Three Essential Steps To Garden Success.

Career.

Romance.

Hang gliding.

Stamp collecting.

Whatever it is we undertake to accomplish, we all want to succeed in our endeavors.

Right?

It even seems to be hardwired into our very nature to be delighted by success...and repulsed by ( yikes! ) failure.

And such is the case with gardening, too.

 

All kinds of gardening, not just growing edible varieties organically.

Lush, green lawn : Smiley face. Five stars. Yard of the month contender.

Brown spots, crabgrass, and fire ant mounds : The albatross of failure.

And that’s just grass.

How much more important are the plants that you plan to grow organically, then bring inside and serve with dinner?

We’d like to think way more important. 

But whatever the case, if you take anything away from reading this article, let it be these three very simple - but very important - elements to success with growing plants of all kinds.

Something like 90% of success with growing plants is planting the right thing, in the right place, at the right time.

 

That might even be true for careers and romances, too.

But let us leave those topics to more qualified writers, and continue on with the gardening thread that we’ve begun.

What’s the right thing? 

The right thing is whatever it is you want to grow...that’s able to thrive in your cold hardiness zone. 

Let’s say you want to grow decorative palmetto trees in your front yard, for example. 

If you live in Charleston, SC, then go for it -  there are probably more than a few varieties of palmetto trees to choose from, there.

But, if you live in Maine, you’ll simply have to accept that palmetto trees aren’t an option, and choose another decorative tree that can survive Maine’s cold winters.

The same is true for annual and perennial edible varieties. Choose cultivars that will thrive in your cold hardiness zone. Resist the temptation to try to ‘challenge Mother Nature’ on this.

So, with a better idea of what to plant in our cold hardiness zone, now we’re we’re ready to continue down the path to success i the garden.

 

What’s the right place? 

If tomatoes is what you want to grow, and you live in the Charlotte area ( cold hardiness zone 8a ), the right place is an area that gets six or more hours of direct sunlight per day.

If you live in Charlotte, and want to grow decorative ferns, look for a much shadier, cooler area. 

Okay, so now we’re cooking with gas. We understand the ‘right thing’ and the ‘right place’.

What do we mean by the planting at the ‘right time’?

 

Well, as in so many of life’s endeavors, the old maxim ‘timing is everything’ is especially true with gardening. 

 If you live in the Charlotte area, the right time to plant cold-hardy, leafy green seedlings - like lettuces, arugula, and spinach  - is in the early spring and in the fall. Planting these varieties at these times of year will set you up for a successful organic garden.

Late spring and summer would be the wrong time to plant these same varieties in Charlotte. Planting these varieties then would almost certainly result in an epic garden fail - wasting both time and money.

 

Hers’s another example ; Autumn is the ideal time to plant trees here in the Charlotte area - because they'll have months of mild weather to get established in their new environment, and begin to grow new roots before the onset of hot weather the following summer.

Late spring or summer would be considered by most growers to be the ‘wrong time’ to plant trees in Charotte ( edible or decorative tree varieties ) because the hot daytime temperatures would stress the newly-transplanted trees and make it much harder for the trees to survive in their new environment - even if you planted the right kind of tree, in the right place, AND had drip irrigation to water them.

Timing is key with organic gardening, and we’ve found that good timing - along with choosing the right plant and putting it in the right place - pushes your chance of success in the garden well over 90%.

So, if you live in the Charlotte area, want to have a successful organic garden, and you’ve ever thought or said things like :

”I really want an organic garden, I just don’t know where to start”.

“We’d love for our kids to grow their own organic produce, but we want to make sure the garden is successful”.

“I have a brown thumb - everything I try to grow dies”.

“We tried growing an organic garden last year....but it didn’t go so well.”

Don’t worry - we’re here to help you succeed. 

In the garden, anyway.

 

Our cedar garden beds with installation, always include the critical first step of identifying the best site on your property for an organic garden ( Right place ).

And very often, shopping for, and planting your seedling selections. ( Right thing, right time ).

New growers seem to prefer this service, which we’re happy to provide. Experienced organic gardeners may already know that early May is the perfect time to plant tomatoes and basil in the Charlotte area, and will plant their own seedlings once we’ve completed their raised bed installation. 

 

The many organic gardeners in Charlotte area that fall somewhere between novice and expert, may simply need advice or reminders on what varieties to plant, and when to plant them in their new cedar garden beds. 

Whatever the case may be, we want your organic garden to thrive, and we work hard to ensure that it does.

That helps us both ‘grow successfully’.

Right thing. 

Right place. 

Right time.

Give these three concepts the thoughtful consideration they deserve, and you’re more than well on the way to success out in the garden.

Maybe even in your career and in hang gliding, too.