If you are new to gardening, it can be difficult to know where to start. There are so many things to consider – what type of plants will grow well in your climate, what tools do you need, and how often should you water your plants? No need to worry, we’ve got you covered with these 7 tips for beginners that will help make the process a little bit easier!

1. Start Small – Don’t Try To Plant a Whole Garden at Once

When starting out, it can be tempting to immediately grow a huge garden. However, it’s important to start slow and gradually increase the number of plants as you become more comfortable. This will help you to better care for your plants and avoid becoming overwhelmed.

2. Choose Plants That Are Easy To Care For

Low-maintenance plants are suitable for first-time plant parents. Some easy-to-care for plants include succulents, cacti, and herbs.

Plants with deep green leaves are also perfect for low-light environments and require less water. If you have limited outdoor space, these plants are for you:

• Spider Plant
• Aloe Vera
• Golden Pothos
• Snake Plant
• Rubber Plant
• Monstera Deliciosa plant

3. Light Source

One of the most important things to consider when choosing a spot for your garden is how much sunlight it will get. Most plants need at least six hours of sunlight per day, so make sure your spot gets an ample amount of sunlight.

If you are unsure about how much sunlight a particular spot in your yard gets, you can use a sun chart to help you determine whether or not it is a good spot for your garden. Once you have found a spot that gets plenty of sunlight, you can start planning your garden!

4. Amend the Soil With Compost or Fertilizer Before Planting

Amending the soil before planting will help your plants grow more easily. It will also help to prevent diseases as it encourages beneficial microbes. You can amend the soil with compost or fertilizer, or you can purchase a bag of pre-amended soil from your local nursery.

5. Water Your Plants Regularly, but Don’t Overwater Them

As important as the sunlight, never forget to water your plants regularly. However, it is also important not to overwater them, as this can cause problems such as root rot.

Water your plants deeply about once a week, or more often if they are in a particularly hot or dry climate. Be sure to check the soil before watering to make sure that it is dry – if the soil is still moist, you don’t need to water again quite yet.

Overwatering is one of the most common mistakes made by gardening beginners, so be sure to keep an eye on your plants and only water when necessary.

6. Weed Your Garden Regularly To Keep It Looking Neat and Tidy

Another important tip for gardening beginners is to weed your garden regularly. Weeds can compete with your plants for water and nutrients, and they can also make your garden look messy.

Try to weed your garden at least once a week, or more often if necessary. You can use a hoe, trowel, or even just your hands to remove weeds – just be sure to get the roots so that they don’t grow back. If you keep up with weeding, it will help your garden look neat, and it will also help your plants to thrive.

By following these tips, you’ll be on your way to becoming a gardening pro in no time! Just remember to start small, choose easy-to-care-for plants, water regularly, and weed often. Good luck!

Did you find this article helpful? Check out our other gardening articles for more tips and advice!

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Baking soda is one of the most amazing, affordable products available to us. Hopefully, you’re already using baking soda for cleaning throughout your home. If not, then you’re spending more money than you should on household cleaners. And today let’s talk about how baking soda’s benefits don’t stop there. There are so many uses of baking soda in gardening. Here are eight big ones:

1. Baking Soda for Soil Testing

Everything that you grow needs to grow in suitable soil. The soil’s pH level is one of the most critical factors. Therefore, you should do soil testing before you plant. Baking soda provides an easy, cheap way to do that. Here’s what to do:

• Take a tablespoon of soil and place it in a container.
• Add a little bit of distilled water until the soil is mud.
• Add a little bit of baking soda.
• Watch.
• Does the soil fizz? If so, then your soil has an acidic pH level.

Bonus tip: If the soil doesn’t fizz with baking soda, then you should do a second test. Take a fresh tablespoon of the soil. Add distilled vinegar to it. If it fizzes now, then your soil has an alkaline pH level. However, if neither the baking soda nor the vinegar cause fizzing, then you have soil with neutral pH.

2. Boost Your Plant Fertilization

Balcony Garden Web has several great suggestions for using baking soda in gardening. For example, they suggest adding baking soda to fertilize slow-growing, dull-appearing plants. They say that you should mix one teaspoon of baking soda and Epsom set with 1/2 teaspoon ammonia in one gall of water. Then add approximately one quart of that solution to each plant you want to fertilize. You should see them grow faster and brighter in no time.

3. Make Your Tomatoes Taste Better

This is one of my favorite tips from Balcony Garden Web. They explain that if you simply sprinkle a little bit of baking soda around the base of your tomato plants, you’ll be able to grow sweeter tomatoes. How is this possible? The soil absorbs the baking soda, lowering the natural acidity levels of the plant itself. Baking soda costs so little and yet it can work so much magic!

4. Get Rid of Garden Pests

It’s always so difficult to decide how to handle garden pests like worms and slugs. Some of them don’t do that much damage and you might decide to leave them alone. Others, however, can wreak havoc in your garden. If you don’t want to lose your plants, then you have to find some way to deal with them.

Baking soda can provide a solution. It’s eco-friendly and generally kind to your plants. However, it works as a pesticide. You can put it directly on slugs and gnats to kill them. Alternatively, you can make a solution that you spray on your plants to keep pests away.

5. Uses of Baking Soda on Plant Leaves

Did you know that if you have indoor household plants, you’re supposed to clean them? That’s right, household dust can settle on them and ruin them. A baking soda solution is a simple way to clean those leaves.

Even outdoors, though, you might find that baking soda helps the leaves of your plants. For example, a baking soda solution can help prevent fungus growth on plant leaves.

6. Add Baking Soda to Cut Flowers

Do you grow flowers in your backyard garden? If so, then perhaps you sometimes cut them and put them in a vase for yourself or to gift to others. Make those flowers last as long as possible by adding just a little bit of baking soda to the water inside that vase.

7. Deodorize Compost

Hopefully, you have compost for your garden. It’s such a waste if you don’t. However, the smell of a compost pile might have deterred you. If that’s the case, then baking soda can come to the rescue. Just sprinkle a little bit on top of the compost regularly. The smell will go away. You can then reap all the benefits of composting in your garden.

8. Cleaning Around the Garden

The plants are the most important part of your garden. However, they’re not the only part. You have gardening tools, statues, chairs, etc. Make sure that you keep all of these things clean for the best garden experience. Baking soda makes a great natural cleaner for all of these.

Read More:

• 100 Alternative Uses for Baking Soda
• How to Use Baking Soda for Weed Control
• How I Feel About the Hunting of Garden Pests