilize the new container by …

Instructions Step 1: With pruning shears, make cuttings from your chosen plants. Cut diagonally about six inches of leafy stem from the original plant. Cut just below the second to last group of leaves. TIP: Early morning is the best time to take plant cuttings. It also helps to water the plants the day before. …

Instructions Step 1: Find a strong shoot Look for the longest and strongest shoot from your vine plant. Pick one that is above the graft, the point where two vine shoots intersect. TIP: Choose slow-growing vines, like sweet pea and roses, for small trellises and arbors, and fast-growing vines, like honeysuckle or wisteria, for tall …

Instructions Step 1: Study gardening books or online gardening guides to determine the proper shape for the trees, bushes, and other plants in your garden. Maintain your plant’s original shape when you’re pruning. Step 2: Remove dead flowers regularly from perennial and annual flowering plants to encourage continual flowering. TIP: Use shears or clippers to …

Instructions Step 1: Test your soil to find out what nutrients it needs. Garden centers often sell do-it-yourself kits, or you can arrange a test through the Cooperative Extension System, a national agricultural network. Find a nearby Extension office on the USDA web site. Step 2: Decide if you want to use organic fertilizer – …