Gardens are a safe haven for many people. With lockdowns being underway, looking after your
prized begonias and fiddle-leaf figs are enough to keep your anxiety at bay. Who doesn’t want to
wake up to a beautiful garden filled with colorful flowers and trees?
There is more to gardening than just watering your plants every day. Why not turn your love of
nature into something more profitable? After all, many have successfully turned their passions
into profit. Cultivating a garden can do more than just alleviating your stress.
While there are those who say that gardeners are born and not made, this is not necessarily true.
You can certainly take your gardening skills to the next level, and be set for life. Developing
skills takes time and practice. With persistence and patience, you can certainly develop that
green thumb of yours to bring in the green bucks. Here are some things that you must know:
1. Know Where to Ask Help
Before one can be a Master, one must first train as a student. If you believe that you are
only just discovering your skills as a gardener, start with the basics. Take a look at the
present state of your garden and think of ways to improve it. Be practical and accept that
not everything can grow in your garden. It is wiser if you would build a more suitable
environment for your plants to be in so that they will not only grow but thrive as well.
Ask from health from the experts. You will find reliable sources online from seasoned
gardeners who are willing to share a thing or two. There are many gardening blogs or
Facebook gardener groups with people who share the same passions as you.
It’s also best to consult gardeners from your area so that you may experience it first-hand.
Those who are veteran gardeners have years of experience of what makes a good garden
and would also have some tips and tricks up their sleeve.
2. Explore the Possibilities of Container Gardening
Do you have old containers at home that you don’t use? It’s time to break out those old
plastic tubs and try your hand at container gardening. Pinterest is the perfect place to
check on how to turn your old plastic food container into an upcycled pot. The
possibilities are endless and you will get the hang of it in no time.
3. Be Ready with the Tools
Just as an artist needs his paintbrush and canvas, a gardener needs his own arsenal of
tools to cultivate the perfect garden. When you start off from scratch, you need to have a
set of the essentials. A good gardener needs a trowel, spade, shears, and some good
compost to start with.
There are several suppliers that cater to your gardening needs. You will need to list down
the essentials and add up the costs and come up with a budget for these so that you may
know how much you can afford and what you need to save for.
4. Target Your Clients
Now that you have the attitude and the tools, it’s time to talk about who you will be
catering to. Traditional young families may want to purchase fresh produce because of
the limited supplies for fruits and vegetables in supermarkets. Older people may want to
purchase plants that are easier to maintain as they have the time to tend to their garden
themselves.
Knowing your customers is essential to every aspiring entrepreneur because you have a
lot of factors to take into consideration- your price point, what to sell, and how you are
going to sell. Take a good sweep of your neighborhood and take into account who will
most likely avail of your services or products.
5. Find A Great Supplier
Once you have grown full scale into your business, it is a wise decision to sign a contract
with a big and well-known supplier. This will assure you and your potential customers
that will ensure that you will always rely on someone to deliver landscape supply when
you need it.
6. Enhance your Design Skills
A cluttered garden does not make for a peaceful one. It’s time to make the designs in
your head a reality. Work with what you have, if you have a small place do not
overcrowd your plants as this will be harmful to them. For one thing, plants need
adequate space in order to grow effectively which is why it is important to not
overcrowd.
Put your ideas into writing, or in this case, draw your designs and consult with a fellow
gardener if this design would be feasible in the long run. Try to see if you can maintain
the upkeep of such a design and if your plants would be suited for this type of
environment.
7. Analyze the Types of Soils
It’s important to know if the soil you have in your garden can support plant life. Not all
garden soils are built the same, so you may not be able to grow your fruits and vegetables
if your garden soil is not ideal.
It is vital that you are aware of the pH of your soil because your plants will end up
suffering in the process if the soil is too alkaline or acidic. It will also be a wasted effort
on your part. This type of soil inhibits plants from absorbing the nutrition needed for them to
grow and develop.
Invest in a pH meter for your soil. With the help of this device, you can collect and
accurately test your garden soil in a matter of minutes and at detailed levels. This basic
step will save you time and money in the future so it’s best not to overlook it.
8. Learn how to sow seeds
The greatest test of a gardener comes from the ability to sow seeds. Of course, there
will always be bad quality seeds so do not expect from those. You also have to take note
of the conditions that will affect the growth of your seed. Think of it as something
fragile that even the slightest change in environment can affect its growth. As always, be
diligent and handle everything with care.
9. Keep Track of Your Progress
A good gardener knows the importance of keep track of their plant’s progress. Make a
chart of what you have planted so you can track its progress. Take note of how much
sunlight and water your plant is having.
Start with the small changes and see if there are any changes to be made that can improve
what has already been done. The first step might be the hardest but it will help you get
somewhere.