Try Something New in the Garden
The start of the New Year is also a great time to think about shaking up your gardening routine. You might want to start a new project, try a new plant or change to more organic gardening practices, such as eliminating use of chemicals.
Here are three easy things to do in your garden this year. Let us know if you’ve added one of these to your garden to-do list and share the results!
1. Compost. Much of what ends up in the garbage could go into a compost pile to be used later to fertilize those veggies and flowers. Composting isn’t as tough as many people think. You can purchase a ready-made compost bin or make something simple yourself (here’s a how-to video on making your own compost bin). Not sure what can and can’t be composted? Check out this blog post for lists.
2. Try new plants – the right way. When spring rolls around it can tempting to buy lots of new flowers and plants in the garden centers because everything looks so beautiful. Trying new flowers is great but make sure you’re selecting plants that work with your space and conditions. If your yard is covered by shade trees, those full-sun-loving lantana plants won’t be too happy. Also, look for native plants that are suitable for the weather conditions. In the Charleston area, plants like horse mint, hibiscus and purple coneflower (coneflower is pictured) are great because they can easily survive our hot, humid summers and don’t need a great deal of water.
3. Grow your own food. If you don’t have the time, yard space or inclination to build a large vegetable garden, fill a couple of containers and grow just enough to have fresh herbs or tomatoes for a salad. Vegetables and herbs grow just fine in containers, adding both beauty and practically to your garden or deck. Check out this video for tips about creating your own container garden.
Do you have new ideas or plans for your garden this? Share them with us!