Planting a Garden: The Fundamentals

Dr. Eric Berg
3 min readMar 15, 2023

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The gardening world may seem daunting at first. There’s a wide variety of equipment, terrain, and nutrients to study.

But don’t let the mystery put you off; it’s a great pastime that will keep you moving and energized while allowing you to disconnect from the stresses of modern life. Get started with the fundamentals. Your garden will flourish quickly after implementing these suggestions.

Acquiring all the essential gardening equipment before beginning a garden is crucial. Various gardening implements are available, but every backyard farmer needs a few standard tools.

Examples are a wheelbarrow, shovel, garden fork, hoe, and hand-held trowel. These instruments have various applications and sizes to accommodate different needs.

A shovel makes holes, shifts dirt, and relocates vegetation. The ground can be broken up, and weeds eliminated with its help.

A home can be used for similar purposes, such as clearing soil or digging roots. Specific models feature extendable handles for greater reach, with both hand and long-handled options.

Planting flowers, veggies, or herbs requires constant maintenance, which includes pruning. A pair of hand or long-handled pruners will come in handy when you need to trim back annuals and perennials easily.

Plants need soil, a dynamic mixture of minerals, air, water, and organic components. In addition to providing shelter for wildlife, it can also be used to stockpile water.

The soil is different everywhere. Layers of minerals generated from the source material, usually bedrock, make up these features.

The chemical makeup and characteristics of different types of soil are entirely distinct. Texture and density are two other physical features that vary.

Soil components vary by type and origin, including sand, clay, and silt. Identifying the soil type in your garden is as simple as doing a test.

Sand soil is commonly recommended for lawns due to its high drainage and water retention capacities. It could be more nutrient-rich soil, but it can be improved by adding fertilizer.

The aesthetic and physiological benefits of plants are well-documented. Gardening is good for your mental health in many ways, not the least because it gets you outside in the sunshine and provides a good workout.

If you want your garden to flourish, one of the most crucial things you can do is plant species well suited to your area’s soil and temperature. This involves avoiding areas that receive too much shade, which might reduce productivity.

Ideally, you want plants in your yard that can thrive in harsh conditions and reach impressive proportions without your hand-holding. Sunflowers, an old standby for novice gardeners, don’t need fertilizer and thrive in arid circumstances.

Ajuga is also an attractive choice; it forms a dense mat of foliage that acts as a weed barrier while providing charming spikes of blue-purple flowers. Gardening can tax the wallet and the psyche less when these and other low-maintenance plants are used.

Plants have specific nutrient needs, and water is one of those needs. To keep their leaves cool through transpiration, plants need it physiologically.

It’s what powers agriculture and the food industry. It’s vital to all life forms and has numerous practical applications for humans.

Plants require a weekly average of roughly 25.4 mm of rain or irrigation to thrive. A DIY rain gauge is needed to get an accurate reading.

Depending on the local climate, you may require more or less water than that. For every 10 degrees above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, expect an additional half an inch of rainfall every week.

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Dr. Eric Berg
Dr. Eric Berg

Written by Dr. Eric Berg

Dr. Eric Berg is a chiropractor, health coach, and author who has helped millions of people regain their health.

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