Knoxville Style Summer 2020

Page 32

Dirt. By Leigh Krieps

Botanical beauty surrounds us as spring paints its color palette. Inspiring many to turn to gardening to embellish their domains. Happily digging in the dirt and choosing what to do with it. In this article, we will explore tips for those having difficulty deciding what to do with dirt. Planting flowers, vegetables or herbs, can be a very simple process that will bring joy if nurtured correctly. It all boils down to the basics. Good sunlight. Usually 6 to 8 hours of exposure is needed for most varieties to flourish. This may be taken for granted by beginners but the length of sun exposure is critical to success. Check around your living space at different times of the day to see if you have enough hours of sunlight. Once you have established your sunlight hours, you will be ready to choose your dirt and

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placement of planting. Containers are often great for flowers or vegetables or both. Some vegetables require quite a bit of space to grow, such as melons, corn, andpumpkins. Most can be grown in small spaces. Patio containers or gardening kits can be picked up at your local home or garden center. Now it's time to get down and dirty. The dirt is critical. Make sure your soil is loose and can be crumbled through your fingers. This allows moisture to flow in routes to easily develop a good root system for your plants. Fertilizer comes with most bags of garden soil but if not, you will need to add fertilizer periodically to your dirt to get the most out of your plants.


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