6 tips and tricks for easy gardening

Lifestyle Sunday 15/July/2018 17:44 PM
By: Times News Service
6 tips and tricks for easy gardening

For those who have a sprawling garden or even if a tiny one in the backyard of their homes, it is important to give some of these labour-saving gardening tips a try to have more time for some favourite summer activities.
1. Get organised
Nothing wastes time like having to search around for misplaced trowels, seed packets and garden rakes. It's worth the time and effort to create a zone in your garage or shed that's just for gardening and yard care tools. Use organising tools like pegboards and repurposed containers to keep like items grouped together. A photo album is perfect for keeping seed packets and plant care sticks organised for future use.
2. Harness perennial power
Instead of planting a new set of annual flowers and plants in the ground each spring, opt for more perennials. These hardy plants will leap back to life without needing much attention. Talk to the local nursery to discover the beautiful blooms that thrive and renew in your region.
3. Lighten your container pots
Larger container pots add colour and dimension to any yard or patio. Trouble is, they can get heavy and hard to move. Before planting, fill the bottom half of the empty container with packing peanuts. Then, fit a piece of landscaping fabric on top. This lets the water drain through, but still barricades soil. Fill the rest of the container with soil, add the plants, and, voila! Your containers are now several pounds lighter and much easier to move.
4. Automate your watering
Watering your lawn and garden is not only physically taxing, it's easy to forget. Between over-watering and under-watering, it can also be tough to get just right. Luckily, there's a new generation of irrigation tools that let you customise and automate your watering schedule for the entire yard with a smartphone app.
5. Use "instant" lawn fertilizer
Emptying the grass catcher wastes precious time when mowing the lawn. Save yourself some labour and simply let grass clippings fall right onto the turf. They break down relatively quickly, providing the perfect food for your lawn.
6. Win the war on weeds
If unwanted weeds start surfacing in garden beds, try this easy, chemical-free fix. Start by placing newspaper and cardboard on top of the soil, leaving a little space around the stems of the garden plants. Then, cover the entire surface with a layer of mulch. This barrier blocks weeds from emerging at the surface and lets you cross that chore off your list for the rest of the season.