Gardening 101: Making Your Property Beautiful

Gardening is a favorite pastime of retired seniors for many reasons. First and foremost, it’s fun! But the perks aren’t limited to the excitement of seeing your garden come to life. A beautiful collection of plants can create a gorgeous outdoor space, provide you with some moderate exercise, and allow you to see to your mental and physical health by offering a great amount of time to think.
If you already have a garden up and running, keep up the great work! But for those of you who are a bit lost when it comes to starting your garden, below are a few basics to keep in mind as you start to cultivate the earth.
What Should You Plant? And Where?
The first question is always what to plant. While you might feel inclined to go to the home improvement store or local nursery and pick up some seeds and plants that you find visually appealing, it is a good idea to do a bit more digging, as it were, before making this decision.
Each climate, and by extension each region in the United States, has different planting seasons. Flowers, vegetables, herbs, and other common garden residents need specific conditions in order to grow and thrive. For instance, some need direct sunlight and some need minimal sunlight. Likewise, they grow best when planted at a certain time of year, so you will need to plan out your garden according to the seasons.
Another consideration to make is where you will be placing your plants. For example, a larger garden in the backyard will be perfect for different plant varieties than a container-based garden on a balcony. As such, think about where you want to house your garden and whether or not you will be putting the seeds directly into the ground or in planters.
Getting Started
After you’ve decided what kinds of plants you will grow and where you will put them, it is time to collect all the necessary materials. If you are going to plant your garden in containers, make sure that you find products that offer the right degree of drainage and enough room for your plants to grow. Additionally, you may need soil, fertilizer, a shovel, a hand trowel, a bucket, a rake, a watering can, a hose, gloves, a hat, and knee pads.
After gathering your tools, take the time to survey your land and decide where, exactly, you want to plant your garden if you are doing so in your yard. The location of your gardening efforts will, really, depend upon what you are aiming to achieve. For instance, you will be planting flowers all over your property if you are looking to landscape; if you want to grow vegetables, herbs, and the like, you will probably want to put a decorative fence around a patch of land in your backyard and do your gardening there.
Make sure that you follow the instructions you have researched when planting, but also remember that this is a personal activity that you need to enjoy. Try talking to your plants to nurture them and help them grow. Additionally, you might play music while gardening to keep both yourself and your plants happy. While this may sound a bit out of the ordinary, studies have shown that interacting with plants actually can help them to thrive!