Congratulations, you’ve seen some growth—or you haven’t yet— but now there are things to do to maintain the garden and care for it properly so you don’t lose your leafy children.

You can start a garden, but you can’t just leave it alone. Just like children, the plants don’t just grow up on their own, and they need a bit of guidance to sustain their livelihoods. That can come in forms of weeding, fertilizing, watering, and many other forms of maintenance.

Every plant is susceptible to different things and in different ways. Are they overwatered or underwatered? Is there another plant growing near it that you need to get rid of or move because of spacing or, heaven’s forbid, it’s not something you planted? What about how many nutrients the plant is getting from the soil— is it enough or too much?

Do you want to stand there with a hose or make an irrigation system?

Many gardeners are just fine standing there with a hose or watering can to water their plants, but not everyone has the time, patience, or even finances to do that. Water costs money, and your water bill may not be the most thankful for you starting a garden. The plants still need to get watered though so there are different options to consider, and you should really pay attention to the water pressure you’re using.

Ever stood under a shower that pelted you with water or had a friend or family member spray you from a hose that had a jet option on the nozzle? Being hit with a high-pressure stream doesn’t always feel good, and while the stream of water you’re using to have fun in your yard doesn’t hurt you, there is potential of damaging the stems and leaves of your plants. Settings that mimic rain or even mist won’t damage the smaller, more fragile plants and can even keep the leaves and petals moist.

Plants are suggested to get about an inch’s worth of water every week, but that isn’t for all plants. The plants that require moist soil or are water-oriented often need around two to three inches in order to keep the plant from wilting or drying out if they aren’t the type to be submerged. You can be fancy and use that expensive hose nozzle you got during a holiday, or you can set up an irrigation system.

The most effective irrigation system is drip irrigation. It conserves water and while it’s a lot of work to set up in the beginning, it’s the most cost-effective method for you, your plants, and your water bill. There are kits available to help you set up a drip irrigation system available at your local hardware stores.

I have to put more dirt on top of the dirt?

Yes and no. Mulch can sometimes look like an extra layer of soil that a gardener has arranged on top of the soil they have already toiled over, but there is a different consistency and combination of components that separate them. Mulching is when you cover soil with a protective layer of organic or inorganic materials like bark, wood chips, straw, or stones.

It not only helps the soil retain moisture but also suppresses weeds, maintains soil temperature, can assist with nutrient enrichment, and helps control erosion from outside elements. Not to mention it adds a sort of aesthetic that can be clean and more put together than just having the soil exposed. The two types of mulches, organic and inorganic, meet different needs for different gardens, but ultimately can be mixed to some capacity.

Organic mulches consist of wood chips, bark, straw, hay, grass clippings, shredded leaves, or moss. Each of these elements can change the nutrient levels of the soil over long periods of time, so deciding what components to use can make organic mulches difficult to figure out or compose. It’s best to keep in mind what your soil is already like and what your plant needs in the long term.

Inorganic mulches consist of gravel, stones, plastic sheeting, or landscape fabric. These items don’t necessarily add anything to your soil but are greater deterrents to weathering and the sprouting of weeds. It is also easier and cleaner to get rid of weeds that slide through the cracks.

What’s the difference between treating the soil and fertilizer?

Your soil is your baseline, what you know you’ve spent time on and what you’ve (supposedly) tossed and turned over. However, it doesn’t always meet your plant’s needs and may require a boost here or there. Treating your soil is what you’ve done before you even placed roots in the ground; it’s what you’ve placed into the dirt to control moisture, drainage, and initial nutrient levels. Fertilizer is that short-term boost that you give your plants because you see them struggling.

Fertilizers are where you start getting into technicals, numbers, and measurements. There are organic and inorganic fertilizers, just like there are with mulches, but these may add to whether you have an ‘organic’ garden or not. Organic fertilizers are just as they sound and come from natural sources, while inorganic fertilizers are chemically synthesized to fill your desired needs quicker.

Organic fertilizers consist of manure, compost, peat, or green manure. Organic fertilizers have slow nutrient release times, and their process can be sped up by mixing them with an inch of topsoil around your plants. Manure can be made up of cow or chicken fecal matter, while green manure is made from grown plants that are plowed into the soil to enrich it. Compost is decomposed organic matter that you can get from plant residues and kitchen scraps, while peat is partially decayed plant matter you’d find in wetlands.

Inorganic fertilizers can be based on Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, or all of the above, but can be specialized for certain types of plants based on their needs. Nitrogen-based fertilizers are essential for plant growth as nitrogen energizes the plants. Phosphorus-based fertilizers assist the plants in using the nutrients they get and encourage root growth. Potassium-based fertilizers focus on enhancing the plant’s health, disease resistance, and the vigor of the plant.