Gardening can be a rewarding pastime and can bring many benefits. Whether you decide to grow a flower garden or plant some fresh herbs, you'll find that tending to your plants is incredibly fulfilling. In the following information, you'll find some suggestions that will improve the way that you garden. Soil needs to be rich in certain nutrients to grow healthy plants. Your soil may not be correct, but it depends on what sorts of plants you want to grow. It is also possible to set aside a portion of your garden to include just one type of soil. When gardening, be watchful of stink bugs, particularly in the fall. Stink bugs enjoy gardens, and are especially fond of fruit, tomatoes, beans and peppers. If kept unchecked they can certainly do a ton of a damage to your garden so you should do what you need to to reduce their population. When you are mowing your lawn do not cut it too closely to the dirt. If you let your grass grow, the roots will go deeper and make your lawn more resistant to dryness. When you cut the grass too short, the roots are often not deep enough, which causes your lawn to have dry patches of brown, discolored grass. When you decide to add vegetables into your garden space, be aware that they must be placed where they will receive direct sunlight for a minimum of six hours daily. Most vegetables need this amount of sunlight to grow the right way at a faster pace. Many flowers also require adequate sunlight to flourish. Knee pads are a gardener's friend when caring for plants low to the ground. Excessive time spent kneeling often results in significant stiffness and pain. Having a good pair of knee pads will cushion your knees in comfort. Do you love fresh mint leaves but hate how they quickly grow to take over your garden? Instead of planting mint in your garden, keep it in a large container or pot to prevent it from spreading. Plant the container in the ground, but its walls will hold those roots captive, and will prevent the plant from engulfing your garden! Split up the irises. You can increase your stock of irises by dividing up overgrown clumps. Pick up bulbous irises after the foliage dies. As soon as you pick up the bulb, it'll split into pieces. That's okay – in fact, it's desirable. You can replant the bulb pieces and next year you'll have a healthy bed of new irises. Rhizomes may need to be divided by using a knife. From the outside cut the new pieces and then get rid of the old center. Each piece should have at least one strong offshoot. Do this cutting beside your garden bed, so that you can place your new groupings into the ground immediately. Remember to place a layer of mulch over the soil around your vegetables, approximately 2 inches deep. Mulch has a nice moisturizing effect on the soil it's spread over. In addition, it will keep the weeds from growing. You'll find this is a time saver since you won't have to pull them later. You should teach your children how to garden alongside you. Helping a garden grow is an excellent learning experience for kids, and it allows your family to spend time together while creating healthy, nutritious foods. Ward off certain diseases that plague plants with the use of aspirin. Crush and dissolve one and one-half 325mg tablets in two full gallons of plain water. Spray this mixture onto your plants. The process can be repeated every three weeks or so. As discussed at the beginning of this article, gardening has many rewards that come with it. Even just working in the fresh air can lift your spirits. Take your gardening to greater heights of enjoyment with the tips you've gotten here.
