This is the last week of National Garden Month! They say gardening is good for the soul, it can burn calories, relieve stress, and improve your immune system. With the weather getting nicer outside, you might be thinking of starting a garden of your own while on lockdown. Whether it is growing your own vegetable garden or planting some vibrant flowers in your garden bed to attract the butterflies, here are a few tips and tricks to help you start your very own garden.
Planning
- Planning is the key to success for any garden and now could not be a more perfect time. Choosing a plant’s location, spacing, and feeding option is important in the success of your gardening season.
- Always leave enough space between vegetables, herbs and flowers in order for them to breathe correctly and receive proper nutrition.
- Choose varieties of plants that are correct for your growing conditions. Perennials cannot survive in certain locations so know your hardiness zone and choose perennials accordingly. Click here to find your zone and to find out what plants would be best to plant for each zone.
Vegetables: Click here for full details on each vegetable, herb and flower tips
- Selecting your veggies before you design your garden will help ensure that you have the correct amount of room and the best growing conditions. For smaller gardens, choose bush varieties that take up less room. For shorter growing seasons, try fast maturing varieties that can produce maximum yields for your growing season.
Herbs:
- Choose herbs by size, growing habits and life expectancy. Many herbs can live as perennials and will increase in size every season thus needing adequate space to grow and receive the proper nutrition.
Flowers:
- Flowers can reward gardens with beauty and high pollination rates. Mixing flowers in with your vegetable garden will increase yield potentials.
- Also, choosing between annuals and perennials can be hard. Annuals can be easily removed and replaced the next season, while perennials will come back every season. Plus, many flower seeds are hard to germinate and require an adequate amount of care and time to grow correctly.
Sowing
- Most soil mixes consisting of peat, perlite and vermiculite are excellent seed sowing media for bedding plants. Besides light and moisture, seeds need warmth to germinate well. A soil temperature of 70°F is sufficient for most crops.
- Maryland soil tends to be clay-ey in much of the state except on the sandier Eastern Shore and in the rocky, limestone-rich western counties. See the planting depth of most seeds for optimal conditions. Some seeds prefer growing just below the soil including most vegetables, herbs and flowers. Although some flower seeds need light to germinate and should be placed on top of soil.
Transplanting
- After the seeds have germinated, let the surface dry out occasionally. Seedlings should never go through the night with wet leaves. Grow them at proper temperatures, as given in the sowing section, for fast, yet sturdy plants. When seedlings have developed their first set of true leaves, they are ready to be transplanted to a 4” inch pot for optimal growing conditions.
- Many ingredients can be used, to prepare a good growing medium for bedding plants. Most commonly used are 2-parts soil, 1-part peat moss and 1-part sand with fertilizer added. Mist the young plants frequently during the first week of transplant until they are well established, then water more thoroughly and less often. Keep your seedlings growing fast with the recommended liquid feeding program.
Always remember: Gardens filled with vegetables and fruits aren’t reserved just for gardeners with big yards and open spaces. Most garden edibles and many fruit trees flourish in containers, turning the smallest spaces into productive garden spots. From veggies and herbs to pollinator-friendly perennials and tropical plants, you can grow almost anything in containers! Learn more about container gardening here.
Click here for a helpful Maryland Garden Link from the University of Maryland.