How To Make Your Yard Grow With Very little Initiative

Whether you want your landscape plush with healthy grass, county fair award-winning flowers or aback yard filled with fresh vegetables, you need to know how to reap a glorious garden. This articlecontains many tips to help you do just that, and if you don't already have a green thumb, you will bythe time you're done reading.

A good tip of what to plant in the garden is to plant high-value crops. Value is a subjective term, butplant the things that are most costly to buy, as long as they are suited to the climate. The wholegarden does not have to be devoted to this, but if an area is earmarked for this type of crop, it cansave money in the coming season when prices are sky high for certain crops.

If you are planting vegetables, choose varieties that don't require processing in order to keep. Forexample, sweet potatoes and onions will keep for months as long as they are kept cool and dry,without any additional work on your part. This reduces the amount of time you have to spend afterharvesting.

To maximize the benefits of compost, put it in your garden about two weeks before you plant.Compost actually needs time to integrate with soil and once you combine the two they need time tostabilize. Plan to gather enough compost to fertilize your garden a couple of weeks ahead of plantingto produce healthier and stronger plants.

Although railroad ties may look very nice in your garden, the chemicals in them, are thought to behazardous and toxic to the health of the garden, so consider alternatives. Natural wood is easy tofind and will add a beautiful touch to your garden.

Slide your fingernails against a bar of soap to prevent dirt from getting under your nails. The dirtdoesn't necessarily hurt you, but you will save time and effort when cleaning your hands later.Instead of having to dig underneath your nails, you can just use a nailbrush to quickly remove thesoap residue.

A key element to having a great garden is to fence it in. In many areas the wildlife will consume thefruits and vegetables as soon as they sprout, yielding little or no harvest. A good fence will not onlykeep out the wildlife, but it will keep out the neighborhood children from playing ball and pets fromdigging.

New gardeners should keep things simple. The tendency of new gardeners is to plant a garden thatis just way too big and end up with a giant mess in the backyard. Keep it simple and small to start,and work up from there. A small garden will lead to a more positive experience and is less work for anew gardener.

Clean your garden tools before you put them away. It seems strange to worry about keeping agardening tool clean, but it's actually very important for the health of your plants. Tools that are putaway while coated in dirt can harbor microbes and even insects that can be deadly to your plants.

Try placing evergreens that grow berries around your garden. The berries will provide a boost ofcolor to your backyard, even during the colder months when most of the other vegetation has beendrained of their color. Some evergreens that will provide winter color are the American Holly,Common Snowberry, American Cranberrybush, and the Winterberry.

To save money on seeds, only use a small portion of the packet. In most cases, only a pinch of seedsare necessary, and seeds can easily be stored for the following year. You can also try splitting seedpackets with your neighbors and friends. This is a great way to garden on a budget.

Reduce the need for pesticides in your garden by planting native crops. Native plants will have abetter resistance against the bugs and bacteria of your area, and will be better equipped to competewith native weeds. Native plants will attract beneficial native insects, such as ladybugs, which cannaturally control pest problems without the need for chemicals.

If your flower beds have diseased or dead plants in them, it is best to remove them as soon aspossible to prevent the spread of disease. It is a good idea to clean out your flower beds in the fall sothat the soil will benefit from freezing over the winter by killing the pests or disease-causingorganisms in the soil. Cleaning out your beds in the fall will help prevent the spread of disease toyour spring flowers.

Use scale, color and texture in your garden to improve interest. Use plants of different heights,putting small ones in front and tall ones in the back. Add a few plants that have deep maroon leaves,which looks great next to greenery. Plant a tree or shrub that changes to oranges and golds incarpet stain autumn, and mix small-leafed plants with larger-leafed or spiky plants, such as agave.

It is important to remember to apply sunscreen to the back of your neck as well as your ears whenyou are horticulture. Many people focus on their face, hands and arms when they are applying sunblock before going outside to do their gardening. Your ears and the back of your neck will get a lotof sun exposure, so it is important to protect them too.

Get rid of Japanese beetles. Once quite rare, and only found in the eastern United States, thesepesky beetles are now moving west. They attack many different types of herbs and vegetables andare difficult to eradicate once established. Handpick them in the early morning by shaking tree limbsand branches. Bait them by mixing together water, sugar and mashed fruit. Place this concoction ina sunny spot at least 1 inch off the ground. Strain out the beetles every morning. Plant 'trap' cropsbetween vegetables and flowers: Japanese beetles favor marigold, borage and evening primrose. Ifyou plant these throughout your garden, they will naturally navigate toward those specific plants.

The best way to water your organic garden is to use a soaker hose. Soaker hoses not only conservewater, but also direct the water exactly where it needs to go, into the dirt, rather than on the leavesand into the air. By watering the leaves, you leave your plants susceptible to fungus growth.

It may seem tempting to want to use chemicals on your organic garden, but these will do more harmthan good, along with defeating the purpose ofhttp://insidetv.ew.com/2011/09/08/home-improvement-cast-reunion-official-photo/ an "organic"garden. If you think about, all of these types of pollutants run off and contaminate whatever theytouch. By keeping your soil healthy, you won't need any chemical fertilizers anyway.

You don't need a green thumb or lots of land to be a gardener. Whether you want the satisfaction ofgrowing your own delicious vegetables in the garden, or having the prettiest roses on the block,these great hints can help you to succeed.