How does your garden grow? — Celebrating National Gardening Day

As we approach National Gardening Day on April 14th, it’s the perfect time to dig into the world of gardening, regardless of the space you have. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out, raised beds, indoor and container gardens offer an easy and flexible way to develop your green thumb. Here are some tips on getting started with container gardens.

Raised beds are a fantastic option for would be gardeners who may not have a large amount of acreage to use for their gardens. Raised beds can also make tending to your plants easier on your back. At Ardenwoods we offer numerous raised bed gardens for our resident’s herb, vegetable & flower gardening. But, if you are looking to build your own raised garden beds, here are some tips you may find helpful:

• Choose the right location — Ensure your raised bed gets six to eight hours of sunlight unless you’re planting shade-loving plants.
• Select durable materials — When building raised beds for gardening, use rot-resistant wood like cedar or recycled composite materials. This will help with durability.
• Proper spacing — If you have multiple beds, leave enough space between them for easy access and maintenance.

Container gardening

Container gardening is ideal for those with limited outdoor space or who want to add a touch of greenery to patios, balconies, or indoor spaces. Here’s how to make the most of container gardening:

• Choose the right containers — Ensure your containers have adequate drainage and are large enough to accommodate plants as they grow.  
• Soil matters — Use high-quality potting mix to provide your plants with the nutrients they need to thrive.
• Good neighbors — When choosing plants for your containers, ensure that they will play well together. This means that all the plants in one pot should all require the same amount of light and moisture. Combining plants with different needs could endanger the health of those plants.

Indoor gardening

Growing plants indoors can brighten up your living space and improve air quality. Here are some indoor gardening tips:

• Lighting — Choose a spot that receives plenty of indirect sunlight or supplement sunlight with artificial grow lights.
• Water wisely — Overwatering is a common mistake in indoor gardening. Watering only when the top inch of soil is dry, is a good guideline.  

Gardening can be a fun and fulfilling activity and one that can be adapted to almost any space available. This National Gardening Day, why not try something new? Whether it’s a raised bed, a set of containers, or an indoor herb garden, the possibilities are endless. Happy gardening!