The Garden Made for a Beginner

You may have just begun your gardening journey. I imagine you have already been exploring which plants, flowers, or vegetables you enjoy growing. Here are some of my recommendations to help you get the most out of your growing space.

These days, space can be at a premium when growing. Perhaps you are even growing on a windowsill at home. Your plants will not judge you on whatever your setup looks like; as long as you provide them with the right light and nutrition, they will thrive. The important thing to remember when growing in containers or planters is that your soil will dry out much quicker, so extra watering and feeding may be required. A way to counteract this and save yourself time is by using a high nutritional value compost, I would recommend Dalefoot Compost Double Strength. This will help to continue feeding and enrich your plants over an extended period. When starting out seeds, a simple soil with poor nutrition can be enough for germination ie, coconut coir. Seeds only need light, water and a growing medium to get them started, they do not require nutrition at this stage. Once they further develop and begin producing true leaves its time to consider transitioning them into a potting compost and a larger pot to allow their roots to develop.

The type of container is very important too, using terracotta pots can be very aesthetically pleasing too the eye. However, they are extremely porous and will therefore loose moisture meaning your plants could suffer, especially through the summer months. There are great sustainable alternatives now, Ocean Plastic Pots are a great option to help retain nutrients but also are helping to protect our planet. 

My take home message being, make sure are growing in the correct medium for your plant growth stage, high or low nutritional value. Also, don't kick yourself if your plants are not performing as you expected them too. Review their water levels, consider a different style of pot and don't forget to tell them how much you love them. From personal experience, plants respond well to a few motivational words and a little tender loving care. 

This summer growing on my allotment.