Gardens are often the pride and joy of their owners – for good reason! It takes a considerable amount of effort to create a beautiful and well-maintained garden. However, looking nice and providing a relaxing place to unwind are not the only benefits you can reap from your garden. You can get good use out of the fruits your garden bears – literally!
Not only can a garden provide beauty and relaxation, there are also practical benefits that come from investing time, energy and a little bit of money into your garden. Whether you’re a newcomer to gardening, or have a lot of experience under your belt, we all can benefit from a garden. Regardless of your level, here are some tips to plant a super useful garden:
- Plant food
Of course! Planting things we can consume is the first thing we think of when dreaming of the possibilities a garden can bring. Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and courgettes are very common vegetables that millions of gardeners plant each year. Start with these if you are a beginner.
More advanced gardeners can grow and harvest perennials (since they need a different kind of long-term care). Everyone should take on the challenge of growing herbs – some are more difficult than other – but they have many practical applications for you to take advantage of.
You should also try to think outside of the box – could you grow other, more obscure edibles? Think about planting teas, spices or edible flowers to decorate your salads. This is a great way to impress your foodie friends!
- Plant DIY gift materials
Are you a bit of a DIY freak? Don’t worry. Crafts are hip these days, and you can combine your love for gardening with your love for homemade decorations (and other products)! You can grow fruits to be dried and packaged up with straw for lovely presents.
Some plants serve multiple purposes – you can eat beetroot but also use it as dye for tie-dying clothing! Take cuttings from beloved plants and give them as gifts, or dry things like herbs to give in little bottles – lovely to add amazing flavours to any meal, especially when they are home-grown!
If you save your seeds, you can also transform them into a lovely present by spacing them out on biodegradable tape, which makes seed tape so you can easily plant them next year (or give it as a gift!).
- Plant medicine
Plants have also been used as natural medicine sources for millennia , and you can also use them (but if you’re really feeling poorly, do visit a doctor before self-administering plant remedies). There are different ways they can be used – in teas, creams or tinctures. You can find instructions on how to make these online.
The first and most popular is the calendula plant, otherwise known as Marigold, which can be used in creams to reduce skin irritation. You can also incorporate it into teas since it is anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and helps to calm irritated digestive systems. If you suffer from heartburn, this could really help you too.
Another useful medicinal plant you can cultivate in your garden is the spilanthes plant, also known as the toothache plant! This is because it causes numbing sensations when chewed, and gives relief from toothache -it could be useful if you suffer from tooth pain! It is also sometimes used with Echinacea plants as an immune system booster!
- Plant garden helpers
There are some plants that simply make your gardening life easier, like wormwood, which is a great weed killer. Other plants like dill are great for beneficial insects. This means that they attract the kind of critters you want to have to help your other plants pollinate, grow and thrive! Think about the symbiotic relationship between your plants and use it to your advantage!
Nasturtium is a plant that works as a trap against aphids, which, if you’ve ever suffered from aphid plights, you’ll recognise as a godsend. You can also use rosemary to ward off many pests, by virtue of its strong scent which can also be used to great effect in the kitchen!
If you haven’t got the time or inclination to do the research yourself, you can employ a gardener to do this, and other garden services for you!