5 New Year Gardening Resolutions for 2014
2014 is here, and if youre anything like the Keen Gardener team, youll have made several worthy New Years resolutions designed to improve your life over the next 12 months.
Whilst eating more healthily and cutting down on your drinking are all well and good, spare a thought for your garden this year, and why not try to follow some of our green-fingered resolutions for 2014 that will make a real difference.
1.Sort that lawn
Its easy to let your garden go from having a pristine, well-manicured lawn, to a bumpy bit of overgrown grass over winter, so why not invest some time in getting your lawn back to its best. A first cut, de-moss, scarify, aerate, weed, feed and using some high quality lawn care treatments in early spring is a great start that should set you up for a neater, nicer lawn throughout the summer months.
2. Go for diversity
Its easy to get caught up planting the same things year after year, which can make gardening feel more like a chore than a hobby, so in 2014 why not spice things up and try something different?
Exotic flowers, new vegetables or a herb garden can transform your garden and give it a new lease of life “ so be adventurous, and plant something youve never grown before.
3. Keep on top of the weeding
This one is easier said than done! Its an eternal battle facing every keen gardener, and it can be tempting to give in, but this year, claim back your garden from the intruders and start early with your weed prevention.
Thankfully, winter will have done a lot of the work for you, so stock up on the weed killer, and invest in a new hand weeder ready for the year ahead. The trick to keeping down weeds is a little and often approach, as if you leave it too long, you may be faced with a job you cant face tackling!
4. Take gardening to the next level
Everyone has to start somewhere, and one of the great joys of gardening comes from developing your knowledge and skills.
It doesnt matter whether youre new to the world of gardening, or a seasoned veteran, theres always something worth learning, and trying something new in the garden will enhance your enjoyment.
Taking things to the next level could be something simple like planting something new, trying different varieties or growing methods, or it could come from investing in new equipment.
One of the best garden investments is a green house, which will massively improve your vegetable yield and year-round growing potential, and provide you with a warmer, safe haven in the garden to complete a variety of tasks.
5. Look after your tools
After a hard days gardening, it can be tempting to shove your tools back in the shed dirty or wet “ but remember the old saying œlook after your tools, and your tools will look after you.
This year, were committing to looking after our tools better, cleaning them before we put them away, scrubbing away rust with a wire brush, and sharpening and oiling the blades on our spades, hoes, secateurs and pruners.
Well maintained, sharp tools dont just last longer “ theyre also much easier to use!
How we can help
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