Green-up Your Home and Garden


Growing a home garden has a variety of benefits. Not only can you grow fruits and vegetables that are part of a healthy diet, but you can experience the satisfaction of coaxing these nutritious foods to grow from the earth. Even if you've never grown anything before, you can have a successful garden if you are ready to spend a little time and put forth some effort. You'll learn along the way as your garden grows. Explore other facets of gardening, including composting and landscaping other areas of your yard, as well. You can even tackle home improvement projects in the yard in connection with gardening and landscaping. Building a raised garden bed or building a patio or deck are just a couple of ideas for rewarding home improvement projects.

Composting is the process of recycling organic materials to make rich compost, which you can use to amend your soil. To make compost, you collect organic materials and wait while the natural decomposition process occurs. To make the most nutrient-dense compost, you will need a combination of brown and green organic materials. The brown materials are usually fallen leaves, while the green materials can be grass clippings and food scraps such as coffee grounds and egg shells. By keeping the materials damp and stirring them periodically, you could have compost ready to spread on your garden in about three months; however, sometimes, it takes longer, depending on the time of year and the materials you add to your pile. Once your compost is decomposed, you're ready to spread it over your soil. You can add it to your vegetable garden and your flower beds, working it into the soil gently. You can also add compost around trees and shrubs to enrich the soil. By continually adding organic materials to a compost bin, you can have compost whenever you need it.


Gardening can be an extensive backyard project, or you can grow just a few tomato or pepper plants. Starting with rich soil will be important, and many gardeners incorporate their own compost into their beds to ensure that the soil contains a wealth of nutrients. When planning a garden, choose the vegetables that your family will enjoy and that will grow readily in your geographic location. For example, growing tomatoes usually requires at least 65 to 70 days of growing time until the plants produce ripe fruit, so your growing season between the final spring frost and the first autumn frost will need to be long enough to allow the plants to fully grow. If you don't have sufficient yard space, you can also grow plants in containers, setting them on a porch or patio in the sun. Make sure the containers are deep enough to accommodate the root systems of the plants, and keep the soil evenly moist to ensure successful results.


Whether you are gardening and making compost or engaging in different home improvement projects, a number of resources are available to you. Explore websites to learn about specific hobbies and projects. Join a local club to learn from others in your area. Visit the library to read books about your subject. You could even take a class to learn more about gardening or other specific home projects.