Gardening

10 gardening tips for beginners

Anyone new to gardening could be excused for thinking the process is rather daunting, especially if they read some of the books on the market. Often these books are so loaded with technical jargon that the average person can't understand it. One exception is Yates Garden Guide which should have a place in every home. Gardening expert Colin Campbell has put together this list of 10 basic gardening rules which will help to make gardening a satisfying leisure activity.

1. Know your soil type

Get to know your soil type. When you know this, you will know how to manage it and get the best out of it. There are three basic types - sand, silt and clay - and if you are not sure about what you have, ask your neighbours if there isn't a nursery or garden centre nearby.

2. Use organic fertiliser

Use plenty of organic matter, regardless of the soil type. Organic fertilisers, compost and mulching materials enhance the nutrient level and encourage life-giving soil microbes and worms. The more you can use, the better.

3. Follow fertiliser directions

Fertilisers should always be used in accordance with manufacturers' directions

4. Keep soil mulched

Keep the soil well-mulched all year. Mulching helps to minimise weed growth and this is important because weeds compete with plants for moisture and nutrients. Mulching also modifies soil temperature - in warm weather it helps to keep it cool and in cold weather it keeps the soil warm. A thick layer will also reduce moisture loss through evaporation. It doesn't really matter what type of mulch is used - it comes down to personal choice. I prefer sugarcane mulch, but others opt for lucerne mulch, straw, tea-tree or bark mulch.

5. Plant similar species together

Plant appropriate species together, such as those that require the same soil, light and nutrients.

6. Pests and diseases

Learn to identify pests and diseases so that appropriate action can be taken, ensuring that you use the “softest'' option available. Spraying with chemicals may be necessary as a last resort.

7. Pruning

Prune shrubs early rather than leaving them until they get too large to trim back. Australian native species, in particular, should be pruned back by about one-third from their first year in your garden.

8. Flowering plants

Remove spent flowers from flowering plants every few days as this will prolong the flowering season. This is especially important in the case of flowering annuals but it also applies to many flowering shrubs. .

9. Watering

For plants that require a regular supply of water, water deeply every few days rather than a shallow watering every day. A long, deep watering will encourage the plant roots to go deeper in response to the deeper moisture level.

10. Composting

Make your own compost. Every day there are kitchen scraps, so instead of throwing them away in the garbage bin, start a compost heap. The same applies to prunings - cut these into small pieces and place in the compost heap or bin.

Gardening

Balcony Gardenning

For most of us urban dwellers, home is a box of an apartment in a concrete jungle. Access to a garden or a park is increasingly becoming a luxury in most cities and towns. We can curse city mandarins for the lack of planning, or we can create our own little green zones in our balconies.

But gardening is no mean task. Sriram Aravamudan, cofounder of Bangalore-based My Sunny Balcony, which designs gardens in small spaces, says you must be prepared to invest a lot of time and energy in the maintenance and upkeep of your garden, however tiny. Here are some design tips for your balcony garden: If you have a large balcony or an attached terrace, go ahead and get yourself a miniforest.

The Startup Plan:

If you have a large balcony or an attached terrace, go ahead and get yourself a miniforest.

But if space is limited, mark out a zone for the plants.

Leave enough space in the middle for a couple of chairs and ensure there are gaps between pots for cleaning.

If you dry clothes in your balcony, put up a flexible partition like a rollable ceiling-to-floor bamboo screen that divides the utility area and the garden.

The Plants you Choose:

Do not buy too many plants altogether — add to your garden regularly. Decide whether you want just ornamental plants or you want to mix them up with herbs and veggies.

Anthuriums and spathiphyllum are two flowering varieties that do well in tropical balconies; dieffenbachia, palm, ficus and philodendrons also grow well in the shade. Herbs and greens need more sunlight, but the easiest to grow are spinach, coriander and mint.

Anthuriums and spathiphyllum are two flowering varieties that do well

Place pots and planters on the periphery, but don’t line them

The Basics & the Design:

To start with, spend some time in your balcony or terrace to figure out how much sunlight it gets, and depending on that you can choose sun-loving or shade-loving plants.

Place pots and planters on the periphery, but don’t line them. Make clusters and islands with pots of different colours, varying heights and girth. If you have pots on the wall, put smaller pots at the base and the larger ones on the other end.

Get pots and planters of varying shapes, sizes and colours

The Pots:

Get pots and planters of varying shapes, sizes and colours, or make your garden more fun by re-using materials as planters.

You can convert wooden crates, large coffee mugs, wooden basins, water cans, wide-mouthed bottles and traditional earthen cooking ware into pots.

Make use of the railings and walls too. Get flower or window boxes than can be fitted onto the railing, or create a trellis screen to mount creepers. You can also hang a series of multi-coloured coffee mugs to hold your herbs.

You can put up windchimes or brass bells, or hang a series of Chinese lanterns

The Accessories:

Just because you have a small balcony garden does not mean you cannot accessorise.

You can put up windchimes or brass bells, or hang a series of Chinese lanterns across the ceiling of the balcony. A budget option would be to weave a string of fairy lamps in between the pots and over the plants.

Add a water element, like a petite water fountain. Its magical sound will draw you out every evening. Also, spread out garden accessories like a gnome or a frog or even a small sculpture.

Finally, put up some outdoor furniture, depending on the space you have. It will be a perfect perch to watch the stars.