Gardening is a fun, healthy and rewarding activity. However, without the right knowledge, it can become difficult, stressful and frustrating. Everyone from newbies to experienced growers can learn valuable information from tips and tricks. This set of tips will really help you see an improvement in your garden and possibly teach you something you didn’t know before.

To keep your plants from getting shocked, you need to gradually introduce them to changes in temperature and conditions. You need to give them about an hour of sunlight during the first day. Throughout the week, gradually increase the time they are spent outside. After a few more days, your plants will be more resistant and ready to stay outside all the time.

To protect your crops from being ravaged by pests such as deer and other nuisance animals, be sure to fence your garden securely. A good fence will also keep other people from trampling your crops, or worse, stealing them. If you have burrowing pests like gophers, you may want to use raised beds for your vegetables.

To keep dirt from getting under your fingernails while gardening, reach for a bar of soap beforehand! As much as we all love gardening, none of us really enjoy all that soil that gets stuck under our nails that can be so challenging to remove. Simply claw a bar of soap before you begin working in your garden and when finished, run your hands under water and as the soap washes away, so does the dirt!

Grow from seeds. In garden centers, it is usually much cheaper to purchase a packet of seeds than to buy the equivalent number of grown plants. Remember, if you sow some seeds before the summer, you can get a garden full of bright, colorful flowers for a very cheap price.

Create a convenient cleaning station next to your outside faucet or garden hose. Collect all of your old soap slivers from around the house (or simply use a whole bar) and place in a plastic mesh bag. You can often find these bags in the produce department of your favorite store for storing vegetables in the refrigerator, or in the laundry department for delicates. Hang the bag near your hose, and the mesh works as a scrubber as well as containing the soap for an easy hand washing station.

When buying a shade tree, buy a smaller seedling that has been grown in a pot. Buying a larger tree seems like a better idea, but it has to be dug out of the ground. This damages the root system of the tree, so it spends its first growing years replacing those roots. The potted seedling, however, can immediately start growing new leaves and branches.

With just a little bit of help, gardening can become easier and more fulfilling. The previous tips were just a few examples of how you can add a new set of tricks to your information arsenal and really make a different with your garden. Every little bit of info can make a big impact.