How many of you are expert gardeners? I love to garden in the summer but I just do not have a green thumb. I do not plant vegetables. I stick mainly to plants. That I try to grow from the little seed packets. Does anyone have any pointers for me? How can I become a better gardener?
I am not an expert.. but I can tell you a few things from my experience. If by plants you mean indoor plants or flowering plants then start with plants that are easy to grow. Philodendrons, pothos, ivy etc. grow and thrive even with neglect. Another one of my favorites is the jade plant.. it is so easy to care for and there is nothing much you can do wrong if you water it only when the soil is dry. Over watering could kill any plant though. If you grow plants from seeds grow them in paper pots to avoid transplant shock later. Don't give up.. experiment could fail.. but learning from your mistakes is very important. Grow your herbs from kitchen wastes. Stems of mint, thyme, rosemary, basil can all be planted and grow to give you fresh herbs. keep them in a place where they get a few hours of sun everyday. Mist them everyday. Water if you see the leaves wilting. You will keep your herbs happy.
I wish I had a green thumb my mom and aunt do I can give them a complete dead plant and they can bring it back to life within a week it's amazing wish I could but i'm bad at it lol
Read! Look up articles online, check out library books, collect as much information as you can. If you are successful with one kind of plant and not another, it may be that you are just not attentive enough to the needs of the unsuccessful one. Some plants are attractive and appealing, but if we don't have the time or the means to cater to their needs, they won't thrive. You just have to stick to what you can comfortably handle.
That is right, gardening does really helps. It's good also that there are sites, forums and blogs online that educates in gardening.
This year I have decided to at least try and be a green thumb! I have purchased a lot of seeds and pots and I am going to try and grow some veggies and herbs! So far I have Planted: Herbs: Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, Parsley Veggies: Pumpkin, Cucumber, Tomato, Pepper, Carrot, Chillies. (I am sure most of these "veggies" are classed as fruits) I plan on planting potatoes later, Potatoes are so easy to grow and it makes you feel like you have achieved something when you turn one potato into ten!
I'm not an expert but I do enjoy getting out in the garden and messing about. I've just installed lights out there and installed sockets in my shed so I can sit out there at night in the summer and play music.
I am by no means an expert but have been gardening for more years than I care to admit to. I think the best advice I can give you is to try and plan ahead. I spend time during the winter months planning. This gives you time to learn about the plants you are wanting to grow and what their needs are. I also try to add one or two new plants to my plans every year. If you do plant something and it fails to grow, try to find out why it did. I have learned a lot of valuable lessons from the failures.
The best advice I could give is, soak your seeds before you plant them. They swell and give your plant a head start. Also covering your pots with plastic to keep the plant moist, this can be helpful. Only water your plant when the soil feels dry to your touch.
I can plant, but i can't consider myself to have a green thumb. I just plan the normal, I have a small garden and most of my plants are flowers. I think it depends of what kind of plant you want to grow. There are plants that are better under direct sunlight, some doesn't require to be watered a lot.
I would look into what direction you want to go with -if you want to add beauty to your place, by planting some beautiful flowers- or want to grow some homegrown vegetables to save on your grocery bills. You could start with some easy ones like lettuce in some pots and then you could harvest some of the leaves in about a month,but let the plant keep growing. Also you could try growing some cherry tomatoes in a pot, but make sure you put them in a sunny spot- some homegrown tomatoes are really a great thing to grow for salads and sandwiches. Also you could order seed catalogs online for free-and they have a lot of info in these catalogs as well-even if you do not buy anything, but they usually give you so much off your first order.