How to Decrease Garden Maintenance
Gardening is meant to be fun, but sometimes work gets in the way. You can decrease garden maintenance with several strategies. There may be no such thing as a truly maintenance-free garden, but several tasks, such as mulching and landscaping planning, are once-a-year chores that reduce garden maintenance the rest of the year. Once they are done, you can sit back and enjoy quality time in the garden. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
-
Mulch All Garden Beds
-
1
Apply a two- to three-inch layer of mulch in the spring. Mulch is a great way to decrease garden maintenance, because you only have to apply it once a year and it suppresses weed growth all year.
-
2
Choose the right mulch. Some mulches, such as coarse wood and bark products, will last up to two years before they need replenished. Softer mulches, such as cottonseed meal, cocoa mulch, coconut coir and compost, will fully decay in less time.
-
-
3
Add mulch to the vegetable and ornamental gardens. Wood mulches are suitable for ornamental beds because they look nice and offer a pleasing scent. However, because they do not decay within a year, they are not ideal for vegetable gardens, which must be tilled frequently. Straw makes good mulch for vegetable gardens, because it decays rapidly, is cheap and readily available in most locations.
Decrease Garden Maintenance on Pathways
-
4
Place landscape fabric over high traffic areas. Landscape fabric is not good for garden beds, because not only does it suppress weeds, it also suppresses growth of beneficial worms. However, in areas where the only plants growing are weeds, landscape fabric is a great solution. Once applied, it will keep weeds down for several years.
-
5
Dress up landscape fabric. Landscape fabric is not very attractive, so apply a layer of mulch over the fabric to conceal it.
-
6
Kill weeds instead of pulling them. When you pull a weed, you usually only get part of the root. Some weeds regenerate quickly from small pieces of root left in the soil. Instead of pulling the occasional weed that pops up in a pathway, kill it using an organic herbicide, such as vinegar or boiling water. Once the weed is completely dead, pull it out of the ground.
Plan Your Landscape Well
-
7
Decrease your garden maintenance with a well-planned landscape. Do some research on the conditions your plants require, and make sure you put plants in the right spot. This will make them healthier, and healthy plants have less pest and disease problems.
-
8
Group plants according to their needs. Grouping plants makes garden maintenance more efficient. Place plants that need water in large amounts in one area, and plants that require less water in a separate area. That allows you to water entire garden beds on a schedule, instead of watering individual plants.
-
9
Plant more trees and shrubs, and fewer perennials and annuals. Annuals are high-maintenance plants, which require large amounts of water and fertilizer. Many perennials also fall in the high-maintenance category. Trees and shrubs, however, can decrease your garden maintenance after they become established.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/BananaStock/Getty Images
