How To Start A Home Garden

Posted by admin | Gardening Tips |

How To Start A Home Garden

So you love gardening and would like to try your hand at it, to test your green thumb? I doesn’t have to be a frightening experience. With the right gardening tips you’ll find yourself turning into a master gardener in your own right. One of the biggest mistakes that beginner gardeners make is that they bite off way more than they can chew. It’s no surprise then that their vegetable garden project never gets off the ground (pun intended). So remember this, which is pretty much “easy gardening for beginners 101″: start small; this principle even applies if you’re a more seasoned gardener nut are trying to grow a new garden (maybe you’ve just moved to a new house, or are helping out a friend who’s struggling with potted gardening.

We suggest a small plant bed covering an area of approximately 25 or 30 feet square. This is an ideal size as is provides just enough room for about 30 plants, a very manageable number for your gardening efforts. This way, you will be testing your green thumb. You won’t be overwhelmed by the size of the garden and get worn out, and you won’t have an unmanageable number of plants to take care of. As it turns out, if you find that starting a garden has provided you with a pleasurable experience, then you can consider expanding (space allowing) and/or buy gardening supplies and seeds to grow your very own vegetable garden or exotic flowers.

Now that you understand that gardening in small spaces is the way to go for beginners what you need to do is choose a site. Unless you’re going to try plants that grow in the shade, you’re better off doing your gardening in an area that gets a good amount of sunlight, six hours at a minimum. While we’re on the subject of adequate sunlight, keep in mind that large trees will not only block your plants’ sunlight, but they will also deprive them of water and other necessary nutrients. So you definitely want to keep away from them, and at least three feet from any fences or buildings.

On the other hand, if you happen to live in a hot climate, then it might be advisable to place your garden in a spot where they will be shaded from a part of the intense afternoon sun. While you totally can have a healthy garden with even ten to twelve hours of sunlight (been there, done that), the type of plants you’re growing must be the type that can handle that king of exposure to the sun. When it comes to soil, the rules are quite simple. If you’re lucky enough to have a spot where the soil is already good and nutrient-packed, then it’s all the better. If not, you can always purchase topsoil from a nursery. Soil types that should be avoided include rocky soil (not enough nutrients because it’s mostly rock), steep slopes (raised garden beds are an option though), or areas where water stands.

Now is the time to (literally) get down and dirty; this is the part where you do the actual digging. If you’re thinking that you get get away with not getting dirty, think again: gardening is not a clean hobby and you’d better make sure your nails are as short as possible or you’ll be removing a lot of dirt from under them. First order of business is to get mostly everything out of the way; that includes rocks, debris, and any grass and weeds. Your future gardening area should be dug up about one foot deep. Once you’ve taken are of that, level up the soil and add compost or minerals if need be.

You have to adjust your soil to the type of plants you’re going to grow, and one of the measures you need to pay attention to is the pH of your soil. In a nutshell the pH (potential Hydrogen ions) level of your soil determines whether it’s acidic or alkaline. It’s a measure of the amount of lime (calcium) contained in your soil. Generally, soils in moist climates tend to be acid and those in dry climates are alkaline. A soil with a pH lower than 7.0 is an acid soil and one with a pH higher than 7.0 is alkaline. Different types of plants require different degrees of soil acidity, and some plants are very sensitive to soil pH.

Testing your soil pH is fairly straightforward. You can bring a sample of your soil to a garden center or the gardening section of a nearby hardware store. You also have the option of buying an affordable pH test kit (inexpensive pH test kits are available at most hardware stores and nurseries). Instructions will be given to you on how to properly use them so you can get a fairly accurate reading of your soil’s pH. Once you have determined the soil’s pH level, you can change it to accommodate the plants you’ll be growing. You’ll either have to raise the soil pH to make it more alkaline, or lower it to make it more acidic.

To “populate” their new garden, many people opt to use seeds. Gardening seeds can be purchased from seed catalogs, which offer a wide variety to choose from. Seed and planting catalogs offer planting advice as a bonus. Now if you buy seeds, make sure you plant them exactly the way you’re instructed to in the directions. Some other people choose to buy live plants. Before you go out on a plant shopping spree, remember the aforementioned pH advice and do your plant search. Don’t forget to compare plant prices from different nurseries. When it’s time to actually pick the plants plants, make sure you check them thoroughly and choose ones with green, healthy looking leaves and stems and healthy roots.

When selecting how to properly place your plants (sort of a planting zone map), make sure you put the smaller plants towards the front of the bed and larger ones in the back. One more thing to keep in mind is that one of the most important keys to being a successful beginner gardener is planting at the right time. Make sure the frosts are out of the way before you start planting. And if you are planting seeds, check what the package says. Odds are, on the package you’ll find detailed instructions that will tell you exactly when to plant them to achieve maximum growth.

Once you have started gardening and have started getting some experience and seeing some results, make sure your plants grow and keep growing by giving them proper watering. Garden watering by hand only works well if you have but a few plants. As your garden grows, you should look into sprinklers or sprinkler hoses otherwise you will not be able to keep up. Watering is more effective during the cooler parts of the day, such as dawn or dusk. According to what type of plant you’re growing, you’ll have to do a little research to determine how much watering is needed, but most will do just fine with about an inch per week. During the hottest periods of the year, plants will be need watering about three times per week to avoid withering.

Finally, one of the most helpful things to add to a garden is mulch or compost. Mulch is a protective cover placed over the soil, mainly in order to protect it from harmful effects of the local climate. As much as possible, consider using organic mulch. By organic mulches, we mean those that used to be living material (bark, straw, leaves, manure, grass clippings, pine needles, just to name a few). These organic mulches improve the soil by adding nutrients as they decompose and encouraging earthworm activity. Organic mulches aren’t perfect, though. If you have problems with rodents, you may want to choose an inorganic mulch. In very moist climates, organic mulches may hold too much moisture. The excessive moisture will encourage slugs and snails, and may even cause the stems of your plants that come in contact with the mulch to rot. Using a few inches of the right type of mulch will improve fertility and help the soil hold moisture.