Monday, October 17, 2011

Small Garden Spaces and Helpful Suggestions

By Kathrine Odelleo


Contemporary lifestyle implies a small house surrounded by a small garden so the only way in which a gardening enthusiast can pursue his hobby is by utilizing his creative capacity to the maximum. Since space is a major constraint in a small garden, it is best to select plants which are short in stature but uncompromising in terms of quality and flavor of outcome.

You can consider planting vegetables like beetroot, bush beans, broccoli, lettuce, radish, carrots, etc because these are small but if you want them to be even smaller then you can look for certain kinds of dwarfed plants that are just perfect for small gardens. If space is of the essence for you then growing fruits like dwarf apples, blueberries or strawberries would be just perfect.

It does not matter whether you have a big garden or a small one because one thing is required for sure and that is sunlight. You should allow the plants to get at least six hours of sunlight each day, so make sure you position them properly so that the plants that require sunlight can bask under the sun while the ones that do not rely so much on the sun can stay in the shade.

If there is not enough space in the yard for an actual garden then you could have a container garden. It is important that these gardens have the proper soil, nutrients, and proper drainage of any water. When planting the variety of plants in the containers it is best to use a potting mixture along with water.

While planning the layout, plants that will grow tall need to be placed to the north while your shrubs will be in the south of the yard. Some gardens are really nice when planted in a raised bed. A trellis could be put in place so the berries could climb right up it and not spread out all over the garden. The nice thing about the trellis is it can hold as many as 75 berry plants at once.

For keeping your garden and plants looking fresh make sure to water the garden daily. If the containers get too dry then there is the risk that your plants will wilt and then die off. A planter that is self watering can come in handy for keeping the plants with just the right amount of water at all times and particularly during long absences.

When plants are grown in a container they will not get the required fertilizer so it will be necessary for you to add some periodically. To keep the pests, weeds, and bugs away while giving the plants a boost just sprinkle organic fertilizers over the soil. At the same time there is no reason to be excessive with the fertilization.

Since the space is tight you will not want the plants to spread all over the garden. Instead install some trellises or stakes to encourage your plants to grow straight up instead of wide. These can even be used in your containers and can be fastened securely to the containers so they do not fall down or get blown away.




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