Beginners Guide to Starting Your Own Garden
Starting a garden is one of the luxuries of building or purchasing a home. Food gardening has become all the rage with homeowners. Your land is used productively, and you have a clean source of quality, healthy food. Aside from healthy fruits and vegetables, gardening can improve mental health and reduce stress. If you have the land, why not start a garden at a property home builders in Calgaryhave so thoughtfully designed?
Tips for Gardening Beginners
When starting a garden, these tips will help you achieve your goals:
Pick a Sunny Spot
First, decide where on your property to place the garden. The sunniest spot is best; after all, plants grow and thrive with energy from the sun. Fruits and vegetables require direct sunlight. However, some plants do better in the shade, which is something to consider if you’ve bought one of the many houses for sale in Calgary.
Dig Out the Weeds
Make sure the garden plot is completely weed-free. That means pulling out not only the weeds but their roots as well. The hard work of digging, rather than chemicals, is best for getting the job done and ensuring a healthy garden.
Top-quality weed killers with systemic glyphosate kill weeds and roots but don’t harm crops that grow later. Some perennial weeds can be eliminated by covering the soil with newspaper topped with mulch.
Tend to the Soil
New condo builders in Calgary have stirred up the ground, but that doesn’t mean the best soil is guaranteed. All plants need soil, but just dumping it into your yard isn’t enough. Test the soil’s pH level and for the presence of metals and other contaminants. Fertilizers and potting mixes may be needed to boost the nutrient level, depending on the types of plants you’re growing.
The most important nutrients include nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous.
Add Nutrients Yourself
If you’re using seed packets, start sowing at the recommended time for the plant species. Plants that start off in low light typically don’t catch up. You can also make your own compost with greens that have been pruned, vegetable peelings from the kitchen, or lawn clippings.
Get the Right Tools
Retailers stock lots of gardening tools. You really only need a hand trowel for digging holes/scooping, pruners that handle various stem thicknesses, a leaf rake, and a soil rake. A cultivator helps break up packed soil and loosen weeds and, if working in a small area, a spade is perfect for digging and planting small areas.
Don’t be afraid to start slow. You can always expand later. Soil quality is your top priority, so test it to find out your next step, remove any turf grass or weeds, and turn over the soil to access the fresh material below. Also, loosen it up so plants have an easier time growing. Some of the easiest plants to grow include mesclun lettuce, sunflowers, cherry tomatoes, daylilies, and hydrangeas.
Find Your Dream Home with Genesis Builders Group
If you’re looking to buy a home for your family (and to start a garden) in Calgary, look no further than Genesis. We have built fabulous homes in Sage Meadows, Ashbury, Bayside, and the Saddlestone. Whether you want a home built or are looking for someone to show homes in Airdrie or other family-friendly communities in the area, contact Genesis Builders Group online or at 403-265-8079 today.