Over the last few years home gardening has become an increasingly popular way for people to spend their spare time at home. In fact, studies show that home gardening is at an all time high in America right now. In the United States 8 out of 10 households take part in some type of home gardening activity. Obviously from the number of people that are doing it, home gardening is one of the most popular home activities in the nation.
Most people that try their hand at home gardening plant flowers; at least they start out planting flowers anyway. Roses are usually the first thought that comes to a beginning gardeners mind, but roses will take extra time and work, and should probably be left to those with more experience at gardening. When planting flowers, many choices are available, such as bulbs, perennials, and annuals.
Plants that are edible or produce edibles such as fruits and vegetables are another big thing in home gardening. Perhaps the best thing about edibles is the reward of eating them.
The list of edible plants that gardeners can grow at home is endless. Some of the most common edible plants in the vegetable category are, potatoes, peas, corn, carrots, squash, and cucumbers.
Many gardeners opt for fruits, such as, watermelons, tomatoes, peaches, plums, apples, pears, and apricots. Small fruits, such as strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries usually require less work and less space, making them much more feasible for home gardening.
Herbs, most often used as spices in cooking, are growing in popularity every day; some of the most grown include basil, thyme, oregano, parsley, and cilantro.
One of the most important things to watch for when planting edibles is insects and disease, after all, you don’t want to miss out on the feast you will get to enjoy from healthy plants.
Many people don’t realize it, but landscaping is a form of home gardening. Landscaping covers many different areas and forms of gardening. You can even classify mowing your lawn as landscaping! Keeping in the line of grasses, landscaping nearly always involves decorative grasses, and the great thing about them is they don’t take much work for upkeep. Types of grass include monkey grass, pampas, buffalo grass, flame grass, and ornamental millet. Landscaping is not just limited to plant life, but also includes anything done to a yard for decoration, such as adding rocks or stones, or putting in a small pond, statutes, or a waterfall.
There isn’t much difference between home gardening and gardening anywhere else. Plants still need to be planted in a good location. The plants still need water and they still need the same nutrients.
Home gardening shouldn’t cause anyone to get nervous. If you do decide to try home gardening and find out that you don’t have a green thumb, don’t get discouraged. There are tons of gardening books and Internet sites about gardening. Read up on gardening, and try again the next planting season.