{"id":1957,"date":"2016-07-26T11:38:04","date_gmt":"2016-07-26T00:38:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.airtasker.com\/blog\/\/?p=1957"},"modified":"2019-10-24T16:50:18","modified_gmt":"2019-10-24T05:50:18","slug":"beginners-guide-gardening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.airtasker.com\/blog\/beginners-guide-gardening\/","title":{"rendered":"Beginner’s guide to: Gardening"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re embarking on your first gardening project and you\u2019re not sure where to start, our beginner gardening tips will help you succeed. \u00a0Knowing\u00a0where to start, planning and understanding your garden design will be the key to your success. Before you get down to the local landscaping store, there are a few considerations you need to make.<\/p>\n

\"gardening
\nSource: Pinterest<\/a><\/p>\n

What type of gardening do you want to enjoy?<\/h2>\n

How do you want to use your garden? Are you doing some landscaping to finish off a newly constructed home, or giving your existing garden a facelift? Will this space be used as an entertaining area, children\u2019s play area, veggie patch or chook pen? Do you want to build a feature garden? Understanding the purpose of your garden will help you plan the design.<\/p>\n

\"tuscan
\nSource:\u00a0Pinterest<\/a><\/p>\n

Landscaping and layout<\/h2>\n

Think about the space you have and how you might make the most out of it by carefully planning the layout. Garden goers with large, country back yards are blessed in their options. But if you\u2019re in a terrace house in suburban Sydney and don\u2019t have more than a 4 meter squared courtyard, you\u2019ll need to be a little bit smarter with what you have. Draw up your design and experiment. Yates have a really handy Virtual Garden tool<\/a> that you can use; it takes in to account your climate, garden size, what type of garden you\u2019re interested in, and your level of gardening expertise.<\/p>\n

Design ideas<\/h3>\n

A little bit of design inspiration never goes astray. Again, thinking about the space and how you want to use it, seek out plants, grass, garden accessories and possibly even outdoor furniture to complete your design. Are you into water features? Would a flower arch complete your garden\u2019s English tea party look? Would a grape vine work nicely with\u00a0a Tuscan theme? Landscaping centers often have mini display gardens that you can walk through, and there is plenty of design inspiration online.<\/p>\n

\"beehive
\nImage credit: Harold Lloyd
\nSource: Homestead Revival<\/a>
\nGet your own homegrown honey by having a quaint little back yard beehive.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"wheelbarrow
\nSource: Italia Post
\n<\/a>Find an old wheelbarrow in a second hand store and bring it to life with some brightly coloured flowers. <\/em><\/p>\n

We also have some great small backyard design ideas<\/a> and quirky garden design ideas<\/a>\u00a0for you to look at.<\/em><\/p>\n

Drainage and ground preparation<\/h3>\n

When planning your garden, don\u2019t forget to consider things like drainage and ground preparation. You don\u2019t want half of your backyard flooded and turning in to a mud puddle every time you get a sprinkling of rain. You may need to level the ground, dig it out, and even prepare the soil if it\u2019s lacking nutrients. If you have a bit of labouring work ahead of you, think about when the right time to do it will be; there\u2019s no point in scheduling a landscaping job in the \u2018wet season\u2019 (okay, \u2018wet weeks\u2019 in Australia); mud and rain won\u2019t allow for much productivity.<\/p>\n

\"lawn
\nSource: DIY Network<\/a><\/p>\n

Read up on what you are planting<\/h3>\n

Research is key for beginner green thumbs. Know whether the plants, grass, flowers, vegetables, etc. you are interested in will do well in your climate, how to care for them, and what their maintenance requirements are. For example, how much water does Sir Walter grass\u00a0need? Will it do well in a hot climate? How much sun does it need? What are the best conditions for laying turf and how long will it take to settle?<\/p>\n

Tip: \u2018Sun-mapping\u2019 is a thing – how much sun does your garden actually get and where? Spend a day outside to find out.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"sunshine
\nSource: Thi\u00ean nhi\u00ean<\/a><\/p>\n

Spacing plants appropriately<\/h3>\n

When designing a dream garden, something many enthusiastic beginners neglect to think about is spacing of plants. If you\u2019re constructing a tropical paradise of different varieties of palm trees to surround your pool, anticipate for them to get big. They\u2019ll drop fronds, seeds and maybe even coconuts; they can grow over roofs, pools and block gutters. Do some research on the species you want to use and space plants appropriately; they grow.<\/p>\n

Maintenance<\/h2>\n

Once you\u2019ve established your garden, to keep it looking amazing you\u2019ll need to have a good maintenance routine in place. Think about this in the planning stage. Consider:<\/p>\n