Top 5 Tips from a Gardener

With cost of living being a common concern for households throughout the UK, there is naturally plenty of interest in DIY work.

That said, gardening work DIY can lead to a host of issues which is why it’s important to proceed with caution and only take on work that is suited to a DIYer and once you are sure of what’s involved. Along with safety concerns, gardening work done wrong can result in damage and harm to your garden.

1. Have a Concise Plan in Place

First and foremost, you should have a plan when it comes to maintaining, enhancing or/and otherwise working on your garden. This way you can ensure that your garden blossoms in the way you want that works well both from an aesthetic and practical perspective.

To be more precise, certain plants may not look well together visually or may even be unsuitable to be placed close together as they might negatively interact. So, in order to plan out a garden space, it’s important to do your research via reliable sources.

Consider joining a gardening forum or reaching out to a gardening organisation or society for advice too, if needed, although depending on how qualified or experienced the individual(s) you engage with appear to be, you may need to take advice with a grain of salt in some cases.

Planning out a garden visually can mean deciding where to grow new crops, what water features to include and where and how to implement any other suitable fixtures and installations such as outdoor lighting, a decking or patio. Again, planning things out carefully is key to success, whether you want to completely redesign your garden or simply maintain it.

2. Ensure You Proceed with Caution

It’s important to take key safety measures and not rush gardening work either. By acting too fast, you run the risk of causing harm to you or your garden.

When it comes to safety measures, the exact requirements will differ depending on the job in question.

With that said, gardening safety precautions often include the following:

• Wear protective gloves
• Put on work boots/safety boots
• Use protective clothing too that prevents skin coming in contact with gardening spray products, plants, etc. (e.g. thick long-sleeved clothing)
• Utilise ear defenders when using loud tools
• Also use a dust mask for certain jobs
• Safety glasses should be worn for certain gardening tasks depending on the type of gardening work/and machinery or tools being used (if applicable)
• You may even need to wear a safety helmet in some scenarios
• Washing your hands thoroughly with soap after work is complete
• Ensure that there are no unknown and dangerous plants in your garden before maintaining, removing or otherwise coming into contact with given plants

3. Use The Right Tools and Products

Whatever gardening work you plan to undertake, from small tasks like pruning plants to installing a garden pond, it’s important that you spend time sourcing the right tools and products.

That means the right type of tools/products (in some cases very specific tools/products may be needed) and ones of sufficient quality. Purchasing poor quality tools can result in a poor outcome or/and needing to replace the tools much sooner than would be the case if investing in high-quality and durable options.

Moreover, high-quality products from top suppliers (with strong customer satisfaction levels) is important too to ensure you get good value for money and that the products work to the level expected/desired.

Along with opting for reliable sellers, look at customer reviews/ratings (and ideally from another source than the seller itself such as Trustpilot) or/and reach out to professionals for advice. Proceed with extra caution if looking to buy gardening tools second-hand.

4. Feed and Water Your Plants Correctly

Another crucial tip to heed is to ensure you feed and water your plants in the correct way. Keeping your plants hydrated and supporting them nutritionally are important, though what is needed will vary on a case-by-case basis.

You’ll want to, on the one hand, ensure you water your plants frequently enough based on the plants you have and the time of year. For instance, plants often need more watering in the summer. Moreover, many need to be fed about once every two weeks through the Spring and Summer.

What you should feed plants with may range from garden compost to seaweed to animal manure that has rotted thoroughly (sorry for the image!...). However, and, as discussed, will be the case when it comes to when and how to water your plants, how and when to feed them will differ depending on what plants you have.

So, ultimately, this means you’ll need to undertake sufficient research to ensure that you know how and when to feed and water plants in your garden. Reach out to a professional organisation or experienced gardener for further advice if needed.

5. Maintain Your Garden with The Right Approaches

Just as you should have a plan when it comes to enhancing/re-designing your garden, it’s important to use a plan over time for maintaining your garden on an ongoing basis.

Here are some of the key pointers to keep in mind when it comes to garden maintenance throughout a given average year:

• Undertake weed control measures when needed
• Cut the grass once or twice a month from March through October to keep your lawn looking fresh, particularly during the warmer periods of the year
• Grow plants at the appropriate time of year for the plants in question and maintain them properly (e.g. pruning may be needed)
• Add manure or/and compost to your garden’s soil to ensure it is well maintained throughout the year
• Water your plants regularly (ensure sufficient hydration while being careful not to overwater your plants - again this can vary on a case-by-case basis).

If you'd like some more tips from the professionals, check out these guides too:

• Tips from a builder
• Tips from a plumber
• Tips from a painter and decorator
• Tips from an electrician
• Tips from a kitchen fitter