10 Ways to Make Gardening Easier
Making gardening easier doesn’t mean there won’t always be something to do in the garden. Although most gardeners enjoy the time they spend working in their gardens, there comes a point when garden tasks can get ahead of you, making you can feel like you’ve bitten off more than you can chew. The following gardening and garden planning tips can put you a little ahead of the game.
Some of these tips are common sense and some may seem like more work in the short term, but they all really will make gardening easier for you. And that way you’ll have time to create even more gardens!
Start with a good analysis of your existing soil. You can have all the essential nutrients tested or just the pH. Many nurseries provide this service as well as your local Cooperative Extension Service. If your soil is deficient in any minerals or nutrients, amend the soil according to recommendations. Then keep adding organic matter, like compost, regularly.
Slow release, organic fertilizers can help supplement deficient nutrients. But feeding plants with synthetic fertilizers can actually destroy the beneficial organisms and organic matter within the soil and only provide a short fix. It’s like turning your garden into a drug addict. It will need regular doses of fertilizer and more and more to get the same effect.
Wheels
Watch a child with a new wagon. They can’t find enough things to put in it or enough places to go. Now think about how long you’ve put off moving that cement bird bath or how many plants are still sitting in pots on your driveway because you didn’t want to make one more trip. This is why man invented the wheel. Get yourself at least one good garden cart or wheelbarrow and don’t go out into the garden without it. You can tote your tools, move plants, harvest, toss weeds right into it and glide down to the compost heap. No matter how small your plot is, you’ll get more done with wheels. If you have a very large plot, consider wheels with a motor.