Posted on 11/04/2023 6:43:40 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
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25 Gardening Tips Every Gardener Should Know
When you’re just starting out with gardening, it can seem like there’s so much to know, and you’ve got a thousand questions. How should you plant your veggies, and what kind of soil is best? When should you prune your hydrangeas and divide your hostas? Is everything getting enough sunlight and water? The good news is that nature is a terrific teacher. The more you garden, the more you’ll learn about what works and what doesn’t. But for now, use this list of basic gardening tips to find the answers to some of the most common questions beginners have. And don’t forget to have fun while growing your own food and beautiful flowers in your yard!
1. Know your USDA Hardiness Zone. Use it as a guide to avoid planting trees, shrubs, and perennials that won’t survive winters in your area. You’ll also get a better idea of when to expect your last frost date in spring, so you know when you can plant vegetables, fruits, and annuals outside in your area.
2. Not sure when to prune? Prune spring-flowering shrubs, such as lilacs, immediately after the blooms fade. They set their flower buds in autumn on last year’s growth. If you prune them in fall or winter, you remove next spring’s flower buds.
3. Apply only composted, rotted manure that has cured for at least six months to your soil. Fresh manure is too high in nitrogen and can “burn” plants; it may also contain pathogens or parasites. Manure from pigs, dogs, and cats should never be used in gardens or compost piles because they may contain parasites that can infect humans.
4. Perennials generally need three years to achieve their mature size after you plant them. Remember the adage that they “sleep, creep, and leap” each year, respectively.
5. Learn how long your growing season is (the time between your last frost in spring and first frost in fall), so you can start some plants inside or avoid growing them.
6.Deadheading is a good practice for perennials and annuals. Because the goal of annual plants is to flower, set seed, and die, when you remove the old blooms, it tells annual plants to produce more flowers. Removing spent flowers also encourages plants to use their energy to grow stronger leaves and roots instead of seed production. Avoid deadheading plants grown primarily for decorative fruits or pods, such as money plants (Lunaria).
7. Pay close attention to how much light different plants need. Grow vegetables in a location that gets at least 8 hours of direct sunlight every day. Most vegetables need full sun to produce the best harvest. Try growing cool-season crops such as lettuce, spinach, radishes, and cabbage if you have some shade.
8. The best approaches to controlling weeds in the garden are hand-weeding and hoeing. Avoid deep hoeing or cultivating that can bring weed seeds to the soil’s surface so they germinate. Weed early and often to prevent weeds from going to seed. Use mulch to smother and prevent annual weeds.
9. Hostas don’t need to be divided unless you want to rejuvenate an old plant or increase the numbers you have or simply prefer the look of single plants. The best times to divide your hostas are in the spring as the new shoots appear and before the leaves unfurl, or in the fall at least four weeks before your soil freezes solid.
10. Not all hydrangeas grow in the shade. Panicle hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata) need sun for the best flowering. Some top panicle varieties include ‘Limelight,’ Little Lime, Vanilla Strawberry, and Bombshell.
11. Don’t clean up everything in your garden in the fall. Leave ornamental grasses for beauty and the seed heads of perennials such as coneflowers to feed the birds. Avoid cutting back marginally hardy perennials, such as garden mums, to increase their chances of surviving a harsh winter.
More tips at link!
https://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/garden-care/gardening-tips-for-every-gardener/
Brought my 3 blueberry plants in containers into the house before our recent cold spell (Okla., Zone 7). So far, they’re doing well. To me, that’s a big deal. Neanderthals like me aren’t supposed to be able to keep plants alive, especially over thew inter. However, this deal just may work out. Keeping fingers crossed.
Everyone says blueberries take forever to produce any berries, and I can attest to that. This is the 3rd year I’ve had them, but at least THIS year, they put forth some decent leaves. So maybe one of these days, I can harvest my own, rather than pay way too much at the grocery store. :-)
Good to know because I'm watching some of the bushes I planted a couple years ago and they just look like they are languishing.
Funny thing is, I was at Wal-Mart a few months ago and they had plants greatly reduced. I picked up a neglected, orphaned rhododendron that looked like it was not long for this world and planted it. I have never had a perennial I bought, even from high end plant sources, that has done as well as that bush.
I constantly get a laugh out of how my Wal-Mart rhododendron is outperforming everything else I bought.
We've had our first few hard freezes here and now it's time to clean up all the freeze killed vegetation and get ready for next spring.
I don’t know where you live but blueberries can take the freeze. They do here in New England all the time.
As a matter of fact, some plants that are native to the north need a prolonged cold spell to grow properly, like set flowers or even for seeds to sprout the next spring. Blueberries may be in that category but I am not sure.
bkmk
I have a friend in CT that has 6 blueberry bushes that came with the house when she and her husband bought it. Those berries are the BEST blueberries I’ve eaten since I was a kid in Florida. I’m not sure what variety they are, but I think it’s pretty cool. She just freezes what she can’t eat right away. Good luck with yours!
Great Gif! Hot cup of morning coffee in a warm house looking outside at fall happening!
Good Morning! :-)
The only problem he ever encountered with them was mockingbirds.
They LOVE blueberries. So much so that they would perch of the next door neighbor's fence -
watching and waiting for the berries to get ripe.
It went something like this -
"YES! Over a dozen berries are just about ripe! I'll pick them tomorrow!"
And the next day they would be all GONE!
.
I wish you the best of luck!
They are very well worth growing. Mmmmmm....
.
NOTE: Do you have a quick, energetic cat?
If not - get one.
.
“I constantly get a laugh out of how my Wal-Mart rhododendron is outperforming everything else I bought.”
When I worked for Jung’s and when we had nursery trees and shrubs that were marked down, they usually ended up at my farm.
Those plants seem to have a stronger will to live and were grateful just to be out of a pot and in the ground! :)
Good morning...I have bought a lot of (annual & perennial) plants from Walmart...most do fine, even if they are “rescues”...altho this year some of the fall chrysanthemums were lousy (died quickly)
The best advice I ever received is to walk around your neighborhood to see what is growing, blooming and thriving.
I see plenty of plants for sale at my local nursery that I know do not do well in the hot sun and winds we get here.
Cleared the gardens and planted our garlic Wednesday.
This weekend digging up our potatoes, then all the gardens get a good dose of horse manure and covered with ground leaves for the winter. Sigh....
LOL, loved the story about the mockingbirds! :-)
Many thanks to all of you for the tips and info. Here in OK, it seems like our weather is either EXTREMELY hot, or EXTREMELY cold. Not very much snow insulation, just a ton of ice from time to time. Maybe that’s why people here sometimes have a hard time growing blueberries. Almost lost them year-before-last due to the ice & bitterness of the cold.
No cats in my domicile, but if the mockingbirds get pushy, I’ll find a way to rig up some ty pe of screen or netting to thwart their plans . . . Heh. :-)
I do have another rhododendron that I can’t remember where I bought it but it is not doing nearly as well.
I fed it a couple times this year already. I should go check for flower buds.
I bought a Walmart orchid, just a white phalaenopsis in the spring just after Easter. I was looking for a few particular garden veggie plants and saw about 30 dried up spent orchids. I looked through all of them to see what could come back. Found one with a few flowers left and two promising stalks. It did recover and this spring put out two regenerated stalks and the flowers are huge they have lasted for 4 months already. Paid 4.00 for the orchid. I also scored 4 huge blue hyacinth bulbs for 1.00 each a couple of weeks ago. Put them in a pot to force for spring. Haven’t done that for awhile. Bulbs all half price.
My friend in CT has hers enclosed with chicken wire or something like that. It has a gate that latches, too. The holes are small enough to deter most of the larger birds, and the deer can only get in if they have a running start. The bunnies don’t have a chance. She gets a good harvest every year. Boy, are those berries ever tasty!
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