Time Saving Summer Gardening Techniques
Summer days are hot and long. The sun shines so bright that everything around you whispers outdoors. Most people can attest to the fact that the summer season is their favorite time of the year. You can go bike riding, hiking, go to the beach, host barbecues, have picnics with friends, and do other fun activities. To get out of the Garden and have some fun let’s look at some Time Saving Summer Gardening Techniques.
While at it, why not do something that will give you more than reward hormones? This is the best time to start cultivating since mother nature is on your side. Plants and fruits bloom to their full potential during this time. And before you ask, it’s not just for grandmothers.
Summer Gardening Tips
Growing an orchard doesn’t just mean planting plants and leaving them in the hands of mother nature. The plants need to be nurtured for them to thrive. Below are tips that will help you grow the best summer garden and includes the Time Saving Summer Gardening Techniques.
Be Wise with Water
We advise you not to water your plants during the night because the water and moisture create perfect growing conditions for fungus. Due to this, water your orchard mostly in the morning when it is still cool.
We also advise you to mulch around your plants. Mulching helps the soil retain water so that you will water your plants less.
A rain gauge will help you tell the amount of water you need.
Use Fertilizers
Plants like human beings need nourishment to reach their full potential. Therefore, we advise you to use compost manure or fish emulsion fertilizer every two weeks.
Harvest Frequently
Some plants like beans and zucchini produce more when picked often. If you have bounty give some of the products to your family and friends or the local farm bank.
Prune your Plants
A little haircut for your plants could go a long way. Remove leaves that have yellowed to stop infections from spreading to other parts of the plants. Trimming lightly throughout the summer ensures steady growth.
Shade your Plants
Strong direct sunlight can cause a lot of damage to young plants. We advise you to create shade by either using trees or bamboo plants.
Weed Often
Even in the most tended gardens, weeds are always going to be present. It is therefore advisable to get rid of them early before they become unmanageable.
Time and Cost Saving Gardening Techniques
Your orchard can thrive when you do the above, but I bet you are not all high school or college students who have nothing much to do during summer because they are on holiday. Some of you are mothers, fathers, or just individuals who have office work or house chores so you cannot spend the whole day tending to your orchard. If you have tried it before then you know how overwhelming it can get. That is why we have posted these Time Saving Summer Gardening Techniques.
Below are ways you can save time and effort when gardening.
Weed When the Soil is Moist
Weeds are stubborn, and the best way to completely rid yourself of them is by getting your hands busy. Either that or getting the hands of your spouse busy or bribing your son to do the work for you. However, it is not every day we want to be the “bad guy.”
On those days, I advise you to weed after watering your plants. They give in more when the soil is moist. Make sure you pull from the roots because they will grow back if you do not.
You can also organically kill weeds by using black plastic or carpet at the base of the seedbed. Planting in double rows will reduce the areas you need to weed in between the rows.
Buy Disease-resistant Plants
Some plants are targets for fungal diseases and bugs. Red aphids rampantly attack plant heliopsis, and phlox and hostas are attacked by mildew. Work with plants that are not prone to diseases or pest attacks to reduce headaches. You will save money because you will not have to buy pesticides.
Grow Perennials
These are plants that save time because you only get to show them once and have repeat harvests for months or even years.
These plants are usually low maintenance and save on costs because you won’t have to replant big areas if at all. You should always include them amongst other plants. You can plant rhubarbs, asparagus, artichokes, Daubenton kales, perennial onions, and garlic. Artichokes also break wind for plants, but I wouldn’t say the same for human beings.
Easy Watering
Watering plants with a jar every day is not an easy task. Therefore, group plants with the same water need together. This is called hydro zoning. Not having to adjust pressure and drag the horse everywhere saves time. This will ease your work when you want to set up an elaborate irrigation system.
We came up with a Watering Rocks Portable Automatic Irrigation System kit that has ensured watering takes more care of itself. We also came up with Hanging Basket Watering kits that also save time watering plants.
You can save time watering by using mulches. Mulching reduces the amount of water that evaporates from the soil meaning more water is retained, and therefore, you do not have to water plants as often.
You can also grow fruits and vegetables like tomatoes that do well in the summer so you will not have to overwater them.
Practice Mulching Instead of Digging
Not only is digging tedious and time-wasting, but it also speeds up the soil’s rate to lose nutrients. Digging also brings weed seeds that did not germinate to the surface of the soil. These seeds then, with a little water, get sunlight and grow. This wastes your time and money because you will have to get rid of them. It also reduces the soil’s ability to retain moisture and drain suitably by severing the composition of the soil.
On the other hand, Mulching releases nutrients to the soil, which contributes to faster growth of the plants translating to less input from you. Mulches also contribute to a better soil structure and ecosystem. It saves more time because it controls weeds. You can use organic materials like wood chips, compost, and dry grass as mulch. We advise you to choose more no-dig and no-till techniques if you don’t want to get sunburned this next summer.
Mass Planting
The more, the merrier, right? We advise you to plant the same variety of plants in big numbers and not the other way around. This reduces the number of tasks you will have to perform to maintain the plants hence saving time. It also reduces the number number of tools you need since you will be repeating the same work to many plants. This saves on costs because you will not have to buy many tools.
Do Not Buy Self-sowing Seeds
It is not easy to tell which plants are overly generous with their seeds, not that there is anything wrong with generosity. Believe us when we say we are advocating for generosity. But for plants, it means that you are going to be working overtime trying to maintaining plants that you did not want in the first place. And no, we know you do not hate plants, but you wouldn’t want them growing all over your lawn. So before purchasing plants, make sure you do enough research.
You must be creative with your time and energy for you to be a successful gardener. That way, you get to enjoy nurturing plants because if not, you will be overwhelmed. Let us grow our food this summer, shall we?
We hope you have enjoyed this article. Visit our website at www.watering-rocks for more informative articles and a Free Book offer, ” 101 Ways to Save on Water in Your Landscape”.
