Ask any gardener or flower farmer and they’ll all say the same thing: Gardening is hard work!
But they’ll also tell you that gardening is a passion. It pushes us to spend hours bending and digging and planting—even when our bodies ache. And it rewards our hard work with a harvest of beautiful flowers, which gets us contemplating projects for the next growing season.
Gardening is good for us, too, on so many different levels. It can help improve not only our physical health, by getting us up and active outside the house, but also our mental health. Gardening can put a smile on our face and a happy song in our heart. It can help us reduce stress, manage anger and work through disappointments, sadness and grief.
I recommend gardening no matter how much space you have, whether a tiny plot in the city or acres of land on a farm.
You might be hesitant about gardening, maybe concerned you don’t have a green thumb or worried you’ll get in over your head. So, let me offer a few tips to make getting started a little easier and help ward off discouragement.
- Start Small: Starting small keeps your work manageable, helps you stay on task and prevents you from feeling overwhelmed.
- Follow The Inch-By-Inch Rule: Take steps each day toward the garden of your dreams, remembering it won’t happen overnight.
- Keep Weeds to A Minimum: Weeds can take over a garden quickly and leave you feeling disappointed. Make a habit of pulling weeds as they appear. Do not allow them to set bloom and then seed.
- Know Your USDA Gardening Zone: First and foremost, know your gardening zone. Do a quick online search to identify your gardening zone or ask staff at your local extension office. Knowing your gardening zone will help you decide what and when to plant.
- Conduct A Soil Test: This is an essential step to take when starting a new garden. A soil test helps you determine what nutrients might already exist in your soil and how you might need to amend your soil to make it more productive.
- Garden In the Early Morning or Late Evening: This is important for you, as the gardener, as well as your plants. The heat of the day can zap the energy out of freshly planted flowers and vegetables.
- Invest In Garden Tools: To be successful, you’re going to need the tools of the gardening trade. For instance, a spade is better than a shovel, and shears are better than a pair of scissors. So, make an upfront investment in appropriate tools. As you continue gardening, you’ll learn what works best for you.
- Buy Good Quality Product: If you want healthy, beautiful flowers and veggies, shop for high-quality products. This is especially true when ordering bulbs, corms and tubers. Good quality products will make all the difference in your garden.
Gardening isn’t about hanging a basket or two on the porch and then walking away. And plants aren’t “set it and forget it” things. Gardening is about creating beauty by carefully and lovingly tending plants. It truly is a passion, and as a gardener and flower farmer myself, I love it!
I hope that this has encouraged you to get your hands dirty and plant a garden of your own!
Happy Gardening!
Pamela Anthony
Beehind Thyme Farm & Garden