A great way to enjoy the beautiful landscape of your new Lennar home is to take advantage of the beautiful space and do some gardening yourself. Gardening can provide you with decorative flowers or home-grown produce for your family to enjoy.
Here are 10 gardening tips that can help you get started:
1. Protect your nails
Before getting started, there is an easy trick to prevent dirt from accumulating under your fingernails while you work without gloves. If you draw your fingernails across a bar of soap, then you will seal the undersides of your nails to keep the dirt out. Once you’re finished, use a nail brush and run your hand under running water and your nails will be sparkling clean.
2. Avoid chemical-based fertilizers and pesticides
The fertilizer and pesticides you use on your lawn also seeps into your crops, and the chemicals used can cause many health problems from toxic residues when consumed. Try to stick to organic methods of gardening for healthier vegetables.
3. Alternative plant food
Gardening is an opportunity to explore new things, especially when trying to find the most efficient way to treat a crop. The next time you boil or steam vegetables, use the leftover water to feed your garden. You’ll be amazed at how the plants respond!
4. Don’t plant too much of the same thing
To prevent waste, be mindful of how much of one plant you will need to feed your entire family. Planting too much of one thing will cause over production and will take nutrients from the soil that could be used for more variety.
5. Choose crops wisely
Choose crops that will be easier to grow in the environment you are providing them. Learn if the crop will need sun or shade and plan accordingly. Check out these shade-loving plants that thrive in environments with less light.
6. Replant roots
Replanting the root from your previous crops allows for faster growth of the new crop. Using the root clippings from your early summer tomatoes will give you a beautiful early fall tomato crop.
7. Repeat your successes
Weather and soil have a large effect on the way the crops come out. You might get a wonderful harvest of basil and mint, but your tomatoes don’t come out as well as you might have hoped. Focus on repeating your successes and replant the crops you’re proudest of.
8. A smart use for your leftover tea and coffee
Leftover tea and coffee grounds acidify the soil and help acid-loving plants like camellias, gardenias and blueberries. A small amount will go a long way; it only needs to be added once a month. Additionally, chamomile tea helps control damping-off fungus which can harm the seedlings as they grow, ruining your beautiful garden.
9. Pick things at their peak
Morning harvests tend to be the juiciest, but make sure you don’t cut off the nutrient supply too early. Once you harvest, refrigerate your leafy greens to preserve them for the longest amount of time possible.
10. Make sure to include essential kitchen herbs
Culinary herbs are easy to grow and very pricey to buy; and if you don’t know how to store them, they don’t last very long.
Using these tips will help you enjoy your garden to the fullest and possibly feed your family with the healthiest ingredients. Improve your life, and your family’s, by getting your hands dirty in your own back patio.
