As a child, I used to tag along with my mother while she worked in her vegetable plot. When she let me plant some tomato seedlings and they grew into bushes taller than me and bore beautiful big tomatoes, I was hooked on gardening.
My friends now call me the Happy Gardener, and I like that. It is a good description of me and the way I feel about gardening. If you are a gardener in Trinidad and Tobago you are no doubt also a happy one. We are fortunate to have a climate that not only allows us to garden right through the year, but one in which plants thrive.
This new biweekly column is intended to help you improve your gardening skills and to be as happy a gardener as I am.
In the weeks and months to come, I will be sharing with you my experiences and knowledge garnered from years of intensive gardening and voracious reading of garden literature. I will discuss a wide range of topics such as: plant propagation, container gardening, vegetable and herb culture, landscaping, bonsai plants, lawn maintenance and pest and disease control.
Ideal Climate
With monthly rainfall of100mm in the dry season and 200mm-250mm in the rainy; a temperature ranging from 18 degrees Celsius at night to 34 degrees during the day; and with daylight for at least twelve hours every day, your garden should flourish.
With some imagination, creativity, knowledge of plants and a bit of work, you can create a beautiful garden.
Model Garden
A model home garden nowadays contains most if not all of the following features: a good balance of flowering and foliage plants, a neat lawn, well prepared beds, a vegetable plot, fruit bearing trees, garden statuery and furniture, a water feature, potted plants, a greenhouse and a compost heap.
However, do not be daunted, as few people have such a garden. A simple garden can be just as gratifying. Doing whatever gives you enjoyment and makes you happy is what matters.
Container Gardening
The majority of gardeners do not even have a garden; they practice container gardening, which is the most common form of gardening. The main reason for this is limitation of space.
In most homes you can find potted plants on the porch, in the living room, on windowsills or hanging under the eaves.
Gardening is a wonderful pastime. Let’s garden and be happy.
I hope that you will become a regular reader of this column. And by so doing, become a keener, better and happier gardener, more aware of the environment.
If you have any gardening news or tips you would like to share, or if you are having a problem in your garden, e-mail me at thehappygardner@tstt.net.tt
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