Happy Spring! I hope that you all had a good Easter break, and ate some chocolate. As we are now into spring, and the weather starts to improve, I decided to look at gardening this month. I always look forward to this time of the year when flowers are blooming, and people are growing their own food. There are so many different types of gardening for different people and ideas, so here are all of my top tips on how to get into gardening.
1. Evaluate your space
Some people assume that for gardening you need to have a garden, but this isn’t the case! Whether you have a big garden or no garden at all, it doesn’t matter. House plants are just as pretty as outside plants. When looking at the space around you, indoors or outdoors, start thinking of where you could put plants and how big they can be. This is an important step to make so you don’t end up buying too much or too little.
2. Evaluate your time
Some plants need lots of care and attention, and others only need watering once a month. With this in mind, have a look at the time you have at the moment: even though gardening can be very therapeutic, you don’t want to overwork yourself. You may have a lot of schoolwork going on, or some free time at the weekend where you aren’t doing anything. Whatever amount of free time you have, make sure that you make a realistic decision of what plants will and won’t work for you, so that you can look after the ones that you chose with the best amount of attention.
3. What is your purpose?
What do you want to come from your plants? Flowers? Fruits? Vegetables? Decoration? There are so many different types of plants that can serve different purposes. Whether you just want a flower on your desk while you work to smell nice and look pretty, or you want a tomato plant to grow fruit in your garden, make sure that it aligns with the space and time that you have thought about previously. Some fruits don’t have to have a lot of attention, so have a little research and find what is best for you and takes your fancy.
4. Buy your supplies
Now that you have decided what plants are suited for you, it’s time to buy or use some supplies around you! Some plants may come in pre-prepared pots, others in seeds, so go and have a little shop around for what you need. Depending on what you are planting or gardening, you may need some soil and basic tools, like a shovel. To check that you have all that you need, have a check on some websites and blogs for suggestions.
5. Garden!
You’ve got everything now! Time to get started: do some gardening! As every plant is different, they will take different times to harvest if food related, flower, or even live. Some plants may last years, and some will only last a season. Gardening is for all year round, so have a look at other ideas and plants to choose as the time goes by. Don’t forget to name your plants: that’s the best part!
There are my top tips! I hope you like them and are able to get into gardening. Remember that if you have any other hobbies that you want to share, or you are passionate about a specific plant, then you can tell us and write a blog about it. Here is a link to find out more: https://www.girlguidinglaser.org.uk/challenges/report-for-the-hive.
Happy gardening and I will see you next month.