Monmouth County's Ask the Doctor Spring Issue March/April 2018

2018 Garden Resolutions By Nicole Iuzzolino

H E A L T H Y H O M E

Spring is around the corner, which means the flowers will start to be blooming soon. It is about that time to whip out the gardening gloves and seeds to start planting. Gardening can be a bit of a process and a lot of work. But with a solid list of resolutions, you can get it all done in no time. Organization is the key to everything, and it certainly helps with gardening. Make a list in advance so you know exactly what you need for the season. Make a journal of your experience gardening each year. Maybe you sowed the beans too soon or waited too late to plant. By jotting down these notes you will improve your gardening skills every year. Another great thing to do is journal your observations. Maybe a certain type of butterfly prefers one of your flowers over the other. Maybe one plant you planted this year attract hummingbirds that you never got before. This will make you take time to appreciate the beautiful garden you put so much effort into doing. Also, adding some heirloom vegetables to your garden will definitely spice things up for you this spring season. Heirloom vegetables are open-pollinated, and passed down through the family for generations. Besides having massive amounts of flavor, you can save the seeds and replant them each year. If you did this with hybrid seed you would not get the same result. Plus, heirloom vegetables come with wonderful stories on how they came to the United States. You can grow a magenta sunset chard, sweet chocolate peppers, japanese white eggplant, and so much more! Another way to really add some character to your garden is by building a “bee motel”. It’ll be a little get away for all the little bees ready to pollinate your newly planted garden. Use hollow reeds or bamboo to make a little nesting place for them. It is the perfect way to attract bees to your garden. This is just a few resolutions to have for spicing up your garden this 2018. Remember to have fun and make the garden the way you envision it to be.

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