Minnetonka, MN Florist

Gardening Basics and Know-How

Tips from the Experts for Gardening Hobbyists

Are you a newbie to gardening? Or are you a casual gardener who wants to keep a small with gorgeous blooms or robust greens? In any case, you've likely encountered a pest problem or soil issue you've never had before. You may be feeling a bit lost on how to resolve it.

But don't fret! Every gardener goes through this. Even experts and professionals on plant care have their own concerns.

To help you along, we've put this handy guide together! You'll also find answers to the most common questions on gardening. You'll also find top tips every gardener needs to know!

Here, we give you a short list of pro gardening tips and tricks for rookies and hobbyists. You'll learn about planting your first plant seed. You'll find out how to give daily treatment to your plants. You'll find out how to transfer your seedlings to your plant bed. You'll also learn how to build your soil and gather your herbs.

Whatever your issues are, we've got your back! This handy guide has all the fundamental know-hows for any budding gardener.

Interested in a formal course? Want to get certified as a gardening expert? Look into associations offering classes in floristry, like:

American Institute of Floral Designers (www.aifd.org).

National Gardening Organization (www.garden.org).

American Floral Endowment (www.endowment.org).

American Horticultural Society (www.ahsgardening.org).

Preparing Your Garden Bed

Before doing anything else, all gardeners need to prepare their garden beds! Other gardening practices like building soil can get complex without a good foundation. But no worries, we're here to help!

Sunshine, healthy soil, and water are the standard needs of any garden bed. But if you want to go all out, there are a couple of steps you need to follow.

• Remove weeds, grass, and other vegetation from your desired area.

• Wet the soil until it is moist. See to it that it's not soaking wet.

• Work the soil to about 12 inches deep.

• Insert compost into your bed.

• Cover the bed with mulch.

• Top off with more compost to keep moisture.

Prepping your garden bed can vary with the kind of plants you wish to plant. But these are the fundamentals you can follow to ensure your bed is healthy! From here, you can get your lawn ready! You'll soon enjoy a garden of the freshest flowers and plant edibles!

Seed and Seed-Starting

So you've prepared your lawn or yard into a nurturing garden bed. Now you're all ready to start planting seeds and cultivating them to fully flourish! With the appropriate care, you can look forward to vibrant blooms and harvests of herbs and vegetables.

To achieve this, here are a few tips from expert gardeners on seed starting! You'll see the best ways to bury a seed into the soil and start them up on their growth process.

Some gardeners think it's okay to let your seed grow wild in every way they want. But experts don't agree.

Years of experience with managing our own gardens tell us otherwise. We say it's best for beginners to start their gardens in an enclosed space. It's far better for both you and your plants that you keep a close eye on them at all times. With this, you can adapt to and care for their needs in a more effective way.

That said, here are a few basic tips for rookie gardeners planting their first batch of seeds into the soil!

• Disperse your seeds in the bed and avoid overcrowding at all costs.

• Store your stock of seeds in a dry and cool spot for longer shelf life.

• Pat down the soil to make direct contact with the seeds.

• Give them enough airflow and water drainage to stop pests and plant disease.

• Water them everyday, and feed them well with a healthy mixture of fertilizer and plant food.

• Take time to let your plants get used to direct light to ward off unwanted wilting.

Mulch

Both flower beds and vegetable gardens benefit a great deal from mulch. It gives your garden high levels of moisture retention and soil temperature regulation. It also helps repel weeds better. You could never get these at top quality with any artificial product or formula.

Every gardener needs to know when to use mulch and the amount of it to use. This is because mulch is one of the most crucial things a garden needs to thrive!

Whether you're using grass clippings, wood chips, pine needles, stone and rocks, or dyed mulch, here are the experts' answers to some FAQs on mulch.

Should I steer clear of any type of mulch?

Avoid grass trimmings from any lawn that's been treated with herbicide in the past three to four weeks. If you have pets, especially dogs, don't use cocoa hull.

Aged mulch vs. New mulch?

In general, older mulch is better. It won't drain the soil of its much-needed nitrogen and other nutrients. This is because they've already begun decomposing.

When should I apply mulch?

Gardening pros say it's best to put the mulch in your garden bed in the early summer. Otherwise, you'll risk harming the roots of any plants you insert after.

How deep should the mulch go?

The standard rule on how deep mulch should go is a couple of inches from above ground. Experts say this is ideal for your plants. Top tip: Keep the mulch about at least a feet away from your house's foundation to help prevent pest infestations.

Composting

The practice of composting has been around almost as long as gardening has. It's only reasonable to presume everyone has at least a fundamental idea of composting or building good compost.

Regardless of what you know about it, here are a few guidelines to catch you up on the basics of composting!

We recommend that you allot a dedicated space for your composting. This way, you can put compost in a bin to stock for longer use.

It's also essential to optimize your compost for your garden bed. Start by moistening each layer as you put them in your compost bin and quicken the process.

Now you want your compost to be top-notch. Compost is best when it has a well-balanced composition of brown (dry) and green (wet) materials. Otherwise, it can either heat up or smell bad.

So if one of these things happens, check on the balance of green and brown in your compost. If it isn't in proportion, add a little bit more of whichever compost is less than the other. Make sure the perimeter of your workspace doesn't block water and lets it empty out with ease.

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