Home & Garden Tips
Yard & Garden Resolutions for 2008
By Roosevelt McWilliams County Extension Agent

Gardeners are known to stick to their New Year's resolutions. They're eternal optimists. They always see the next year as being better than any before. Here are a few yard and garden resolutions. I know you have your own.

Regardless of the type of yard or garden, proper planning is the key to success. Outstanding gardens and landscapes rarely happen by accident. So if you pro- pose new plants for 2008, draw up a plan this winter.

Please consider the number one factor. How much water does it need? Other factors to consider are the height and spread, hardiness, preferred habitat, and maintenance needs for the plant.

Winter is a great time to put together a maintenance calendar, for the existing landscape plants and the vegetable garden. This will assure that they're cared for properly and remain attractive and productive.

Depending on what types of plants exist or may be in future plans, consider pruning, fertilizing, weed control, dividing and reseeding, and how these practices fit into your schedule. Another important thing to put into your yard and garden resolutions should be sound pest management practices this year. Start by always identifying ways to manage it. Management may or may not include pesticide use.

When using pesticides, resolve to always use extreme care and follow all label directions. The label tells you how to mix, apply, store and otherwise handle the product. Don't assume pesticides will be the cure-alls to problems. Consider them as one potential tool in a complete plant management program.

Think about improving your yard and garden soils this year. Poor drainage, compaction, low pH lack of nutrients and large amounts of clay are among the problems facing landscape and vegetable-garden soils. Consider soil testing, adding organic matter and following proper watering and fertilizing programs.

One important resolution is to maintain your landscape with less water. Think about drip irrigation combined with mulches. You can't beat it. Another gardening year, which saw a variety of problems showing up on yard and garden plants, has passed. A lack of water was by far the most pressing problem in Georgia gardens.

We're still going to enjoy gardening. Let's just do it more wisely.