Gardening is more than a low-cost hobby. It gives you a chance to develop useful life skills, and can also assist you in transforming your home into a restorative place for your mental health. This is because “Seeing and being around plants help us feel more calm and relaxed, thus decreasing levels of anxiety.” Furthermore, when you become an expert green thumb, you can create stunning floral arrangements for your friends and loved ones!
Photo by Robin Wersich on Unsplash
With that in mind, here are some top tips that you can use to improve your gardening skills this year.
- Remember that gardening can be a year-round hobby. Gardening doesn’t have to be a seasonal hobby, it’s something that you can participate in year-round. For example, you could make your garden more than a spring fling by growing plants that thrive in different weather conditions, as opposed to only making an appearance when the sun is shining. Alternatively, investing in Greenhouses means that you can grow flowers and plants all year, without having to worry about adverse weather conditions undoing your hard work.
- Factor gardening into your budget. As gardening as a whole is a relatively low-cost endeavor, there are plenty of ways to garden on a budget. After all, the only thing you really need to pay for is a few tools (which could be bought secondhand) alongside seeds and sapling. If you want to learn how to plant something new, you can always follow free tutorials or guides online.
- Show your furniture some love. If you want to truly upgrade your garden this summer, you should also make sure that you show some love to the areas of your garden outside of its greenery, such as your furniture. For example, painted wooden furniture can quickly lose its luster during bad weather, causing it to fade or splinter. Luckily, this can easily be remedied with a fresh coat of paint and some varnish.
- Grow your own fruits and vegetables. Growing your own fruits and vegetables is a great way to cut down on your grocery budget, as you no longer have to spend money at overpriced chain stores. This is also a great way to improve your diet, as fresh fruit and vegetables can get notoriously expensive.
- Ensure your garden can be enjoyed day and night. While you’ll likely make the most of your garden during daylight hours, carrying out basic maintenance will give you the chance to enjoy the garden at any time, even late into the evening. For example, you could hang fairy lights along your porch, patio, or fence to create a romantic, evening atmosphere. Alternatively, you could build your own low-cost fire pit, providing you with enough warmth to keep the party going all night long. Fire pits are always crowd-pleasers, but they could come in handy if you were planning on hosting a dinner party or inviting friends and family around throughout the year. They also make for a great photo opportunity, and give you a chance to indulge in hundreds of smores!
