14 Easy New Year’s Resolutions For Gardeners

Gardening is an amazing way to slow down, relieve stress, get exercise and live a more simple and healthy life. Growing your own plants and vegetables is incredibly empowering and rewarding.

The new year is the perfect time for avid gardeners or wannabe gardeners to set resolutions to ensure that 2021 is the best year yet in the garden.

Continue reading to learn 14 resolutions you can make for your gardening hobby this year.

1. If you’re not a gardener, become one!

If you aren’t a gardener yet, then make your resolution to simply become one! You don’t even need to have a backyard to start gardening. There are countless flowers, herbs and vegetables that can be grown in pots.

Take advantage of all the wonderful benefits that gardening has to offer like connecting with nature, de-stressing and living a more conscious life. Plus the feeling you get when you watch your plants grow is hard to beat!
There are so many varieties of plants and vegetables that are easy to grow for beginners. For more tips on how to start your first vegetable garden click here.

2. Join a gardening club

If you are already more of a serious gardener, consider joining a gardening club in 2021 to take your commitment to the next level!

Join a community of like-minded people to share your love of gardening with, inspire new gardeners and learn new tips to implement in your garden.

Some garden clubs are involved in local community projects such as planting gardens at parks, some may also offer gardening classes. You will also make a bunch of new friends in the process!

3. Plant at least one native plant

New Zealand is home to so many beautiful native plants which are perfectly adapted to the climate and soil in your garden. They can be easily grown with little fertilizer and won’t require much extra watering.
Celebrate the native plants of New Zealand and create a garden that is better for the environment and more in tune with the climate that you live in.

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4. Create a compost bin

If you don’t already have a compost bin, 2021 is the year that you need to start one! Save all your food scraps for the compost bin to create a nutrient-rich substance which can be used in the garden to enrich the soil.

Compost reduces the need to use chemicals, controls erosion and provides a habitat for earthworms to thrive.

Plus it costs absolutely nothing to create your own compost and helps to reduce waste that ends up at the landfill.

5. Volunteer at a community garden center or at local schools

Volunteering at a community garden center or teaching kids in school how to garden is a useful way to share your knowledge of gardening with others.

Gardening has enriched your life in so many ways, so pay it forward in 2021 and help others and future generations learn the basics of how to garden.

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6. Reduce your lawn area

Lawns are high-maintenance and cost a lot of money to maintain with all the mowing and watering. If you have a big lawn consider replacing some of it with shrubs, perennials or vegetables.

This will help you cut your mowing time and save you on watering when there is no rain because no one likes a brown lawn!

Select the area of the lawn you want to replace and cover it with compost, leave it for some time and within a few months, the area should be ready for planting.

7. Leave grass clipping on your lawn and keep them out of the landfill

For the lawn that you do keep, leave the grass clippings where they land. As they deteriorate, the leaves improve the soil and provide nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These are all essential elements that you would otherwise have to get from fertiliser.

You’ll save so much time, have a healthier lawn and save the clippings from the landfill!
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8. Commit to growing one new fruit & one new vegetable variety

If you are a creature of habit and tend to stick to the same fruit and vegetable varieties in your garden, mix it up in 2021! Select one new fruit and vegetable variety and commit to growing it.
You will expand your knowledge, learn new skills and maybe find a new family favourite!

If on the other end you are already over committed in the garden and know you try to plant too many new things each year do the opposite. Pledge to not plant any new edible varieties and nurture what you already have.

9. Plant at least one flower for the bees

Bees need all the help they can get from us! And our very survival depends on them so plant some new flowers for the bees. Their numbers are dropping rapidly due to pesticides, climate change and parasites to name a few.

Look for plants that bloom in spring, summer and autumn. Bee-friendly flowers include bee balm, crocus, salvia, zinnia, allium, poppy and cosmos. Bees also love herbs like rosemary, chives, thyme and lavender.

Plus it is always a good idea to have flowers planted around your vegetable garden as the bees do an excellent job of pollination for you!

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10. Add a new sustainable method to your gardening routine

Sustainable practices are the way to go in 2021 and your garden should be no exception! When you work in harmony with nature you will find the health of your soils improves and your produce will be abundant and of high quality while minimising the impact on the environment.

There are many sustainable practices you can implement in your garden like usage of natural fertilisers like neem oil, or installing a rain collecting device to water your garden with, reduction of your lawn area and using manual labour to cut down on equipment that uses petrol, composting garden waste and so much more!

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11. Learn one new thing about gardening every week or month

Commit to increasing your gardening knowledge in 2021 by learning one new thing a week or month depending on how keen of a learner you are!

There are numerous blogs, books and YouTube channels which share so much valuable and up to date information on gardening so you can really level up your gardening skills and knowledge this year.

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12. Get serious about planning

Do you like to wing it when it comes to the garden? You may have had good results from doing this but you also may have made some mistakes and ended up wasting resources and space.
Planning can really help with this! Instead of impulsively buying seeds, seedlings, plants and other materials, make a plan of attack for what you want to plant, where to plant it and how much you want to plant before you head to the garden centre.

Take seasons, the climate and the environment into account when planning for your garden.

13. Keep a gardening diary

Leading on from planning, take your garden organisation to the next level by keeping a gardening diary. Stop relying on your memory when it comes to keeping track of your garden.

Keep a record of when you plant, sow, feed, water your garden and any other ways you take care of each of your plants. Take note of how your plants grow and harvest.

Write down each year which crops you have produced and sketch them out so you know where they are. You can then use this information to rotate crops the next year.

Keep a list of pests that you had to deal with, the types of weeds, what worked well, what didn’t work well and any other details and that will help you.

14. Upgrade your tools & materials and take care of them

There is nothing more motivating than having new gardening tools to kick start your 2021 garden. Have a look through your current tools and identify what you need or deserve to upgrade and just do it!

Have all the tools and equipment you need to create a thriving garden with enjoyment and ease. Also, make it a part of your resolution to take care of your tools and to store them neatly. Give your garden shed the makeover that it deserves so your motivation to get in the garden this year is sky high!

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There you have 14 easy New Year’s resolutions you can implement in 2021 to ensure you have a thriving garden this year. And for any extra help that you may need in getting your garden thriving, you can always rely on ezy peazy to get a professional gardener in your area to lend you a hand.

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