Pick up your trowel and drop your drawers!
I’m on the edge of my seat with anticipation, MARtians! The annual World Naked Gardening Day is mere hours away, and as your favorite gardener (I hope) – I want to shed light on my tips for success in this outstanding celebration.
Many of you are asking, is this a spoof? Is there such a holiday that combines Mother Nature’s bounty in both the plant and human world? The answer is, YES! World Naked Gardening Day is for real, people. It is an annual, international event celebrated on the first Saturday of May. It’s nude, its natural, its the best of both worlds.
While I take my gardening seriously, that doesn’t mean I can’t have a little fun every now and again. With a schedule as busy as mine, blowing off steam is a requirement. My personal take on World Naked Gardening Day is, of course, a demure and classy version of naked gardening: I’ll be wearing nude and neutral tones, lol. (Don’t worry, no shocks for my neighbors.) Whether you‘ll be gardening clothed or au naturelle tomorrow, here are my suggestions for what needs to be done this time of year:
- Before getting into the swing of things, plan to have the right tools at hand. If you will be trimming your hedges, get a proper pair of clippers and keep them at the ready – cleaned, well sharpened and oiled. Here’s a quick guide on trimmer care. Be careful with hedge trimmers. It is all too easy to lop off the wrong thing.
- Looking to fertilize the garden? Be sure to have the correct blend of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Plants have their own particular predilections. Like people, every plant is different and thrives under different blends of these three main elements. There are fertilizer buying-guides on the web that can help you.
- Weed carefully! You don’t want to pull out anything important. Only remove those plants that threaten to overwhelm the desired florae. There are a lot of weeding techniques, but I like to use a tool well made for the job. A long slender knife with a forked end and narrow blade helps you target that weed at the root. The less soil you disturb, the less likely you are to activate additional dormant weed seeds.
- Don’t forget the sunscreen. This should be pretty self-explanatory. The FDA recommends a sunscreen of SPF-15 or higher. Reapply every two hours or as needed.
It’s all about having fun – in the end. So, watch out for yours, and enjoy the great outdoors in the suit you were born in, or a reasonable facsimile thereof.
As always,
Keep It Casual, MARtians!
