Planting a Garden in Your Yard: Tips For A Successful Yard Makeover

Author: Bart Thompson

Home gardens are a great way to reconnect with nature and be more self-sufficient. If you’re already thinking about adding a new landscape feature to your yard, consider planting a garden in the spring or summer. This can help you get started on your project with minimal work, and it will give you something fun to watch grow come fall.

This guide will help you pick out plants for your garden, how to prepare the soil, how often to water, what pests and diseases might affect your garden, when to plant, and more. With this information, you'll be well on your way to having a successful yard makeover. Buy Plants UK Online

Why a garden is for you

Gardens are an excellent way to reconnect with nature and be more self-sufficient. If you’re already thinking about adding a new landscape feature to your yard, consider planting a garden in the spring or summer. This can help you get started on your project with minimal work, and it will give you something fun to watch grow come fall.

You'll enjoy the fresh air, beautiful flowers, and abundant plants that make up a garden. You'll feel even better knowing that you're helping to feed yourself and your family while being more eco-friendly at the same time! It's also a great way to get into gardening without spending too much money. With this guide, you'll pick out plants for your garden, how to prepare the soil, how often to water, what pests and diseases might affect your garden, when to plant, and more!

Choosing the right plants for your garden

Choosing the right plants for your garden is a big step in getting your yard makeover off to a successful start. There are a variety of factors that you need to consider when choosing plants, including how much sun they will need and what other plants they will be grown with.

You may also want to consider native plants that are adapted to your climate, which can provide additional benefits such as pollination and wildlife habitat.

Once you’ve decided on the type of planting site you’d like, it’s time to choose the right plants. You can use this guide with our plant selector tool to help you find just the right plant for your yard.

Preparing the soil

If you’re planning to plant a garden in your yard, you’ll need to prepare the soil first. You can do this by digging up the existing soil and adding organic compost and peat moss. Compost will help increase drainage and improve the soil's texture; it will also add nitrogen to the soil, which is crucial for plant growth. Peat moss improves drainage, adds nutrients, and helps retain moisture.

Peat moss is a form of sphagnum moss that comes from peat bogs. It can be found in bags at home improvement stores or online retailers like Amazon. If you're planting a vegetable garden, it's usually better to use mostly decomposed compost because vegetables will use more nitrogen than other plants like flowers do.

How often to water your plants

The first step to watering your plants is to consider how often you should water them. You’ll need to know their water needs in order to determine when they need a drink. Some plants, like cacti and succulents, are relatively drought-tolerant.

When you first plant them, give them some time to adjust to their new surroundings before you start watering them. Succulents require less water than other types of plants because they store it for later use in the form of their leaves. Cacti can be watered every three weeks or so if needed, but then should stay dry for about two weeks before being watered again. Hardy annuals will need watering about once a week or so during the growing season and then should be allowed to dry out completely between waterings. The rest of the plants will need more frequent watering as they grow and develop root systems throughout the soil.

Pest and disease prevention

One of the most important things you can do for your garden is to prevent pests and diseases. Make sure to use organic pesticides and fertilizers, veggie scraps, and compost. You should also make sure that you water your garden on a regular basis.

Pest control comes in many forms, including physical barriers like fencing, netting, and scarecrows. These can help keep out predators like deer, rabbits, birds of prey or even raccoons. To protect against disease-causing organisms like fungus gnats or powdery mildew, try planting plants with naturally resistant foliage or using chemical sprays as needed.

Planting season and when to plant

Planting season is dependent on the climate where you live. In general, the planting season in the United States starts in late spring and lasts through early summer. The best time to plant a garden is when nighttime temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. For example, if your nighttime temperature is 60 degrees F, it’s probably not a good idea to plant that day because it will be too hot for the plants.

If you want to plant a garden this year, you should start in early spring or late summer before the weather gets too hot. If you're not sure what time of year is best for your location, check out this post on gardening by region in North America and other countries.

pH, seeds, and fertilizer

Most plants need soil with a specific pH level to grow. If you’re unsure of the pH level in your yard, you can purchase a testing kit for about $10-$15.

You should also know what type of soil you have so that you can pick out the right seeds to plant. Some plants prefer sandy soil while others like clay or compost. Additionally, fertilizer is essential to help plants thrive and get the most nutrients they need.

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