6 Practical Gardening Resolutions for 2024
Gardening trends for 2024 will revolve around sustainability and advancing technologies. As gardeners find ways of maximizing their outdoor spaces, they should also address environmental concerns. Below are practical gardening resolutions to include in your New Year’s to-do list.
Smart Gardening
Modern technologies will also make their way into the gardening realm in 2024. It would help if you watched out for various innovations that simplify gardening.
Smart gardening practices make it easy for gardeners to monitor and manage their spaces efficiently. For instance, smart irrigation systems allow homeowners to adjust watering schedules to optimize water usage.
You can also access real-time information on various plant needs and proper care from gardening apps. Using these technologies will make gardening more enjoyable, especially for beginners.
Dedicate Time to Garden Maintenance
Proper gardening requires ongoing care and commitment. You should consider creating a regular schedule for your gardening needs. Besides hiring a weekly lawn mowing service, you should learn how to create your desired outdoor space.
Simple maintenance practices go a long way in creating a healthy garden. For example, weeding prevents the growth of unwanted plants that compete for resources.
The only way to enjoy vibrant colours in your garden is to dedicate enough time to proper maintenance. Tending to your garden also has more than physical benefits. It creates a space that drowns your daily stresses, improving your mental well-being. Connecting with nature is deeply therapeutic.
Embrace Sustainable Gardening Practices
As mentioned, trends in most sectors focus on sustainable practices, and gardening hasn’t been left behind. Homeowners should make eco-conscious decisions when growing their plants. Sustainable gardening practices revolve around minimal pesticide use and growing natives in your garden.
Committing to sustainable practices also reduces the environmental footprint. You should try out the following sustainable gardening practices:
Reduce or Eliminate Chemical Use
The use of pesticides and other chemicals is very common in most homes. This is probably because these chemicals are effective and easily accessible. While some pesticides are safe, others are harmful to your garden crops and soil.
You should adopt the use of natural pest and disease control mechanisms in your garden. Natural methods like using trap crops and essential oils require significant effort and take time, but are certainly worth it.
Use Less Water
Reducing water usage in the garden is probably the easiest way of making your garden sustainable. Ideally, you should water your lawn or garden to one inch per week. Surprisingly, there are simple methods of saving water. For instance, simply looking after your soil, either by mulching soil surface, flowerbeds, or other exposed areas improves moisture retention.
You also save water in your garden by watering at the right time. Most people unknowingly overwater their gardens. Choose drip irrigation systems in place of sprinklers to save water.
Similarly, you should grow plants that need less water. Certain plants need less water to grow. Growing such plants cuts water usage in your garden. Lastly, collect rainwater and reuse old water by installing a rain barrel system.
Mulch Often
There are many benefits of this garden practice. For starters, it helps your garden beds retain moisture, which means less water wastage, and regulates temperature.
It also suppresses weeds, reducing the demand for fertilizers and pesticides. You should introduce organic mulch to your garden immediately after planting. You should also mulch open patches to prevent erosion and runoff.
Mulching shouldn’t be confused with compost. Mulching uses either organic or inorganic materials that haven’t decomposed yet, while compost is primarily made of decomposed materials.
Your mulch should be two to four inches thick. An overly thick mulch becomes counterproductive as it prevents water from reaching the soil. On the flip side, an overly thin mulch may fail to suppress weeds or prevent evaporation.
Sharing your basic or advanced gardening knowledge should also be among your New Year’s resolutions. Sharing knowledge is a great way to connect with other homeowners with similar passions. You should share tips and insights to educate and inspire those around you.
Avid gardeners can take advantage of several platforms to learn and share their knowledge. For starters, you can organize community workshops or join gardening clubs. You can also use social media and other online platforms, like YouTube and blogs, to inspire enthusiastic gardeners globally.
Grow Your Food
Homeowners should also shift towards growing their foods in 2024. Besides saving on grocery shopping costs, growing your food helps you control what you eat.
For starters, an edible garden means unlimited access to fresh, organic produce. Doing this also minimizes the carbon footprint primarily associated with packaging and food transportation.
Experiment With New Plants
Being a new year, you should consider stepping out of your comfort zone by trying new plants. This is a great way of expanding your gardening horizons and knowledge.
You should try out unique flower varieties, exotic herbs, and vegetables and embrace other additions to your garden. Doing this introduces new colours, scents, and shapes to your backyard, which enriches its visual and sensory appeal.
Trying out new plants also improves your understanding of the local climate and soil conditions. This will force you to research and learn about the unique needs of every plant, widening your gardening knowledge.
Most gardeners try new plants for various reasons. Some try to diversify their microclimate and ecosystem. Others do so to include plants that confuse pests. Whatever the case, you should consider experimenting with new plants in your garden.
That said, you should choose new experimental plants cautiously. You should prioritize the features or traits that you want. Ask yourself if you need new colours or flavours in your garden. For others, they may be looking for drought-tolerant plants.
Endnote
Gardening in 2024 should be more than growing plants. Homeowners should perceive gardening as a chance to nurture sustainable and meaningful relationships with nature. Embracing these gardening resolutions as the new year begins marks the start of a fulfilling journey filled with beautiful blossoms and a sense of harmony with nature.
