Gardening Tips

Many homeowners are interested in gardening, but don't know where to start or what to include in their allotted space. We talked to one of our clients about his favorite things to grow and some of his best tips. Here are the top four things he considers when creating his garden:

1. Location
Location is key in gardening. Our client suggested a few questions to consider when choosing your garden space. Where is the majority of the sun in your yard? What kind of plants are surrounding the area? Will these plants interfere with sunlight, pollination, or growth? Consider where you live. Living in New Mexico, he knows he can't grow exotic fruits, because we don't have the water supply to support them.

2. Type
What kind of plants do you want to grow? Jim knows that he specifically wants to grow produce that is useful in the kitchen, particularly for salsa-so he grows peppers, tomatoes, garlic, etc.

3. Watering 
Watering is obviously a necessity in your garden. Jim made this necessity easy by creating a drip system for his garden. His drip system runs on a timer so his plants are automatically watered.

4. Set Up
Jim uses boxes in his garden. In boxes the soil heats up quicker, allowing you to plant earlier. Boxes also make it easier to pick your produce, because the plants are elevated. Jim builds 10' x 8' x 2' wooden boxes with weed retardant paper on top (as seen in the picture).

✭A tip for late summer growing:

Tomatoes are going crazy in late summer. Harvest those beauties and create a flavorful, fresh garden salsa or marinara sauce. Or eat them straight off the plant. Fresh tomatoes from the garden are unbeatable.

✭Save money: Buy a basil plant (Trader Joes has a great selection) and cut the plant in half. Propagate half in water and voila, now you have double the amount of basil for the price of one!

Gardening can be rewarding and resourceful, all it takes is a few tips and tricks and getting started. Then, you will surely be enjoying the fruits of your labor in no time.