Gardening is a magnificent way to spend time and spruce up your house's exterior. Not only can it help you to see your home in a new way, but you will also be able to eat all of the great food you've grown. It can also be beneficial to your mental well be

Don't over-plant your produce. If you plant more of a particular variety than you can use, store, and give away, it will simply go to waste. Plan out your garden so that you will have enough, without planting so much that your efforts will simply end up getting thrown away or rotting on the vine.

Use a bar of soap to prevent dirt under your nails. Before you begin gardening, scrape your fingernails across a bar of soap. This will create a barrier that keeps the dirt out. When you are done gardening, the soap will wash out quickly and easily - leaving your nails sparkling clean.

Plant vegetables and flowers that are native to your local area.  Fruit Tree Hub  will grow better with less work than plants that are not native. Also, native plants won't require much extra watering, as they will generally adapt to the amount of rain typical to that area. This will also reduce your need for pesticides and fertilizers, since the plants will be able to handle the soil and pests in your area.

Plant crops compatible with each other in order to add even more efficiency to your garden. Plant crops that take longer to mature next to faster growing varieties. You can also get ahead of the season by planting cooler climate crops in the shade of larger summer crops. Greens such as lettuce do great in the shade of a large tomato plant.

When digging holes for your plants, don't be a neat freak. Don't dig holes that are perfect, with sides that are as smooth as can be. You are actually making it more difficult for the root system of the new plant to take hold in the soil. For best results, keep your holes a little messy.

Divide large clumps of perennials. Some perennial plants lose vigor and flower less well if the clump becomes too large. Plants like Shasta daisies, bearded irises, phlox, chrysanthemum and coneflower benefit from being divided every three years. Without division they become congested, and the center of the clump will begin to die out. Simply dig the entire plant out, keeping the root ball intact, and divide it into pieces using a shovel. By doing this, you will have at least two or three new plants!

Consider using your garden to grow some kitchen herbs. Herbs such as basil, mint, parsley, coriander, rosemary and dill, are essential to many dishes, but they can be very expensive to purchase in the shops. These culinary herbs, however, are very cheap and easy to grow in your own garden.

Make a do it yourself twine holder by grabbing a rolled up length of twine and putting it into a small clay pot. Pull a small portion of the twine out the drainage hole and flip the pot upside down. You will always know where your twine is instead of digging around for it in a toolbox or shed.

Weed the garden often and early. Plan on a weeding schedule for the garden at least three times. The first should be five to seven days after sowing, and again seven to ten days after that. The third time should be three to four weeks after planting, by this time the plants should be rooted well enough to add mulching and sufficient leaves to shade the surface.

Vegetable plants should be planted where they can benefit from a minimum of six hours of sunlight every day. Most vegetables need at least that much sun for optimal growth speed. This arrangement will also benefit some types of flowers.

Gardening will make you feel better and will help your yard look spectacular. It's a very great way to eat, and to keep busy. You can find many tools to help you and many nurseries in your area that can sell you different types of plants. It is a fantastic hobby for anyone to take up.