Growing green things indoors and out, bring joy to many people’s lives. Carefully planted and tended for plants can mean beauty in yards and rooms, as well as fresh food on the dinner table. Yet, despite the simple pleasures it can bring, gardening itself can seem awfully complicated. Simplify your gardening endeavors with these helpful hints.

Combining different selections of plants in a garden area holds the interest and adds to the enjoyment of the viewer. Merge contrasting plants to craft interesting combinations. Add big leaf plants with fine leaf plants and combine them with plants different in texture and color to create the most eye catching and interesting landscape garden.

To maximize the benefits of compost, put it in your garden about two weeks before you plant. Compost actually needs time to integrate with soil and once you combine the two they need time to stabilize. Plan to gather enough compost to fertilize your garden a couple of weeks ahead of planting to produce healthier and stronger plants.

Choose plants and flowers that complement the colors of your home. Flowers that are pink or fuchsia, may go very well with your burgundy shudders. Tying in the colors of plants and flowers that you choose to harmonize with your house, will save you a lot of time at the garden center by simplifying your plant choices.

For garden plants that crave and need a lot of water, use five gallon buckets to keep those thirsty fruits and vegetables happy. Simply drill or punch several 1/8″ to 1/4″ holes into the bottom of a five gallon bucket, fill with water and set near the parched plant. Gravity allows for a slow and steady watering of those plants and if you live in an area where you get frequent rain, you will be capturing plenty of rain water to keep those buckets fairly full all season long.

If you plant flowers in a container make sure that you water them and feed them regularly, and that the pots have adequate drainage. Because there is limited soil in the pot, you need to pay more attention to the soil conditions. If the drainage is not adequate your plants will result in root rot.

Small pebbles and stones make excellent plant markers. To keep track of your plants while simultaneously adding a touch of natural beauty to your garden, collect some pebbles and stones. Find stones with a fairly smooth surface, and use a permanent marker or a little paint to place your plant names on them. This is a much prettier and more natural solution than the traditional plastic tags that clutter up most gardens.

If you are growing tomatoes, be sure to pick an airy spot that gets plenty of light. Tomatoes require at least ten hours of sunlight during an average summer day in order to grow to their peak flavor levels. Good air circulation between and around the plants is also vital to their survival.

To save money, consider making your own garden fertilizer. For instance, broken eggshells make a great fertilizer for small gardens, indoor plants and container plants. Mix the eggshells throughout the soil to get the best effect. Eggshells even have the added benefit that they aerate the garden soil as well.

You can use natural waste items around your home to benefit your plants. For example, plants that prefer high acidic soil love a mulch mixed with coffee grounds. Cinnamon can be used as a natural fungicide for potted plants. And of course, there are the myriad benefits of a home compost pile.

Start a journal for your garden. This is an excellent way to keep track of the progress you are making as a gardener. Write down which seeds were successful and what methods you used to encourage growth. You can also take pictures of your plants to include in your book.

If you live in the city, you can still reap the benefits of organic gardening through container gardening. Herbs especially will thrive in indoor pots, as long as they are large enough. Container gardening can be easier than outdoor gardening when going organic, as there is less risk of exposure to insect pests or weeds.

You need to remember to drink plenty of water while you are gardening. Many people forget to keep up with their water intake because they do not think that they are doing a strenuous activity. Gardening may not always be strenuous but extended exposure to the sun can lead to dehydration and drinking plenty of water is one way to prevent it.

You should wait to buy your indoor gardening supplies until summer is over. All stores will want to make room for their winter inventory. That means that you should be able to find great deals on everything that you will need to start and maintain your indoor garden. It is important to stock up when the prices are low.

When starting your own organic garden, you should make sure you choose the right medium for growing your plants. Different plants need different mediums. Many of your seedlings should be replotted into a larger container before you put them in your garden. However, some plants, such as melons and cucumbers, must go from their original containers directly into your garden.

A great tip when starting your own organic garden is to always space your seeds in the mix as evenly as you can. If you do this, it will ensure that every single one of your seeds has an equal amount of room to grow in the most optimum way.

Planting an insectary garden beside your vegetable garden is a natural and effective way to rid your vegetable garden of harmful insects. With the right variety of plants, this garden spot will attract beneficial insects that will kill and eat the harmful ones that eat your vegetables. The insectary can be a separate garden or several small plantings interspersed among the vegetables.

From timing of planting to feeding and water levels to access to sunlight, plants can be quite demanding of you even though they never say a word. Keep the tips and tricks in this article in mind in your gardening activities, and you and your plants can keep each other happy.