Open Octet Gardening
Get the most from your outdoor space this summer.
From left to right: A birdbath or birdfeeder will attract colorful songbirds to your yard. A backyard garden is fun for kids and great for fresh veggies for summer meals.
hether it's planting a garden, attracting wildlife
or creating a mini-ecosystem, you can get the
most of your backyard this summer by doing a
little prep work this spring.
W
PLANTING A GARDEN
For true green-thumb bragging rights, grow your garden
from scratch. Just be sure you know the tricks of the
trade.
Planting a garden from scratch can sound like a
daunting task, especially for those who are new to the
hobby. But with the right knowledge, you can plan a
successful, fruitful green space and expect to have a great
harvest.
One way to get a head start on your garden is to start
your seedlings indoors and then transplant them later
into an outdoor garden. This time-tested technique can
save you hundreds of dollars annually, as young plants at
a nursery can be pricey. Here are some tips and tricks to
make the most of this method:
• Don't start your indoor plants too soon. They can
grow in about four weeks or less if you use a high-quality
garden starter. Check seed packages to learn when to
plant outdoors in your area, and then start them indoors
one month earlier to your transplanting date outdoors.
• Consider using a seed-starting system that takes
some of the gardening guesswork out of the equation.
For example, the Aerogarden Seed Starting system allows
you to start up to 66 seedlings indoors with no dirt or
mess, nurturing seeds with optimal amounts of water and
nutrients for reliable germination and healthy growth.
• Add new nutrients to the seedlings every two weeks
and keep the water at full level. Feeding your plants more
than the recommended amount will not make them grow
faster. In fact, it could hurt the plants.
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• Before transplanting, seedlings need to be hardened
off. Skipping this step will almost certainly result in some
or all of your plants dying. Hardening off seedlings eases
their transition to the outdoors, where they will be
exposed to the elements. The process involves gradually
exposing plants to the outdoors, protecting them from
full sunlight, temperature variations and wind.
• Don't let sprouts get too big before transplanting
them outdoors. Ideally they should be about 4-6 inches
tall. If possible, wait to plant your seedlings on a cool,
cloudy day. If your seedlings get too large before
weather will allow transplanting outdoors, transplant
them into small pots with high-quality potting soil. Keep
fully watered in a sunny space until weather permits
Get a jump on the growing season by starting your
plants inside.
transplanting outdoors.
• After transplanting seedlings outdoors, be sure to
water them daily for the first two weeks, especially if the
weather is dry and sunny.
• Save and reuse your seed starter tray for the next
season. Once the spring plants have been transplanted
outdoors, you will be free to get a head start on your
summer crop.
MAKE YOUR YARD WILDLIFE FRIENDLY
Being a good neighbor means more than being friendly to
the humans across the street; it also means being friendly
to the animals in your yard. Making your yard a safe place
for local wildlife should be a top lawn-care priority. Get
out the binoculars! With a few small actions, you can
make your yard or garden a wildlife refuge.
"Wildlife can beautify your garden and be a sign that
your yard is healthy" says Spencer Schock, founder of
WindowAlert. "But birds and other wildlife need food,
shelter and safety."
With that in mind, here are some tips for creating a
healthy habitat for local critters.
Stock your garden with small native species of trees,
shrubs and flowers to give wildlife needed nourishment,
as well as cover from predators.
A source of water can also be a great resource for
visiting fauna. Whether it's a pond or a bird bath, be sure
this zone is well-maintained so you don't inadvertently
create a haven for unwanted species. In the warmer
months when mosquitoes are most active, you should
change the bird bath water even more often.
Help attract pollinators and add a touch of beauty to
your garden with a unique bird feeder. The birds attracted
by the feeder will do more than bring beauty to the
recipient's garden — they can help cross pollinate plants
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