A PRO gardener has shared an easy trick for growing a field full of flowers this summer.
Though it may seem counter-intuitive, it’s a great hack to encourage flowers to bloom, she revealed.
Alexandra Campbell (@themiddledizedgarden) shared her gardening tips in an interview with The U.S. Sun.
The UK-based gardening blogger and YouTuber explained that many novices become too ambitious with their crops.
Instead, she advised beginners to grow the vegetables they’d want to eat.
“Start with the easy vegetables — salads, herbs, potatoes, and zucchini are all quite easy,” she said.
“Get to know a few vegetables well before trying to grow lots of different things.”
Another mistake she sees often is soil negligence. Many people, she explained, are unaware of how much soil is necessary to encourage healthy growth.
“You need to feed your soil by adding an inch to two-inch layer of garden compost, well-rotted manure, or any other organic mulch all over the borders at least once a year,” she added.
“Then you won’t need to use as much fertilizer. Also, you need to know what sort of soil you have so that you can plant plants that thrive.
“Do a soil test or ask a neighbor which plants grow easily in their gardens.”
For flower lovers, a simple hack encourages buds to take full bloom without much work.
“Deadheading is the best way of keeping your garden full of flowers in summer,” she said.
“Once a flower head starts to die, snip it off. Many plants, such as roses, dahlias, and geums, will react by growing more flowers.
“Keep a pair of snips or secateurs by the back door and take them with you on your morning stroll every day.”
Campbell explained that she relies on natural pest control methods to get rid of the increased pests in the summer.
Easy gardening tips to save money, maximize space, and repel pests
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- Banana peels, vinegar, and coffee grounds are often recommended as natural fertilizers.
- Dollar Tree sells four packs of seeds for $1.25.
- Try a vertical planter like Amazon’s Mr. Stacky 5 Tier Stackable Planter, $35 to make more use of a small space.
- Use netting like the Garden Netting Pest Barrier, $8, from Amazon to keep away bugs that eat your vegetables.
- Try sacrificial planting to reduce the use of pesticides and keep pests away from your garden. Deliberately growing certain plants to attract agricultural pests can keep them away from the plants you want to protect. Examples include marigolds, lavender, catnip, and chives.
- For pesky weeds in your garden, the Grampa’s Weeder – The Original Stand-Up Weed Puller Tool with Long Handles, $45, from Amazon is a helpful tool you can use without having to bend over.
“I use very few products. That saves money and makes gardening easier,” she said.
“For example, in May or June, many plants are swamped [with] aphids. Provided you haven’t been using spray pest-killers, the aphids will soon be followed by ladybirds and birds that eat aphids.
“And they really do eat them all up! This approach varies from country to country, so it can depend on what your pests are, but always try to think of a natural way of controlling them (or rather get nature to control them for you) if possible.”
She explained that for pest control, it’s important to be mindful of the harm chemicals may have on sensitive plants.
“I only use organically approved slug pellets, and even then, just when plants are very small and vulnerable,” she said.
“Once they’re bigger, I tolerate a few nibbles. An increasing number of head gardeners at top gardens in the UK now don’t use spray weed-killers or pest-killers of any kind.
“But the one product I always need to buy is well-rotted manure. It’s impossible for any garden to make as much compost as it needs because compost shrinks down so much.”
