Plant and Gardening Tips
Learning is growing! Here are a list of tips I have learned along the way. They are categorized as Greenhouse, Indoor Plants and Outdoor Plants/Vegetables. As I continue to learn, I will add more.
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Greenhouse Gardening
If you are just starting out, choose the right location where you will get at least 6 hours of sun during your growing season. Consider where you may have shadier areas when trees are in full bloom. If it gets too hot you can use shade cloths.
Consider air ventilation and movement. My greenhouse doesn’t have a built in exhaust/circulation fan, so I rely on windows, leaving the door open, and solar fans.
Monitor the humidity and temperature from your home or phone with a good quality hygrometer.
You can extend your growing season with your greenhouse. Start early or grow later in the Fall with lettuce, radishes, spinach, swiss chard, as they don’t mind cooler temperatures. Other herbs and vegetables I have had great success with include tomatoes, peppers, basil, rosemary, thyme, mint, chives, oregano, parsley, potatoes (in bags), strawberries, and cucumbers. I start my squashes and pumpkins in the greenhouse as seeds in compostable pots and then transplant to the garden later. If you use grow bags, you can always move them outside if it gets too hot.
Add shelving units with adjustable shelves to give you flexibility to adjust as plants grow or require more/less sun.
Increase humidity if needed by adding a container of water.
Water and moisture levels are critical and plants get dry faster in your greenhouse. Consistenly monitor soil moisture.
Soil is foundational to good plant growth. Use quality gardening soil and add organic matter. I like to mix in bone meal before planting.
Companion plant to enhance growth and deter pests.
Stagger plant. To continue to enjoy some of the faster growing vegetables, plant every couple of weeks versus all at once.
Experiment! One of the joys of gardening is trying new things. Sometimes it works brilliantly, other times it doesn’t, but don’t be afraid to try.
Indoor Plants
I love indoor plants, but never thought I had a green enough thumb to keep them alive. My son’s passion for indoor plants rejuvenated my need to try again.
Light is key. Think about where you want to place them in your home, and what the light requirements of your plants are.
Water appropriately based on the type of plant. Avoid overwatering, allowing the soil to dry out between waterings. As I had a tendency to overwater, I go with less is more but maybe more often. Stick your finger in the soil to check the moisture. If you overwater and have your indoor plant in a pot with holes in the bottom, just let it drain out in your sink. Use a good quality fertilizer and follow the plant’s directions for how often to fertilize.
Consider humidity levels required.
If you are just starting out, go for easier to care for varieties.
I have dogs and yes they like to snack on my plants. If you have pets, check whether the plant you love is toxic before you buy, or ensure you are placing it in a spot that is impossible for your pet to reach. Prayer Plants, many Fern varieties, Haworthia, Ponytail Palms, Christmas Cactus, Spider Plants, African Violets, Bromeliad, Money Trees, Friendship Plants, Polka Dot Plant, Venus Flytrap are some of them.
Choose plants that are excellent air purifiers and place around your home.
Some of my favorites: Spider plants (non-toxic, easy to maintain, and you can clip and replant the baby spiders as the propogate); prayer plants; ferns. ZZ plant, Aloe Vera, Snake, and the Peace Lily (but keep these away from pets).
Outdoor Plants and Vegetables
For annuals (die off each year) or perennials (live for more than 2 years), know your hardiness zone.
If you are first starting out with a new perennial bed, plan it out. Before I found the Farmer’s Almanac Garden Planner, I designed my new bed using graphing paper. Think about your sun at different times of the day, consider any trees that may cast more shade when in full bloom. Think about the ultimate size each plant will be (they need at least 2-3 years to get to maturity). Place larger in the back, mid-sized in the middle and smaller or spreading in front. Consider whether you want to have a soil bed and add any annuals each year. Yes you can have color variety with perennials, many bloom, but think about when they bloom so you can have color variety throughout the season. Add perennials that will attract pollinators, butterflies or will deter pests. Think about fall or winter interest. Dogwoods as an example, provide a beautiful red branch in your garden through the winter. Add additional variety through different shades of green, or plant textures. Consider how much maintenance you want.
Use composted, rotten manure that has cured for at least six months to your soil (vegetable or flower garden). Never use pet feces.
Consider using a soil tester so you know what will grow best in your soil.
Consider adding quality landscape fabric and mulch to your perennial beds to reduce the amount of weeding, and maintain more moisture.
Do your research if you have pets who like to munch. Again, mine take a fancy to certain types of annuals, so make sure what you are planting is not toxic. I never knew that many geranium varieties can be toxic, so now I plant them in hanging pots or locations where my dogs can’t get them.
Know your sun requirements for your annuals and your vegetable garden. Most vegetables need at least 6-8 hours of sun. Choose shadier sections for cooler loving spinach, radish and lettuce.
I love planting annual pots because every year is a new opportunity to experiment and get creative! Tips:
Use quality potting soil, I also add a bit of bone meal and all purpose fertilizer granules to my soil before adding anything.
Think of height varieties - some say pick a ‘thriller’, ‘filler’, and spiller’. You don’t always need all of these, make sure you have different heights and play around with larger flowers at the back or in the centre of your pot.
Be inspired with color choices - I love variety and bright so tend to use a lot of different colors, but you can make very pretty monotone pots or stick to the same couple of colors in all of the pots you place. It’s individual!
Don’t be afraid to pick smaller perennials for your pots, but remember they will die off each year if not in the ground.
Decide how much work you want - deadheading is a must so if you wan’t less work choose flowers that don’t need deadheading or are easier. Example: Petunias are beautiful but you need to pinch back and remove every spent blossom at its’ base so it can become a lot of work.
