Understanding Your Garden

There are two parts to understanding a plant’s basic needs. First you have to know what your garden conditions are and second you need to understand what plants will grow best in those conditions.

All plants have some basic needs, but those requirements vary among plants.  Think desert cacti and water lilies. They grow in two vastly different climates.   Plant tags on newly purchased perennials and annuals, or on seed packets usually tell you what kind of environment they like.

If you choose a plant that cannot grow in your garden’s conditions, it will not thrive. So first let’s look at understanding your garden’s conditions and what plants look for.

Sun

Does the plant like full sun, part sun, shade, or is it not fussy?  This is an important consideration often missed by first-time gardeners. 

One of the pieces of information on a plant tag is its sun tolerance. It may be full sun, part sun, part shade, or full shade. This is an important factor in deciding where to plant it. Some plants can tolerate more or less sun than their tag indicates, but that description is its ideal growing condition.

The best way to figure out what conditions your yard or patio has is to take note of the different areas at different times of the day and make notes on what parts are in sun in the morning, afternoon, and evening.

Planting Medium

Some plants like well-drained soil, some like water-logged (not many), and many like a nice, black, loamy soil.  If you are planting in a planter or pot, you will want a light soilless mix – garden soil is very heavy compared to the bag mixes you buy.  The importance of starting with good soil can’t be overstated.   Many people do not understand that soil gets depleted over time and if you start with depleted or poor soil, you will be disappointed.  Testing your soil will help you determine what you need to add to amend it. Know you need to start with the best soil you can.

Read more here: Soil and Soilless Media

Nutrients

These are the vitamins that the plant uses to stay healthy.  There are macronutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).  These are the three numbers you see on the label of plant fertilizers. There are also micronutrients that are important on a smaller scale.  It is important to understand that you will have to supplement your plants based on their individual needs and their stage of growth.

Read about Understanding Plant Fertilizer here.

Shop for fertilizer here:

Water

Plants draw water up through their roots, carry it through their stems and branches, and expire it through their leaves.  This is why it is cooler in the shade of a tree than the shade of a building. Trees are natural air conditioners! The process of drawing up moisture through the plant transports nutrients to the different parts of the plant.

Water Source

You need to have access to water. It can be a rain barrel or a water tap. The closer to the garden, the easier it will be to water. If it is too hard to haul water or the hose gets too heavy, you may find you neglect your plants and they will not do as well and may even die.

Too Much or Too Little

Too much water can lead to leaching of the nutrients out of the soil or waterlogged soil which causes the roots to rot.

Are your plants droopy? They may need water.  Without enough water the plant can’t stay upright – it is like its blood pressure is too low. Different plants have different moisture requirements (back to the desert cacti and water lily). 

The plant tag or seed package should give you a heads up on the plant’s requirements. Test your soil’s moisture content to make sure you aren’t over or under watering.

Water Properly

Water your plants deeply and consistently, but not too often. Shallow, frequent watering encourages shallow roots which are susceptible to damage and weakens the plant.

Another thing to watch for when you water is getting the leaves wet. This leads to disease like powdery mildew which can be very detrimental to your plants.

Growing Season

This is how long you have to grow your plant.  Annuals, fruits and vegetables are most concerned with this.  If a perennial is hardy enough to survive here, it will likely bloom within the growing season.  Some years we do get an early winter and the fall flowers are cut off short.

Choose an early variety for colder climates

Sweet corn varieties, for example, require a certain number of ‘heat units’ to produce full, ripe cobs.  Heat units are a measure of how much sunlight the plant gets. In shorter growing climates, like the Canadian Prairies, there are special varieties that need a shorter growing season than other varieties, often called ‘early’.  This information is found on the back of seed packets and will usually give the number of days it takes to get to harvest.

Know when to plant

Another consideration with the growing season is when to plant.  Some plants can handle light frost, some can’t.  Your vegetables and annual flowers will need to be planted at the right time or sheltered if the temperature drops.  You can find out the last frost date (estimated) through your local agricultural extension or by searching for it online. This date is usually around Victoria Day or “May Long” on the Canadian Prairies.  The first frost date is never a set date for the Prairies, so you will have to watch the weather forecast.  Most gardeners develop a habit of this and many rush out to cover tender vegetables and flowers.

Read How to Grow Your Own Vegetable Garden here.

Hardiness Zones

Perennials, which are plants that come back the following year (hopefully), have hardiness zones. Hardiness zones are a standardized classification based on an area’s first and last frost dates and overall winter temperatures. For plants to survive the winter their zone number has to be lower than or equal to the hardiness zone of the area.  For example, a zone 5 plant won’t likely survive in a zone 3 garden. 

Canadian Hardiness Zone Map

USA Hardiness Zone Map

There are exceptions because of micro-climates and special care taken to overwinter tender plants. Micro-climates occur in sheltered areas of your yard. But, in general, don’t buy plants that aren’t going to survive, unless you want to treat them with extra care or as an annual.

Confused by Plant Descriptions? Read this article.

Summary of a Plant’s Basic Needs

• Sun – light and heat received
• Soil – what type of soil do you have? Clay, sand, loam, rocky? Does it need to be amended?
• Nutrients – how much fertilizer will your plants need? Compost, powder or spray, organic are all options.
• Water– do you have a water barrel or hose bib close by? Will you have to carry water? Do you have a watering can? Water deeply and consistently.
• Growing Season – when can you plant your plant? Is it hardy enough to survive the winter or will you have to dig it up / bring it in? Will you just discard it or will it be harvested? Do you need to protect your plants for winter?
• Hardiness Zones – what is your last frost date and earliest frost date. Finding your hardiness zone

Find some great how-to gardening books here: