Don't Forget to Feed

It can be easy to put aside feeding when you're a new gardener, but the nutrients you do or don't feed your plants will determine your harvest. A well-fed plant has a natural ability to ward off pests and diseases better than a nutrient-deprived equal. They also produce a better tasting product, often with more decadent flavors than their storebought counterparts. If your garden is in a container, feeding is even more critical. With limited space, potted fruits and vegetables will quickly consume any present nutrients.

Of the nutrients that plant uptake for a balanced diet, five serve as your most crucial and are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P), Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca), and Magnesium (Mg). I found that feeding routines can vary depending on your feeding method. Always check your selected fertilizer for feeding instructions first. Then, after applying the nutrients, monitor your plants, and adjust your strategy to best suit your garden.

Don't Forget to Cover or Remove Grass 

Lawns are the largest irrigated crop in North America. Over the last year, I've seen a couple of beds quickly constructed and filled with soil in the struggle to convert this open space into food-producing gardens. The only problem is the grass beneath these beds eventually works its way to the surface. It then begins to compete with your garden plants, meaning you have to spend time weeding out the grass.

When you reclaim your lawn for a garden bed, don't forget to cover your grass with cardboard, newspaper, or even turn the sod upside down using a garden fork or spade. This extra step will reduce the likelihood the grass reaches back up through the soil to become a nuisance. But, from experience, when flipping the sod, be sure to cover all green plant material with the root mass, or else it will eventually make its way to the surface.

Do Add Mulch

Mulch is one of those things that's often overlooked for a garden but seen as beneficial elsewhere in the yard. Incredibly, the difference mulch will make for your garden comes in the benefit of water retention and soil coolness.

When mulching for a garden, I have found straw as a helpful garden mulch. It covers the soil, and its albedo (light color) allows it to reflect some excess light towards the crops. When planting fruiting trees, be sure to add wood chips, as trees prefer fungal root zones, which wood chips promote.

Every home and garden will be different, each with its challenges that a gardener will have to overcome. These "dos" and "don'ts" are only a few things that I have found helpful in my time gardening with both containers and in-ground gardens.

If I could choose one more thing for every gardener to do, it would be to use that first Permaculture principle of "Observe and Interact." By exploring your garden at least once a day, taking time to look at the leaves, soil, and fruits, you will begin to learn what your plants need. And before long, you'll be crafting a personal list of things that work best for you and your thriving garden.