Starting a garden is one of the most rewarding things
one can do. Whether you're planting fragrant florals or a starting a vegetable garden, anyone can benefit from getting their hands a little dirty. Spring is
a good time to begin growing and digging, although planning can take place
before the snow melts. Gardeners spend most of the summer watering, weeding,
and watching young plants grow. Fall is a good time to plant trees, shrubs,
bulbs, and some perennials. Here's how to begin a garden that's productive through every season.
Clear the Ground
Improve the Soil
Dig or Don't
Pick Your Plants
Put Them in the Ground
Water
Mulch
Keep it Up
Get an Idea
Is this going to be a vegetable garden? An herb
garden? A flower garden? If you choose to grow flowers,
do you want annuals, which you must replant each year but which give color most
of the summer? Or do you prefer perennials, which have a shorter bloom time but
come back year after year? You can mix any of the above—after all, it's your
garden. Just one bit of advice: Start small. 'Tis better to succeed just a
little, than to fail grandly.
Pick a Place
Almost all vegetables and most
flowers need about six hours of full sun each day. Spend a day in your chosen
spot and watch how the sun moves across the space. It might receive more sun
than you think. But don't despair if your lot is largely sunless; many plants
tolerate shade. Check plant tags or ask the staff at your
local garden center to find out how much sun a plant requires.
Put the garden where you can't
ignore its pleas for attention—outside the back door, near the mailbox, by the
window you stare out when you dry your hair. Place it close enough to a water
spigot that you won't have to drag the hose to the hinterlands.
Clear the Ground
Get rid of
the sod covering the area you plan to plant. If you want quick results, you can
dig it out, but it's easier to smother it with newspaper. A layer of five
sheets is usually thick enough; double that if your lawn is Bermudagrass or St.
Augustine grass. Spread a 3-inch layer
of compost (or combination of potting soil and topsoil) on the
newspaper and wait. It'll take about four months for the compost and paper to
decompose.
If you don't
want to wait or if the area is covered with weeds such as
creeping Charlie(Glechoma hederacea), you're
better off digging the sod out.
Improve the Soil
Invariably,
soil needs a boost. The solution is simple: organic matter.
Add a 2- to 3-inch layer of compost, decayed leaves, dry grass clippings, or
old manure. If you dig soil (see Step 5), till the organic matter into the
soil. If you decide not to dig or are working with an established bed you can't
dig, leave the organic matter on the surface and it will work its way into the
soil in a few months.
To learn
more about your soil, have a soil
test done through your county cooperative extension office.
They'll lead you through the procedure: how much soil to send from which parts
of the garden, and the best time to obtain samples. Expect a two-week wait for
their findings, which will tell you what your soil lacks and how to amend it.
Dig or Don't
Digging
loosens the soil so roots can penetrate more easily. But digging when the soil
is too wet or too dry can ruin its structure. Dig only when the soil is moist
enough to form a loose ball in your fist, but dry enough to fall apart when you
drop it. Use a spade or spading fork to gently turn the top 8 to 12 inches of
soil, mixing in the organic matter from Step 4. In vegetable gardens and beds
of annual flowers, turn the soil only once a year in the spring before you
plant.
Pick Your Plants
Some people
pore over catalogs for months; some people head to the garden center and buy
what wows them. Either method works if you choose plants adapted to your
climate, your soil, and the amount of sunlight in your garden. You can even
surf the Internet for plants to purchase. Here are a few easy-to-grow plants
for beginners:
Calendula, sunflowers,
and zinnias
- Perennials: Russian sage, lamb's-ears, black-eyed Susans, purple coneflowers, phlox, pansies, and daylilies
- Vegetables: lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers
Put Them in the Ground
Some plants,
such as pansies and kale, tolerate cold, so you can plant them in autumn or
late winter. Tomatoes and most annual flowers, on the other hand, are touchy
about cold, so don't plant them until the danger of
frost has passed in your area. Midspring and mid-autumn are
good times to plant perennial flowers.
Some plants,
such as lettuce and sunflowers, are easy to grow from seed. You can sow them
directly in the garden. Be sure to read the seed packet for information about
when to plant, how deep to plant, and how far apart to plant the seeds. If
you're an adventurous beginner, you can get a head start on the growing season
by sowing seeds
indoors before the last frost date. You can buy containers or
flats designed especially for seedlings, as well as seed-starting soil mixes
(available at garden centers). Follow seed-packet instructions, and place the
containers on a sunny windowsill or under artificial lights if you don't have
window space. Be sure to keep the seeds and seedlings moist but not wet (or
they may rot).
An easier
method is to buy young plants, called set plants or transplants. Just dig a
hole and plunk them in the ground.
Water
Seedlings
should never dry out, so water daily while they are small. Taper off as the
plants get larger. New transplants also need frequent watering—every other day
or so—until their roots become established. After that, how often you need to
water depends on your soil, how humid your climate is, and how often it rains.
Plants are begging for water when they wilt slightly in the heat of the day.
Water slowly and deeply, so the water soaks in instead of running off into the
street. To minimize evaporation, water in the early morning.
Mulch
To help keep
weeds out and water in, cover the soil with a couple of inches of mulch. All sorts of mulch are available,
from pine needles to cocoa hulls to bark chips. For a vegetable garden or bed
of annuals, choose a mulch that decomposes in a few months. For perennials, use
a longer-lasting mulch, such as bark chips.
Keep it Up
Your garden
is on its way. Keep watering when needed, and pull weeds before they get big. Fertilize with a dry fertilizer about
halfway through the season. If you use a liquid fertilizer, fertilize every
month or so. And remember to stop and smell the—well, whatever you grow.
https://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/garden-care/ten-steps-to-beginning-a-garden/
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