This week, I wanted to start an entirely new series on the website. We all know what gardens are (obviously) and many of us may even have some of our own. However, some of you may not have even considered having a garden, and this series is for you. I wanted to take the time to discuss in depth the logistics and strategies for creating, managing and owning a successful garden. Over this past summer, I took the time to start a garden of my own from scratch, and I wanted to use the knowledge I gained from that experience to write a guide for those who may be thinking about starting a garden in their own homes or communities. But before we get into the actual series, there are a few things I need to mention first:
What specifically is this series going to be about?
Well, first and foremost, it's going to be about anything related to gardens. What plants to grow, how to start them, how to maintain them. Anything you can think of that relates to a garden I hope to talk about. I also hope to have this series serve as an inspiration to those who have never thought of starting their own gardens, because they really do give some major benefits to those who put in the time to make it work.
I also hope to incorporate some stories from my own experience of starting a garden. They have their ups and downs, and sharing my experience might help others manage them better. As I mentioned, I just started one this summer, and so far it has been successful. Of course, I have made my fair share of mistakes as well, so I hope we will all be able to learn from both them and the successes.
The information conundrum
When first starting a garden, finding the right information can be difficult. The internet is filled with helpful tips and tricks to make gardens successful, but not all of them are easily understandable. In some cases, tips can even conflict, resulting in a lot of confusion. In my experience, I had a lot of trouble finding what I needed to. So, another one of my goals in this series is to make information that a gardener needs as accurate and understandable as it can be.
So now that we know where I'm planning to go with this series, let's start talking a bit about gardens.
Is starting a garden hard?
The usual response I get whenever I ask someone about starting a garden is "It's too hard." or "I don't have the time." In my experience, both of these statements aren't necessarily true. Depending on which type of garden you start, they can actually be really easy to maintain, and only take about 10 minutes of dedication per day. I think we can all agree that spending 10 minutes outside each day wouldn't be too tough to do. In my case, I only had to spend 5 minutes!
Of course, the whole experience isn't a walk in the park. Building and maintaining gardens can require a bit of elbow grease, so don't expect it to be that easy all the way through. Sometimes it requires research to diagnose a problem one of your plants is having, or a bit of menial work pulling weeds out of the soil.
The complexity of gardening
Gardening is a complex as you want to make it. In my case, I spent a lot of time researching the in's and out's of plant structure, soil composure, and anything else that went into my garden. I found proper nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium levels, and made sure my soil had all of them. I added natural nitrogen supplements to my water every week to make sure my plants had enough nutrients.
Obviously, this is not required to start a garden, and looking back I think I went a bit overboard. I know many people who started a garden just by planting in their backyard soil, and many of them were as if not more successful than mine. Gardening is more art then science, and every single garden is different.
Is gardening "fun"?
Another response I get when talking about starting a garden is "its boring." And sure, everyone has their own preferences for activity, I can't argue that. However, I will also say that, like complexity, gardening is as interesting and fun as you want it to be. If you just go outside and water it every day and that's it, then it may not be particularly fun or enjoyable.
However, if you take the time to do it right and become invested in what you're creating, it can actually be really fun and fulfilling. Speaking from experience, seeing something that you have been working on for months finally pull through is really gratifying. Gardening can also be very educational; even though I've only been doing it for a few months, I've already learned a lot.
And even if you don't want to get completely invested in it, it's still a nice opportunity to get outside and appreciate the environment. Just spending 10 or 15 minutes outside really helps to improve my mood, and the same goes for others that I have talked to. Some even treat it as a meditative process.
Conclusion
So, whether you've ever thought of starting a garden or not, I highly encourage anyone to try it out for themselves. It's a lot of fun, and it ends with a multitude of tasty, gratifying meals. And, if you decide you do want to try it, stick around, as I'm going to try and make these future posts in the series as helpful as they can be. I'm hoping to post these garden guides every other week, starting next week by talking about some of the possible benefits having a garden provides. Anyway, that's it for this week. Thanks for reading.
All credit for images used in this post goes to:
http://balconygardenweb.com/productive-vegetable-gardening-tips-for-beginners/
http://balconygardenweb.com/how-to-make-an-urban-vegetable-garden-city-vegetable-garden/
http://www.bhg.com/gardening/vegetable/vegetables/
https://boktowergardens.org/calendar/vegetable-and-herb-gardening-for-central-florida/
http://dogtrainingblogger.com/conflicting-information-from-dog-trainers.html
https://www.potterybarn.com/products/pocketwatch-clock/
http://safesportsfields.cals.cornell.edu/book/export/html/72
https://www.singhealth.com.sg/TomorrowsMed/Article/Pages/IsMedicinemoreofanartthanscience.aspx
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.perfectcorp.ycf
https://www.ncforum.org/education-matters/
https://en.fotolia.com/tag/%22that%27s%20all%20folks%22
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