2021 New Year's Resolutions to Have a Healthier Year
It’s the new year (Thank goodness, am i right?) which means you’re probably thinking about all the ways you want to make 2021 the best year yet. With all that happened in 2020, your resolutions might be a little different than normal.
We’ve compiled some resolutions that would be helpful for you and your family this year, plus tips from the pros to help along the way.
GROW YOUR OWN VEGGIES:
With the craziness of 2020 and the shortage that we all faced when it came to many goods, learning to grow your own food crossed many people’s minds. We’re here to give you as many tips to make sure you have the best looking veggies around.
We are in January, so planting is still a bit away but the planning needs to start now!
When it comes to planning the location of your garden, here’s the big factors to think about:
Watering Ability - Making sure that you have access to a water source and that you can get a water hose to the garden location. If you want to take some of the hassle out of watering, you can have an irrigation system put in with a customizable timer.
Drainage - Make sure that the place you’re planting your garden isn’t clay or sandy soil. That’s a big no, no! You’ll want to look for a place that provides loose, fertile, level soil that is well-drained. This will set you up for a great garden base.
Sunlight - If you’re in the South Carolina area, you’ll want to make sure your garden is getting at least 6 hours of direct sun each day based on information from the Clemson Cooperative Extension.
Go Organic!
Now is a great time to start adding all those natural goodies to the site of your soon-to-be-blooming garden.
Adding dead plant material, herbicide free manure, or any rich composting material is a great way to give your garden a jump start before you even start planting.
Testing 1,2, 3:
Getting a soil sample is the perfect way to know exactly what you’re dealing with. It takes out all of the guesswork and allows you to give your soil exactly what it needs to thrive. Poor soil means sad plants!
REDUCE, REUSE, AND RECYCLE:
Composting is a win any way you look at it, which is why it’s a new year’s resolution we will always endorse!
The plus with this resolution is that if you’re also a gardener, it’ll help you accomplish those crop goals you have for yourself as well because it seems like everyone struggles with finding good soil for their garden.
Here’s some tips for you to create a healthy and beneficial compost.
Know the ingredients:
Browns - Dead leaves, twigs, and branches
Greens - Grass clippings, fruit and veggie scraps, eggshells, coffee grounds
Water - Mix with both browns and greens to create a healthy and useful compost
Below are some ingredients that you can use as your brown and green factors of your compost:
PRO TIP: You can download this list for free so you know what you can use in your composting.
Here’s 4 quick tips for composting:
If you are using the pile method, make sure that you stick to no smaller than 3’ x 3’.
Be sure to turn your pile every couple of days using a pitchfork.
Don’t let it dry out too much or get too soggy. If it’s starting to stink, then it’s too wet.
Try to keep your compost well balanced with equal parts of browns and greens.
Need a reason to jump on the composting bandwagon? Here’s some benefits of it:
Improves Your Soil Structure - I think we’ve covered this enough but, if you missed it… composting makes your soil sooo much healthier and more fertile. Your plants will thank you.
Adds Nutrients - Soil that is full of organic matter is going to produce so many vital nutrients that your plants would otherwise miss out on.
Water Retention - Heavy soils, like those with added compost are able to hold water better and reduce erosion and runoff.
Protects against Diseases - Soil enhanced with compost often produces plants with fewer diseases. They help control diseases and insects that would otherwise be an issue.
If you’re looking to have a healthier 2021….
Growing your own garden and creating a compost to go along with it are two great places to start. Gardens are a great project that you can get the whole family involved with and create something you’re proud of.
