Projects for every gardener

Breaking new ground: vegetable gardens for beginners

Vegetable patches are suitable for new gardeners of all ages. Fresh shoots quickly lead to a sense of achievement – and to edible results! Among other things, they teach children to find their way around the garden, care for living things and appreciate the wide range of different types of vegetable.

Sunny spots are ideal for vegetable patches. It’s worth sketching out the bed on paper first in order to plan the layout and decide where different plants will go. Larger plants that take up a lot of space are easy to reach even when planted in the second row; smaller vegetables are best positioned towards the front.

Once the location has been identified and staked out, till the soil to the depth of a spade head. Roots and weeds can be removed with the combisystem Grubber-Rake, which offers two functions in one tool: the grubber on one side loosens the weeds, while the small rake on the other helps to remove them from the bed. Next, mix coarse sand into the soil to prevent the patch from becoming waterlogged, and then dig in some humus to improve the soil quality. Finally, mark out the rows according to the pre-drawn plan and tread down the paths between them. Slabs or flat stones can be used to make the paths weatherproof.

Clever vegetables

Low-maintenance vegetables that produce a bountiful harvest within a short period of time are particularly suitable for children and beginners. Radishes often ripen in just six weeks and are easy for little gardeners to pull from the soil, and lettuce can be harvested over and over again. Pumpkins and courgettes are impressive and have a reputation for growing practically overnight.

In addition to crop yields and the gardener’s personal preferences, consider the neighbouring plants when choosing what vegetables to grow. On top of providing variety, clever plant combinations can protect one another from pests. Vegetables and herbs that are well-suited don’t compete for nutrients and their metabolic products don’t harm their neighbours. For example, spinach is a team player with deep roots that create a fine soil layer for radishes or lettuce planted later in the year. Onions are all-rounders that work well with carrots, pumpkins, tomatoes and beetroot. Thanks to their fibrous roots, they won’t get in the way of deep-rooting vegetables like carrots either – and they also need different nutrients than their neighbours. Gardeners who enjoy decorative plants can also plant nasturtiums, which provide shade and eye-catching edible flowers.

Of course, vegetable patches don’t need to be confined to a specific part of the garden. Exciting edible neighbourhoods can also be planted and cared for in raised beds or on balconies.

Composting at home

In addition to care and water, plants need to be provided with nutrients before they can bear fruit or show off their colours. Experienced gardeners can make their own compost instead of relying on pre-processed commercial fertilisers. Home-made compost is cheap, good for improving the soil, and can be made in a compost bin.

The compost bin should be positioned in a sheltered and partially shaded area in order to ensure that its contents don’t dry out or get washed away by the rain. When setting up the bin, it’s important to make sure that insects and worms can access it. They help transform kitchen and garden waste into valuable plant food. Using a mouse-proof mesh prevents rats and larger vermin from getting into the bin.

Making the perfect fertiliser – layer by layer

There are a few things to consider when starting a compost heap. The bottom layer should be composed of cut-up branches and leaves, allowing air and crucial animal helpers to enter. This is followed by a layer of garden soil, which provides the compost with microorganisms. Only then is it time to add the kitchen waste: eggshells, fruit peels, tea leaves and coffee grounds, as well as small amounts of paper, make delicious snacks for the animal compost workers. Round off their meal with lightly dried grass clippings and mulched leaves. Garden centres sell compost accelerators (also called compost starters or activators) and rock dust to give the compost a loose consistency. These aid in decomposition and prevent waterlogging and bad smells, as well promoting a fine, crumbly texture. 

A few weeks after the compost heap has been constructed, when it has sunk by about a third, it can be sifted or turned. Both these tasks serve to aerate and mix the compost. With an ergonomic D-handle that allows soil to be worked easily and effectively, the ErgoLine Fork is ideal for turning compost.

After about nine months, the compost will be ready for use as a fertiliser. The smaller the fragments that go into the compost are, the quicker this process goes. Specially designed tool gloves offer a reliable helping hand when composting. The padded palms provide extra grip during the construction of the heap, when cutting up branches and when turning the soil, as well as helping to absorb impacts when using garden tools. To ensure a secure grip on the tools, the palms of the gloves are coated with silicone. On top of that, Gardena garden gloves are also certified to OEKO-TEX standards.

The queen of flowers: a job for experienced gardeners

Roses may be one of the most alluring flowers out there, but they’re also one of the most demanding. For that reason, planting a successful rose bed is a project for experienced gardeners. As with vegetable patches, it all starts with the planning. Roses can be planted in either autumn or spring, but in both cases, the soil needs to be free of frost. The site chosen should be spacious and sunny. In order to avoid soil fatigue, it should also be somewhere roses haven’t grown in the past. Roses need to be watered regularly. They tolerate continuously moist soil, but not waterlogging. Gardeners face an almost overwhelming choice when it comes to roses: shrub roses, hybrid tea roses, tree roses and groundcover roses are all options. On top of that, there’s the colour of the blooms and the intensity of their fragrance to consider. Gardeners who want to support birds and wild animals should choose single-flowering varieties or wild roses. These often produce rose hips, which provide a winter food source packed with vitamins. Companion plants provide the finishing touch to the bed.

Once you have decided what you want, stake out the rose bed and deeply till the soil. The NatureLine Spade is ideal for this. Its extra-wide foot rest and sharp blade allow the ground to be worked efficiently. The goal is to achieve loose, permeable soil that includes some loam, sand and humus. If the chosen site doesn’t meet these requirements, the ground will need to be improved. Following this, the Gardena combisystem Grubber-Rake is used to tackle and remove weeds and loosen the soil a bit more.

Roses and their court

Making a planting plan ensures that the crown jewels chosen for the garden have enough room to flourish. Soak the roots in water for a few hours before planting them in the new bed. Dig a generously sized hole and add some bone meal and compost to help the roses get started. After planting the roses, it’s time to bed in their neighbours.

Roses don’t like being crowded, so be sure to leave enough space between the plants. Lavender is a classic companion plant, with minimal nutrient requirements that support the growth of the neighbouring roses. Delphiniums are another attractive accompaniment to newly-planted rose beds. Once the roses have rooted deeply and are able to draw water and nutrients from deeper soil layers, herbs can be added to the bed as well. Combining the queen of flowers with ground-covering herbs such as thyme and oregano makes for a particularly enticing olfactory experience.

Rose gloves are indispensable for the planting and maintenance for roses. Puncture-resistant aramid material on the palms and fingers of the gloves, as well as long cuffs, protect hands and lower forearms when working with thorny plants.