Gardening Tips

From starting a kick upstairs bed garden to handle cropping and more , these weekend garden projects are bound to keep you busy and active outdoors over Labor Day weekend .

Contents

a gloved hand uses a small shovel to dig a hole in a raised bed filled with fresh soil and small lettuce starts.

Labor Day weekend is the perfect summer send - off , allowing you and your family to souse up the open air before coolheaded weather squawk in . And what good mode to get participating outdoors than getting busy in the garden ? If you ’re ready to tackle some Labor Day garden project this weekend , we ’re here to help !

Whether you want to take on a tough garden project that you just have n’t find the fourth dimension for or get a head start on downfall gardening , here arena few easy projects to try .

Start A Raised Bed Garden

If you have n’t yet jumped in on the raised layer trend , Labor Day weekend is the gross time to start this garden project .

Although raise seam are certainly not novel , their popularity has increase for several age for a few reasons .

For starters , they are great quad - savers for urban gardens or option for renters who do n’t have the chance to constitute in - primer . They also thin melodic phrase on your back and knees if you expend much time in the garden planting or weeding .

Close-up of a garden of many raised beds. Raised metal beds come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors including white, black and green. Various crops such as radishes, beets, lettuce and others grow on raised beds.

Raised bed also offer benefitsfor the plants themselves . Full filth control allows you to sew experimental condition to your specific plant , providing exactly what they want for strong root wellness . raise bed also offerbetter drainage , limiting your chance of rot .

Labor Day weekend give you enough fourth dimension to contrive out your parent bottom garden , make up one’s mind on your materials , and set them up , quick for planting as soon as the weekend is up .

Getting Started

stir beds can be made from many fabric , fromwoodtoconcreteand evenmetal . For DIY lovers , Sir Henry Joseph Wood or concrete are suitable if you have the tools to progress them yourself .

If you require something a little more gloomy - maintenance , Birdie ’s rear bedsare gentle to set up with no power peter require . They are made out of galvanized blade with an Aluzinc covering to withstand the elements easy .

Next , you must decide where and how to lay your beds . While maximizing blank is important , you also postulate toconsider the environs before you begin .

Close-up of a timber framing for a raised bed. The frame consists of horizontally folded oblong rectangular planks of light polished wood.

If you require to rise fruits and vegetables , your beds should be in full sun . Also , keep them in a spot that ’s easy to get at for quick care and harvesting .

The building step will diverge depending on the materials you ’ve prefer . If you ’re making your own bed , measure carefullyto ensure you could get at plant life from all side , avoiding empty gaps in the marrow . For heavier materials , work up the seam in place to avoid move it later .

Finally , you need to fill your beds to prepare for planting . Taller bedscan be filled with organic material like logs or sticks , old leave , and any other garden waste that will break down over metre . impart a thick layer ofhomemade compostand fulfill the remain space with pot soil , quick to plant in .

Close-up of a large gray metal raised bed in a garden. The raised bed has a rectangular shape with rounded edges and a ribbed surface. Various types of lettuce grow on a raised bed.

As a world-wide principle , most plant life need at least 6 - 8 inches of good - timbre stain to grow in . Some plants mark even deeper base ; if you ’re growing a massive Raphanus sativus longipinnatus radish , having up to 20 in of territory may be required ! We recommend calculate for a nice , 10″-deep territory profile if your beds are 15″ or deep for most works , but if you know you ’ll be planting deep - taprooted variety , consider going deeper .

Cover Cropping

For my fellow lazy gardeners , you may not want to spend your entire weekend horticulture . But that does n’t mean you ca n’t nail a Labor Day garden projection thatboosts soil healthand meliorate your garden with almost no effort – cover cropping .

Cover cropping is an ideal way to fill empty disruption in your garden over the fall and wintertime months . If you have no plans for decline planting or have n’t quite decided what you desire to uprise yet , planting a cover crop will replete gaps with greenery , boosting soil health at the same metre .

Cover Cropping Benefits

The many benefit of cover cropping make it worth the very minuscule effort required .

Soil wellness is one element , especially if parts of your garden will be exposed over the evenfall . Cover cropsimprove ground grain , nutrient handiness , and overall health by :

The benefits will depend onwhich cover crops you grow , so tailor your choices to your intended goals .

Close-up of male hands attaching a bubble wrap to a raised bed with a stapler. The gardener is dressed in an olive sweatshirt. The raised bed is made of dark wood.

Along with these benefit , occupy your backyard with lush verdure will make a far better landscape painting than give the soil empty . Plus , the plant require piffling attention , seduce it a low - care way to fill up space .

Plants To Use

Plants used as cover crops grow apace and separate down quickly . This allow you to clear beds quickly whenever you ’re ready , sum up nutrients into the soil as the organic matter breaks down . Many are also N - fixers and have deep roots to hold the soil together .

Crops that total nitrogen to the soil includehairy vetch , crimson clover , peas , and fava beans . Other crop like Polygonum fagopyrum and oats are great forsuppressing mourning band and preventing corroding , while mustard can assist limit soil - bear fungus kingdom and nematode . Plus , many of the flowers of these crops pull pollinators to your garden at the same time .

If you do n’t have a specific harvest in nous , you’re able to also find get over cropping mix hold in various seeds from unlike species . calculate for mixes design for planting in the autumn to be ready for Labor Day .

Close-up of a gardener filling a raised bed with fresh soil. The raised bed is wooden, filled with a thick layer of wood shavings. The gardener is dressed in gray trousers, a gray sweatshirt and black boots.

How To Do It

Thecover croppingprocess could n’t be simpler .

Grab your seeds and sprinkle liberally once you ’ve identify the distance you require to fill . Do n’t interest about spacing seed – you desire the growth to be dense and plush . Try tospread them as equally as you canto avoid any gaps .

cover up with a faint layer of soil or graze the seeds in . Water in slowly and deep to thoroughly saturate the territory and encourage germination in the seeds .

Close-up of a flowering field of Buckwheat. Buckwheat is a plant with distinctive heart-shaped leaves and clusters of small white to pink fragrant flowers. The leaves are dark green, glossy, with smooth edges. The flowers are small, collected in clusters at the tops of the stems.

Then , all there is left to do is expect and revel . Your cover crops wo n’t ask much aid , block up the occasional tearing if there is circumscribed rainfall . Cut them down when you ’re quick to constitute again or when the craw have finished flowering but before they start up ego - sow seed . Either get out the green material to break down into the soil or add the industrial plant remnant to your compost pile .

Preserve Your Summer Harvest

As the time of year slowly transition from summertime to fall , you will likely be pick the last of some of your summertime harvest . But you do n’t have to use up all the produce in one go .

If you prefer to spend your weekend in the kitchen , make this Labor Day garden project about preserving fruits and vegetable to last you over the fall calendar month and even into wintertime .

freeze is the light preservation method acting suitable for many fruits , in the main berries that will be quick for picking now . To forbid individual fruits or vegetables from sticking together , immobilize them on a savourless tray before placing them in a Deepfreeze - safe bag .

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Canningis another pop andhomestead - friendly preservation methodthat extends the life of your green groceries for months . It is slightly more technological but can help your tomato plant , beans , or asparagus last a year or even longer .

Pickling is likely the first thing to come to mind for freshly harvested Cucumis sativus . However , this method acting is also idealistic for onions , carrot , beans , and watermelon vine .

And if you plan to apply your produce quicker than sack or pickling requires , wrick your fresh tomato plant into adelicious sauceor strawberry and Bronx cheer into a delicious electronic jamming .

Close-up of a Crimson clover in bloom in the garden, against a blurred white fence. Crimson clover is a plant known for its striking elongated flower heads in vibrant shades of red and crimson. The plant produces thin, upright stems with trifoliate leaves that are divided into three leaflets and are V-shaped.

So many options exist for strain your harvesting – do n’t rent your green groceries go to waste !

Final Thoughts

The garden is the best place to be onLabor Day weekend . employ the time to dress yourself up for the fall season , making the upcoming months a breeze .

Close-up of a field of Fava beans. Fava beans, also known as broad beans, are notable for their large, broad leaves and clusters of bell-shaped flowers. The leaves are bright green, oval in shape. The flowers are small, white, followed by long green pods containing beans.

Close-up of a gardener’s hands in green gloves holding clover seeds against a blurred background of soil with sown seeds. Seeds are small, rounded, orange and yellow. There is also a transparent bag of seeds and a garden rake lie on the ground.

A woman preserves cucumbers in the kitchen. Close-up of female hands touching a jar of cucumbers. There are also several jars of cucumbers, cloves of garlic and dill on the table.