How to Keep Your New Plants Alive When Gardening

Gardening, whether it’s flowers, trees, shrubs, or vegetables, can seem rather simple. Or perhaps you struggle to keep anything green!

There are some things you can do to make sure your plants thrive.

Here are some basic tips for your outdoor garden that can help you keep your new plants alive.

1. Prepare your soil. Make sure it is tilled and ready for planting. It is difficult for plants to grow in extremely hard soil conditions.
2. Fertilizer – Make sure your soil isn’t depleted of nutrients. Consider compost or fertilizer to make sure you have appropriate nutrients to grow your plants.
3. Purchase plants appropriate for your growing climate. We look for zone 3 or 4 plants here in central MN.
4. Get your plants in the ground soon after purchase. As long as the air and ground temperature is ready for planting it is best to get your plants transferred to their desired location soon after purchase.
5. Space your plants appropriately. On many seeds and plants you’ll find a recommendation for how far apart to space when planting. Follow these guidelines to give space for growth.
6. Watch for bugs. If you see bugs appear on your plants, get rid of them. Ask us for natural remedies along with sprays and powders that can help eliminate bugs.
7. Prune away dead portions of plants.
8. Water properly – take into consideration the plants you have, your soil conditions and rainfall. Be careful not to over or under water.
9. If you’re growing fruits or vegetables make sure to pick your produce when it is ripe to allow it to keep growing and providing nutrients to the new growth.
10. Cleanup your garden in the fall to eliminate opportunities for mildew to grow.

We love digging into gardening.

These tips should help you get a good start. Enjoy your planting. Ask us if you aren’t sure what to do with your plant. We like keeping them alive!

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Learn more about the plants available from Pear Tree Nursery