Your Guide to Building a Garden at Your Texas Home
When building a garden at your home, there are many importantfactors to take into consideration. In addition to the type of plants you wish to grow, youwill need to understand your climate, plan for sun exposure, provide access to waterand much more. Are you planning a home garden project? Take a look atthese tips to help you show off your green thumb!
Tips for Building a Garden
Location, Location, Location
Where you decide to start your garden can have a significant impact on its success.First, you will want to build your home garden somewhere you can see it. Not only willthis allow you to enjoy your work, but it will also help remind you to stay on top ofmaintenance. You know what they say—out of sight, out of mind. If your gardenis in plain view, you are much more likely to remember to take care of it.
It is also important to place your garden out of the way of traffic so your carefullycared for plants will not get trampled. Building a DIY garden box is a greatway to keep plants protected and create a stylish element in your yard. Placing yourgarden near a structure, like a brick wall or fence, can also help protect the plants from Perry HomesBuilding a Garden at Your Texas HomePublish Date: April 3, 2020freeze, wind and other more extreme weather conditions that may harmthem.
Mind the Sunshine
Sun exposure is a balancing act when crafting a home garden. Too much sunlightand plants will scorch—too little, and they will wither. Experienced gardenerstypically recommend selecting a location that provides shade from the west during thesummer months. This allows for enough sunlight to promote growth and health withoutrisking scorching.
However, it is important to note that each plant has different sun requirements. Mostvegetables have short growing seasons, making plenty of sun exposure a must-have.Some vegetables, though, are shade tolerant and would work well in a yard that maynot see as much sunlight. If you have large shade trees, live in a dense area or simplydecide the best place for your garden is in a shadier location, you may want to avoidsun-loving plants like tomatoes, cucumbers or peppers.
Easy Access to Water
Make sure you can easily get water to your home garden. If you plan on wateringusing a hose, double-check that it will reach as far as you need it to. Building yourgarden near a spigot may also help save you from having to lug around aheavy water can. Better yet, consider integrating a drip system for easymaintenance—you can easily change the amount of water dispensed toaccommodate for seasonal planting.
Keeping a rain gauge on hand is also helpful to keep track of just how much wateryour garden is getting. This will help you avoid overwatering, which can be both harmfulto your garden and wasteful.
Set the Right Foundation
A garden is only as good as its foundation. Be sure to use high-quality soil with theright nutrients, pH level and more for the plants you are planning to grow. Mulch isanother important factor to consider when building a garden at home. Notonly does this covering protect your plants from harmful critters, but it can also retainmoisture to help reduce watering needs. If you select an organic mulch, it will even addnutrients to the soil as it decomposes, boosting the health of your garden. Lastly, besure to properly plan for drainage to prevent water from pooling and harming yourplants.
Choose Your Plants Carefully
When selecting the plants you wish to include in your garden, you willneed to consider sun exposure, watering, maintenance needs, your climate zone, Perry HomesBuilding a Garden at Your Texas HomePublish Date: April 3, 2020extreme weather patterns, how aggressive the plant is and much more. Seasonality isalso an important factor to consider when building a home garden—plantingduring the right time of year can be the difference between a bountiful harvest and adisappointing season. For more sensitive plants, try starting your seeds indoors to helpensure they are healthy and strong enough to take on the elements when movedoutside.
What Should You Grow?
Central Texas has notoriously short growing seasons, but that does not mean youcannot have a stunning, full garden at your home. While not all vegetablescan survive a frost, there are some that thrive throughout CentralTexas’ milder winters. The best vegetables to plant during colder Central Texasmonths include:
- Spinach
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Beets
- Carrots
- Cabbage
- Broccoli
These can be planted periodically to produce through winter and spring. Herbs arealso a great addition to any fall garden once the hotter months have passed. Basil isone of the only herbs that does not take a freeze well, but otherthan that, most are easy to grow during these months. Plus, there isthe added bonus of being able to cook with fresh herbs without having tomake any last-minute trips to the grocery store!
If you are looking for easyspring and summer plants to grow, consider trying:
- Artichokes
- Melons
- Peppers
- Squash Perry HomesBuilding a Garden at Your Texas HomePublish Date: April 3, 2020
- Sweet Potatoes
- Tomatoes
Planning out what you want to plant can help you come up with a schedule to keepyour garden blooming and full all year long!
Are you waiting to find the perfect home before you start building agarden to show off your green thumb? Perry Homes has move-inready options to help you get settled and start planting even faster! Explorestunning designs and modern floorplans in some of Texas’ best communities.Your dream home is waiting!