Welcome back everyone!
One thing I'm sure we can all agree on is that a healthy company is lead by healthy people. Right? And a healthy person starts their lifestyle with their food, and how it is made. We've always believed in gardening and growing your own food, that way there is no middle man that can 1. charge you for easy to grow vegetables and fruits and 2. put in chemicals that shouldn't be there.
Today I thought I would share some gardening tips that help you to have the best produce out there to feed you and your family. My family has been gardening for years so we've definitely had some wins and losses (RIP lettuce), so here are my best tips!
1. First thing first- be careful and don't over rototill. Yes it can help improve your soil when done right, but if you do it too much it can actually take out the air that is in the soil which can suffocate the seeds.
*To add extra goodness into the soil, in the fall leaves and other organic matter can be added to improve it. Just leave it on top of the soil for a couple of weeks and then rototill it in.
2. Speaking of rototilling, make sure that the soil isn't too wet or too dry before you till it- wait until it just starts to crumble and not form a ball anymore. Brining it up too early or too late will damage your soil structure.
3. Always water before you go to bed. Not only does it cool down the plants after a long day of being in the sun (the leaves can physically burn if it is too hot out), but the water has time over night to properly soak deep into the soil. The sun can dry it up too quickly so the coolness of the night helps it thrive.
4. Check on it daily- I know this goes without saying but I have been guilty of leaving a garden for a couple days because of rain, only to find it over run with weeds. Keeping your garden somewhere where you can see it easily helps as well. Remember the saying "Out of sight, out of mind?" It 100% applies to gardens.
5. See where the sun hits on your garden all day- most vegetables and fruits need at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight to germinate. Lettuce, cabbage, spinach, and radishes love the shade, so if you have a more shady area you can stick those in that area.
6. Learn the average frost dates of your area- planting too early or too late can really harm your produce.
7. After your seeds are planted- no more rototilling! You don't want to accidentally pull up the roots even if you think you are far enough away, just stick to hand pulling or hoeing the garden.
8. This tip isn't so much for your garden but for convenience of getting your supplies. Go to your local nursery when it is raining- less crowds so you can make your shopping quicker and more efficient!
9. Add fresh mulch to your gardens every year. A 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch keeps weeds from sprouting and helps the soil retain water, so you’ll be weeding and watering less often.
and last but not least...
10. Always always check what fruits and veggies are most native to your area to help the chances of not only your garden thriving, but also your pride for yourself/your garden.
Those are my gardening tips now go and let your garden thrive away! If you have anymore please drop a comment on here, facebook, or instagram so that others (and myself) can change our ways.
Until next time, have a great week!
Xoxo,
Callista