Business, construction, medicine, education, or just about any other endeavor has them. They are called “tricks of the trade.” You know, they're those little shortcuts that make life go so much easier. Gardening is no different. Whether it be seed handling, season extenders, tools, or fertilization, the tricks you learn make all the difference.

Perhaps the first trick comes before the first seed is ever planted in the ground. Understanding yourself - energy level, strength, knowledge, personal preferences, etc. - can make a real difference in how you operate. The size of your property, its orientation, soil type, available equipment, and available capital are all considerations that can point you in one direction or the other.

It is nice to have lots of wonderfully fertile land, massive power equipment, a great greenhouse, or the latest new gadget. Truth is, none of this is necessary to be successful when it comes to your garden. You can grow in pots on a porch, in small raised beds, on steep hillsides, or in soggy bottomlands. The trick here is to understand what your plants need to grow and how to adjust that growing environment.

Let's talk about limited space and poor soils. Learn to grow successfully with these limitations and you can grow almost anywhere on a larger scale. The simplest way to grow is to do so on top of a marginal area with either a raised bed or a raised mound. In these specially prepared areas you can use your own available soil or you can buy bagged material in which to grow. Commercially available fertilizer works, or if you're thinking organic, bone meal, blood meal, rock phosphate, wood ash, or that wonderful mix of rotted material called compost can make almost any soil or location work. Keep in mind that growing in small spaces can be intensive. Walking space is all that is necessary. Equipment turnaround space is not important.

Now that we have a place to grow, it's time to consider when and what to grow. Virginia weather seems to limit our spring growing season. This past February we were dealing with snow on the ground. In June, 90 degree temperatures were causing problems. Have you ever considered changing the season in which you grow a crop? Fall works extremely well for crops like broccoli, cabbage or cauliflower. The largest onions grown in Virginia are started in the fall and overwintered to produce a bulb the following spring.

New technology now allows us to change the growing environment using season-extending techniques. For a fraction of the cost of a greenhouse, you can create a microenvironment using cheap electrical conduit and either row covers or plastic. The ancient practice of using soil blocks of different sizes to get an early jump on the season is now reappearing in both the United States and Europe. This system allows you to start with a small soil block that transplants into the top of the next larger size up to a four by four inch transplant. This alone can give a month jump to the season or it can increase the possibility of succession planting using the same soil.

Vegetable gardening depends a great deal on growing from seed. Some seeds sprout easily. Others can be a real problem. Did you know that beet seeds actually have a coating on them that inhibits germination? The simple procedure of washing beet seed before planting greatly improves your germination success. Peas (and in flowers, sweet peas) benefit from soaking the seeds. In heavy soils, planting radishes and carrots in the same row helps break up the soil crust and at the same time marks the row before carrots can be seen. The radishes are long gone before the carrots are mature.

Don't you dare throw those egg shells away! Filling the shells with soil or potting mix and using them as a growing container saves you from having to purchase peat pots or trays. When the plants are big enough you just stick the whole thing in the ground. As the plants grow and the shells break down, calcium is slowly added to the soil. Another great use for egg shells is to crush them and place them around rosemary or other calcium-loving plants.

Visit the gardening section in any bookstore or check our website and you are sure to find a number of books and a couple of radio spots on companion planting. It's just a fact that some plants grow better in combination with other plants. The reverse is also true. Some plants don't do very well planted near other plants. Herbs and vegetables work in some excellent combinations. For instance, tomato and basil offer mutual benefits to both plants. Daffodils and tulips work against voles. Garlic seems to like roses. Raccoons prefer you not plant pumpkins in the corn patch. Planting a large area of mint or other smelly herb as a border repels some insects. Even plants like artemisia (or wormwood) repel the dreaded moth.

Certain problems are universal to all gardens. Wind, weeds, and moisture are some that come to mind. Wind relates directly to moisture and poor plant growth directly to an abundance of weeds. Protection of plants from harsh winds offers multiple benefits. Flowers suffer greatly from wind damage. In smaller areas, bales of hay or straw can create a wall of protection against damaging winds. If you decide to try this method, be sure to place the strings to the side to avoid contact with the ground. Planting a permanent hedge or even a seasonal crop of rye between the prevailing wind and your plants just might make the difference between success and failure. Planting lettuce on the north side of a corn patch offers protection from the hot sun and prolongs the growing season.

Weeds! WEEDS! THOSE EVERLOVING WEEDS!

Prevent them. Get 'em early. Or, lose your religion! Prevention is probably best. Newspaper spread around your plants offers some protection. Mulches of straw, leaves, bark, or gravel work in certain situations. Planting an understory crop such as white Dutch clover or other beneficial soil improvement crop reduces weeds and increases the soil's organic matter content. Early removal of small weeds is an absolute must.

Earlier we mentioned equipment. In hand tools, not all hoes are created equal. While a potato hoe and blade hoe are probably considered the absolute basics, there are two others that make life so much easier. These are the circle hoe and the collinear hoe. The circle hoe may be used on small to medium size weeds. The collinear hoe, however, is for absolute on-time weeding of small weeds. A little practice with this hoe lets you fly down the row saving both time and money. The other time and money-saving piece of inexpensive weed-whacking equipment is a stirrup hoe attachment to a single wheel-push plow. This piece of equipment is as fast as a tiller when removing weeds.

And now a few final tricks: When transplanting young tomatoes, put two-thirds of the length of the stem into the soil for a strong, healthy plant. Save those wood ashes. Plant your herbs in pots. Cover fall greens with leaves and remove the mulch in early spring for the earliest crop possible. Use composted oak leaves or pine needles to lower pH. Always check the pH. Clean up the garden each fall. And remember, nutrients and a little water go a long way toward success. Above all, HAVE FUN!