Garden Longer

BY: NHGC

Here are more tips from National Home Gardening Club members that will help you garden for a lifetime:

In the January/February 2006 issue of Gardening How-To, we listed 10 tips to help you garden longer. Here are more tips from National Home Gardening Club members that will help you garden for a lifetime:

Make larger beds
I made the flower beds bigger so there is less lawn to cut. I also mulch, mulch, mulch to keep those weeds down.-Josette Giacobbi, Columbia, SC

Wear an old granny hat
For protection from the sun, I finally bought a real gardening hat-the kind that "old grannies" wear. It's a straw hat with a large brim and a pretty blue ribbon. I also use a folding stool that converts into a kneeler with handles on both sides to give me extra support to stand up. I turn the kneeler upside down and it becomes a stool! Even though I'm getting to be a "golden oldie" it doesn't change my love for gardening. -Deborah Olson, Grand Ridge, IL

Build a raised bed
My husband made me a little 4-foot by 8-foot garden and put landscape boards around each side. It is on the ground this year, but we plan to add a board or two in height each year until it is the right height for sitting around. As it gets taller, we'll add compost to keep the soil rich in nutrients. -Cindy Beaver, Williamsport, PA.

Take time to smell roses
I get more done in my golden years than when I was younger. I do a little at a time, then sit back, relax, look at the flowers-then go back and do a little more. I used to work most of the day and never had the time to enjoy the flowers. Now I take time to smell the roses and not see the weeds so much. Gardening is more enjoyable now. -Barbara Hotmire, Ridgeville, IN

Deadhead in your bathrobe
I start my summer mornings with a rich cup of coffee and a peaceful mosey through the yards, deadheading spent blooms as I go. I putter in the garden in a full-length bathrobe-I don't care what the neighbors think! If someone is peeking at me that early, they deserve what they see. I do more container gardening because they're easier to work with, plus it's easier to control watering and fertilizing. I dig fewer holes because it makes me ache in body parts I've forgotten about. I use soaker hoses and try to never water plants overhead. -Felicia Volkman, Port Angeles, WA

Use less grass
Our advice is less grass, more gardens, and more mulch. We can't sustain many hours of gardening at one time, so we have nine seating areas over an acre or so. When we get tired, we sit and enjoy the gardens while we take a cool drink of iced tea.- John and Marcie Weichman, Branchport, NY
Compiled by Gail Johnson

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Current Articles \| Archives \| Search Garden Longer BY: NHGC 0 Here are more tips from National Home Gardening Club members that will help you garden for a lifetime: In the January/February 2006 issue of Gardening How-To, we listed 10 tips to help you garden longer. Here are more tips from National Home Gardening Club members that will help you garden for a lifetime: Make larger beds I made the flower beds bigger so there is less lawn to cut. I also mulch, mulch, mulch to keep those weeds down.-Josette Giacobbi, Columbia, SC Wear an old granny hat For protection from the sun, I finally bought a real gardening hat-the kind that "old grannies" wear. It's a straw hat with a large brim and a pretty blue ribbon. I also use a folding stool that converts into a kneeler with handles on both sides to give me extra support to stand up. I turn the kneeler upside down and it becomes a stool! Even though I'm getting to be a "golden oldie" it doesn't change my love for gardening. -Deborah Olson, Grand Ridge, IL Build a raised bed My husband made me a little 4-foot by 8-foot garden and put landscape boards around each side. It is on the ground this year, but we plan to add a board or two in height each year until it is the right height for sitting around. As it gets taller, we'll add compost to keep the soil rich in nutrients. -Cindy Beaver, Williamsport, PA. Take time to smell roses I get more done in my golden years than when I was younger. I do a little at a time, then sit back, relax, look at the flowers-then go back and do a little more. I used to work most of the day and never had the time to enjoy the flowers. Now I take time to smell the roses and not see the weeds so much. Gardening is more enjoyable now. -Barbara Hotmire, Ridgeville, IN Deadhead in your bathrobe I start my summer mornings with a rich cup of coffee and a peaceful mosey through the yards, deadheading spent blooms as I go. I putter in the garden in a full-length bathrobe-I don't care what the neighbors think! If someone is peeking at me that early, they deserve what they see. I do more container gardening because they're easier to work with, plus it's easier to control watering and fertilizing. I dig fewer holes because it makes me ache in body parts I've forgotten about. I use soaker hoses and try to never water plants overhead. -Felicia Volkman, Port Angeles, WA Use less grass Our advice is less grass, more gardens, and more mulch. We can't sustain many hours of gardening at one time, so we have nine seating areas over an acre or so. When we get tired, we sit and enjoy the gardens while we take a cool drink of iced tea.- John and Marcie Weichman, Branchport, NY Compiled by Gail Johnson Comments There are currently no comments, be the first to post one. Post Comment Only registered users may post comments.