To help you start your garden, we asked garden experts and business leaders this question for their best tips and or steps.
From really considering the location of your garden to making sure you’re educated on them before you start in raised beds, some tips and tricks may help you start your flourishing garden.
- Climate Matching
- Consider The Location Of Your Garden
- Gardening Is Just Like SEO
- Research Which Plants Thrive In Your Area
- Study The Sunshine
- Get Educated And Be Patient
Climate Matching
Your first step is going to be making sure your climate matches the plants you want to grow.
Here in Sedona, we see botanical gardens and nurseries popping up more and more since the harsh summer heat and soil composition make it hard for many plant life to thrive. We tend to see plant life that takes well to little water growing around us during our retreats.
Greg Drambour, Sedona Spiritual Retreats
Consider The Location Of Your Garden
As a beginner, a raised garden bed may be the best option as you will have more control over the soil in a raised garden bed as well as simpler weed and pest control.
Plus, you can grow different sets of plants in raised beds, all grouped in separate patches.
Additionally, keep in mind that growing the same plant in the same spot every year will mean you are depleting the same nutrients every year.
So, make sure to rotate out your crops once they grow. And finally, growing plants takes time, so learn to be patient.
Caroline Lee, CocoSign
Gardening Is Just Like SEO
Find the parallels between gardening and your profession to add a layer of enjoyment. For me, gardening and SEO have a lot of similarities.
SEO is broken down into Content, Digital PR, and Technical SEO. Gardening includes a plant, nutrients, and maintenance.
In gardening, you plant a seed. In SEO, you publish content to a website. Then, you may add fertilizer or water to help the plant grow.
But if you add too much fertilizer – just like adding too many backlinks in SEO – you might kill the plant.
And finally, you need to maintain the plant (or website) by pulling weeds (or correcting 404 errors).
Starting a garden is easy, but staying with it for the long haul is tough. Find a connection beyond plants and gardening to find enjoyment.
Brett Farmiloe, Markitors
Research Which Plants Thrive In Your Area
When starting a garden, I would recommend researching to determine what plants or vegetables will thrive in your particular area.
In 2008, when preservationists carefully restored lake Rabun Hotel, we were sure to plant things that naturally grew in the Blue Ridge Mountains and near lakes.
Doing so ensured that our gardens thrived and added to the already beautiful surroundings here in Northern Georgia.
Gwen North, Lake Rabun Hotel
Study The Sunshine
My best gardening tip is the title of a Beatles song – follow the sun. Many first-time gardeners get caught up in the ideal aesthetics, imagining where plants will look best instead of where they will grow best.
Most vegetables need a minimum of 6-8 hours of direct sunlight. Observe your land throughout the day to confirm that the space receives ample light at various hours.
If your proposed garden spot is shady and you cannot relocate the patch, then consider starting with low-light vegetables and herbs like carrots, parsley, and potatoes.
The same advice holds for flowers. Much as you may want to set up your garden for ideal optics, consider heat tolerance and light requirements when arranging your blooms.
Michael Alexis, TeamBuilding
Get Educated And Be Patient
I’ve lived in Arizona for 25 years and have executed many failed attempts at gardening over the last decades. I thought I had a “black thumb.”
Recently, though, I approached gardening differently, focusing on science. I suspected that to grow a successful garden, I needed better information about gardening in my climate, preparing the soil, keeping plants appropriately watered, proper sun exposure, etc.
I started studying using a free online program through the University of Arizona. Since I’ve gotten educated and refined my approach, things have been looking up – flowers, herbs, and veggies are regularly growing in my garden year-round.
Now, I just need to remember to be patient. I’ve been known to pluck a tiny tomato from a vine too early when I know it’ll be a better “product” if I can just wait it out.
Be patient and remember: All good things come with time and special care.
Niki Ramirez, HRAnswers.org
Conclusion
With these techniques, you’ll be able to cultivate more abundant fruits, veggies, and flowers while also adding lovely ornamental elements to your garden.
What are some of your favorite gardening tidbits? Please share them in the comments section below, and if you try out any of these ideas, please let us know how it goes!
