Three Important Gardening Tips

Summer is here and that means lawn and garden season is in full swing!

For many, gardening is a fun and productive hobby, but to get the most out of what you’re growing, there are some important things to be aware of beyond the essentials like sunlight and water.

Here are three key tips to help your garden thrive.

Understand Your Growing Season

Weather in the Midwest can be unpredictable, especially in the spring and fall. It’s important to know the length of your growing season – depending on what you’re trying to grow of course. Generally, this is the time between the last frost of spring and the first frost in autumn. When you have a good idea of this range, you can start growing plants indoors to get a head start, or switch to something different altogether. Even if you plant the same things in your garden every year, knowing the start and end to the season is always valuable.

Notice the Light

Different plans need different amounts of light. For vegetables, it’s a good idea to plant them in a spot that gets around 8 hours of direct sunlight every day. As a rule of thumb, the more sunlight vegetables get, the better the harvest will be.

Some “cool season” vegetables thrive in partial shade though. So, if indirect sunlight is prevalent, then planting vegetables like radishes, cabbage, spinach and lettuce is a great idea.

Watch Those Weeds!

Nobody likes weeds, do they? Let’s be honest. They are ugly, annoying, and their roots can even steal key nutrients from the plants you need to grow. But before you go yanking the intrusive vegetation up without a plan, it’s important to remember that the best methods for weeding are hoeing or hand-weeding. Although it’s tempting, avoid deep hoeing or spraying pesticides after you’ve planted your garden. Use weed screens where you can, and mulch in other areas to prevent annual weeds from popping up where you don’t want them.

These are just a few basic tips to help keep your garden plants healthy and vibrant all summer. For more great gardening tips, visit our website or call us at 815-288-7841.

Ace Hardware & Outdoor Center

900 N Galena Ave

Dixon, IL 61021