At Lazy Susan, we are amateur horticulturalists at best, and that is why we will often defer to our resident gardening guru Lee aka The Garden Ninja.
Our expertise is garden furniture and the patio design side but, we love our gardens, they all go hand in hand, and so this year we are turning over a new leaf.
We’ve set ourselves some gardening resolutions for 2024. They will help us better plan and achieve our green-thumbed goals, and we thought it would be nice to share them to help you turn over a new leaf too.
Mind, making a New Year resolution is the easy part, sticking to it is the real challenge. Our advice is to take small steps and build up to the bigger stuff slowly.
Here we’ve got 12 great ways that some of the Lazy Susan team are doing just that. Why don't you pick a few and also try to make some positive changes in your garden?
It would be a challenge to tackle all in one go, many of them, like us, you’re probably already doing too, so pick a few that resonate and take it from there:
Resolution 1: Plan & Organise
Try creating a garden plan for the year, including planting schedules, crop rotations, and garden layouts. This is a subject we tackled back at the start of 2022 with our Plan for the year ahead in your garden post. We’re old-fashioned and prefer pen and paper but there are some great gardening apps you can use too.
Resolution 2: Try Something New
We want to see more people experimenting with new plant varieties, gardening techniques, or types of gardening (such as container gardening or vertical gardening). One of the things we are big fans of at Lazy Susan is introducing more trees into our plots and we listed some of our faves in our Why we should all be planting trees in our gardens article.
Resolution 3: Improve Soil Health
If you want to make some big changes in your garden in terms of what you grow, then start by focusing on enhancing soil fertility. Incorporate natural compost, organic matter, and cover crops. Consider getting a soil test kit to guide you and best adjust accordingly.
Resolution 4: Conserve Water
By implementing water-saving practices, such as installing a drip irrigation system, collecting rainwater, and choosing drought-tolerant plants, you can save money and help the environment. Our How to conserve water in your garden article shares several ways we can water our gardens more efficiently.
Resolution 5: Grow Your Own
Try increasing self-sufficiency by growing more fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Start a kitchen garden or expand your existing edible plant patch. Our How to plan a small vegetable plot article is a great starting point, and in that, we look at things like soil preparation and succession planting.
Resolution 6: Attract More Pollinators
Create a pollinator-friendly garden by planting flowers that attract bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. If you want to get the kids or grandkids involved, our How to build a bug hotel post is a great place to start.
Resolution 7: Reduce Chemical Usage
We would encourage all to minimise the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers. Explore organic and natural alternatives for pest and weed control. As we stated in our Our top sustainable gardening tips and ideas article:
“It still amazes us that any gardeners, especially those growing fruit and veg would want to use artificial fertilisers and pesticides. Surely we want to maximise bio-diversity and create a garden that is a thriving ecosystem? If you do one thing, ditch the chemicals for organic alternatives. We guarantee your plot will thrive without them and without harming the environment.”
Resolution 8: Make Our Gardens Wildlife-Friendly
Designate an area for wildlife habitat by incorporating bird feeders, bird baths, and native plants that attract birds, butterflies, and other creatures. Lee shared some great tips in his Winter gardening hacks for wildlife back with his very first article for us.
Resolution 9: Maintain Gardening Tools
One many of us forget to do or simply neglect but clean tools work better, last longer and save us money. Why not give them some regular TLC in 2024? Give them a good clean, sharpen and edges, and properly store your gardening tools to keep them in good condition for now and in the future.
Resolution 10: Embrace Sustainability
Why not adopt more eco-friendly gardening practices in 2024, such as composting, mulching, and using natural pest control methods? We always think we are doing enough, but we can always do more, and this is a subject we looked at in our top sustainable gardening tips and ideas article.
Remember to tailor your resolutions to your specific gardening space, climate, and personal preferences. The key is to set achievable goals that bring you joy and satisfaction throughout the gardening calendar.
If you have any photos of your Lazy Susan furniture in your garden then we would love to see a few snaps for our Do Some Good charity campaign. You can tag us @LazySusanFurniture on Instagram or Facebook or Upload Here.