Ten Gardening Tips I Learned This Year

As the end of the year approaches, the time comes when all gardeners reflect on the previous year, and plan for the next. It is a journey, learning and building on experiences and improving just that little bit every season. So, without further ado, I present to you, the Ten Most Important Things I Learned This Year. 

1. Plan, Plan, Plan! Planning out your garden, whether it is a flower bed or a veggie patch, is an incredibly important step in creating a practical, pretty and easy-to-look after garden. Think about which plants work best together, when they die, (so you don't have an empty space) and when they bloom, so you can make your patch as efficient and space-saving as possible. 

2. Pick your apples whenever you see them. I have wasted so many apples this year, by walking past the tree and loudly saying that I'll pick them, but actually just procrastinating. Don't fall into this trap, or else your apples will rot, and you'll have missed them!

3. Black Labradors eat homegrown apples. And, not the windfall ones either. No, no, no, my dog has classy tastes, and will actually jump to grab some of the lower fruits on the tree!! 

4. Don't live next to a neighbour with a eucalyptus tree in their garden. Okay, okay, I know this can't actually be changed within a year, but there is a valuable lesson behind this. If you don't want to be digging out roots the size of your arm, (that smell like baby wipes) out of your veggie patch, then don't put your patch next to one of those monsters. 

5. Feeding your birds all year is incredibly rewarding. I know there is some controversy about this, (as the birds can rely on the seed, so when it stops coming, they'll not know what to eat) but I have really enjoyed keeping my feeder up all year round. You end up seeing much more birds, for two reasons. Firstly, you build up a nice following of feathered friends, and also you'll see the different birds of the seasons. Such as some summer migrants (swallows, swifts, etc.) and also the winter ones too! (eg. Redwings and field fares).

6. Black labs also like eating homegrown raspberries. Oh, and the same with birds, family members, gardeners and other animals. 

7. Collect seeds! You can collect seeds from anything, really. Bean pods, cyclamen, herbs, etc. You can also grow lemons from lemon seeds, and start new herbs from the old plants. Its very fun to try, and it is free! So, if they don't work, you haven't wasted anything. 

8. Black Labradors like eating potatoes. Especially, once you have freshly dug them out of the earth, and have just popped inside to grab a drink. Soon, you'll find half-chewed potatoes all over the lawn.

9. Get a proper rake. This year I finally got a new rake, (I actually was lent a rake, but they're not getting it back). My old one was actually very dangerous, as it was metal and rusty, and the ends had sharpened into lethal points. So, yeah, a new rake is always a good idea. 

10. Be selective about brands. I made several mistakes about varieties, just going for any old plants in the shops, and my vegetables had come out very differently than expected. I'd suggest doing your research first, so then you can have more control about the type, variety, taste and size your vegetables are. In fact, there are many gardening books that were written just for this purpose.

Well, that's all folks, but I hope you will all have a very Merry Christmas!