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Taking care of a garden is an extremely rewarding pastime, and will bring a lot of benefits. Whether you decide to grow a flower garden or plant some fresh herbs, you could check here 'll find that tending to your plants is incredibly fulfilling. This guide can give you insight and pointers that you will need for gardening.



Your tool handles can easily be used as handy rulers. Tools with long handles, such as shovels, hoes and rakes can be made into measuring sticks. On the floor, simply lay out the handles, then take a tape measure and run it next to them. Next, use a Sharpie to accurately label the distance between each one. Next time you work in the garden, you can have a larger ruler with you!



If you want to grow roses, you should look into the different species. If you are a beginner, select a kind of rose that does not require a lot of maintenance. You can also get into competitions with extremely delicate roses. Make sure you choose roses that are adapted to your skills and experience.



When planting a garden there should always be space reserved for essential kitchen herbs. These are available either fresh or dried in the grocery stores and are always expensive. Mint, parsley, basil, dill all can be grown in almost any climate. Also, these herbs are very easy to grow and can be used on a daily basis in the kitchen, and what is not used can be dried and stored for later use.



Try and start your gardens as early as possible and keep them as late as possible to maximize the amount of crops you're able to produce. You can use things like cloches, http://forestry.about.com/od/arboriculture/ss/why_prune.htm , and tunnels to start gardening a month or more in advance. You can also use row covers in the fall to extend your harvest season.



Get rid of any garden pests immediately. Garden pests, such as red spider mites, ants, whitefly, and aphids, can infect your plants with various diseases, so if you notice any of the plants in your garden dying or failing to thrive, check for pests first. To get rid of garden pests, invest in a good pesticide.



Bulbs produce beautiful flowers in your garden year after year. To achieve the most blooms, plant your bulbs as soon as temperatures in your area begin to cool in the fall. This is usually August in zones 1 to 4 and September in zones 4 to 7. Those in southern climates will have to chill their bulbs before planting.



Use your coffee grinds in your garden if you are an organic gardener and coffee lover! You can use coffee grounds to make a perfect mulch with just the right amount of acids. It is a wonderful way to compost in a environmentally friendly way.



Make your own compost. If you create your own compost at home, you can be absolutely certain of what goes into it, unlike if you purchase bags of compost from a gardening store. In addition, composting in your yard will attract helpful native wildlife such as insects that will balance the ecosystem of your garden.



Plant evergreen shrubs. Certain shrubs can provide triple duty throughout the year: they bear leaves year-round, produce flowers, and sometimes have ornamental fruit that attracts birds and other wildlife. This makes them very desirable in any landscape design. Excellent varieties are Berberis, Holly, Camellia Japonica, Ceanothus, Viburnum and Skimmia. Most will survive in any conditions.



If you have recently planted seeds in your organic garden, you should regularly aerate the soil by using your hands to gently sift it. Believe it or not, aerating the soil in this manner can actually make your seedlings grow larger.



Coffee grounds work great mixed in with your soil. Coffee grounds contain many of the essential nitrogenous nutrients that plants are able to use. Usually, nitrogen is limited with a plant, but using coffee grounds, diluted urea, or compost can make your plants grow faster and taller.






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Attract positive bugs to your garden. Bugs like lady-bugs actually hunt natural predators to your plants; aphids and caterpillars are just some of the nasty critters that can go through a garden and eat the leaves of the plants. Lady bugs are the natural predators to such pests and help the growth of a good healthy garden by consuming pests.



As gardening grows in popularity, more and more people are looking for ways to get the most out their gardens. If you use the tips and techniques you've read about in this article, you will soon find your garden flourishing like never before. Just put these ideas to work for you!