Gardening Fundamentals: Watering, Pest Control, Soil, and Weed Prevention

Master these four pillars, and your garden will flourish with less effort and fewer problems.

Water at the Right Time

Early morning or early evening. Less evaporation, better absorption. Never midday.

Plant-Based Pest Repellents

• Ants: Mint, tansy, pennyroyal.
• Slugs: Prostrate rosemary, wormwood.

Feed the Soil Properly

• Nitrogen: Leaf/stem growth. Deficiency = stunted; excess = lush foliage, no flowers/fruit.
• Phosphorus: Root development, bulb flowering.
• Potassium: Overall vigor, disease resistance, stress tolerance.

Test soil. Amend precisely.

Pre-Emergent Herbicide for Weed-Free Beds

After thorough weeding, apply pre-emergent. Stops germinating seeds; ignores established plants (>3″). Reapply per label. Minimal labor, maximum control.

Simple science, spectacular garden.