Drawing upon more than 10 years of experience, Wanda Tineo is a New York-based independent real estate agent who previously worked with Kennedy & Kennedy. Beyond her professional pursuits, Wanda Tineo enjoys growing flowers and maintaining a vegetable garden. Growing your own vegetables can help offset expensive grocery bills and is easier than you might think. Below are three important things to consider when starting your own garden:1. Plant crops in triangles - In order to achieve maximum yields, planting in triangles is ideal. It allows you to fit nearly 15 percent more plants in each bed compared to planting in rows or square patterns. However, be sure to space plants out enough so they have enough room to reach their optimal size.2. Pick an area that receives lots of sunlight - You can still grow some herbs and leafy crops in shadier areas. However, it's important to pick a location in your garden that receives at least eight hours of direct sunlight per day. This is particularly the case if you plan on growing tomatoes, peppers, or cucumbers. 3. Include insect-friendly plants - Insects like butterflies, ladybugs, and bees can help boost crop pollination and improve the health of your plants. To attract them, be sure to include insect-friendly plants in your garden. Some examples include zinnias, sunflowers, and sweet alyssum.
Wanda Tineo attended the University of Scranton, where she studied political science. Drawing on an insurance background, Wanda Tineo now works as a real estate agent. In her free time, she enjoys gardening.To prepare a garden for the winter, gardening enthusiasts can take several steps: -Remove rotten plants. Plants that are no longer alive can harbor disease, pests, and fungi. By removing them, unwanted critters won’t hatch in the spring and cause problems during the following growing season.-Dig up invasive weeds and throw them away.-Prepare the soil for the spring by digging in manure, compost, bone meal, kelp, or rock phosphate. Additives left in the soil over winter have a chance to break down and enrich the soil prior to the next planting season.-Some gardeners plant cover crops such as rye or clover. These crops can prevent soil erosion, break up compound areas, and increase levels of organic matter. In addition, they can add nutrients and increase levels of available nitrogen.-Perennials can be pruned as appropriate, depending on species.-Bulbs can be divided and planted.-Mulch, traditionally applied in the spring, can be reapplied leading up to winter. The mulch reduces water loss, protects soil from erosion, inhibits weed growth, and protects plant roots.-Trees and shrubs can be planted during the fall, since roots continue to grow during cold weather.
