Gardening is a great opportunity to experience nature and grow your own food. Like many other activities, though, getting started often involves a learning curve. One Reddit user brought their struggles to the internet and got some great advice.
In a post on the r/plantclinic subreddit, the original poster stated that this was their "first time with an outdoor garden" and shared a photo of their new tomato plants in a raised bed. The plants appeared to be small, with no tomatoes on their vines yet. The Reddit user asked, "What am I doing wrong here?"
If you've ever been a novice gardener or tried out new plants, you're probably familiar with this question. Gardening can be a fun and healthy pastime that offers the benefits of stress relief, improved mood, and physical exercise, but it can take practice. It's exciting, though, to reap the rewards of your work, whether that's tasting food you grew yourself or gazing upon a beautiful garden in bloom.
Since there's already so much to learn when starting a garden, one way to save yourself time and money is by opting for native plants. Native plants thrive without excessive maintenance, fertilizers, or weed killer. They also require less water, keeping gardeners' water bills down.
Reducing water consumption is also great for the environment. Rewilding an entire lawn, or even a part of one, will reduce consumers' water needs and supply pollinators with a healthy ecosystem. When pollinators are able to do their jobs effectively, they protect our food supply.
Another tactic that also offers these eco-friendly benefits is installing a natural lawn. Options such as clover and buffalo grass are alternatives to turf grass that save consumers time and money and help the environment.
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To find out what plants are native to your area, visit the National Wildlife Federation's native plant finder. Once you've started your garden, if you have questions or concerns, there are communities online, including the r/plantclinic subreddit, that can help.
In response to the OP's question, commenters provided plenty of advice.
"Tomato plants need more water when in raised beds," one Reddit user said.
Another user shared encouraging thoughts: "Your first year is exciting! You're going to experiment and learn so much and then apply everything for an even better garden next year!"
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