At this time of year, you’ve probably driven past several landscapes and gardens that look absolutely fabulous. The wheels start turning in your head about how a garden would look on your property. Maybe you want to have a batch of fresh fruit and veggies on hand without worrying about heading to the grocery store, or you want a flower garden to brighten your landscaping. Whatever your reason for starting a garden is, you can get one started today! Here’s a beginner’s guide to starting any garden:
1. What do you want to grow? You have a lot of choices when it comes to starting a garden. You can choose from flowers, veggies, fruits, and herbs to fill up the space. The important thing to remember is to research what you want to be added to the garden. Not every plant is the same. Some need bright sunlight for as long as possible, while others need to stay in the shade. Generally, you don’t mix flowers in with fruits and veggies, but it comes down to what kind of space you have and all of the plants being used.
2. Choose the right spot: Choosing the type of plants and the garden kind of go hand in hand. Are you planning in an area with lots of sunlight, or is it going to be shadier? Maybe you want to stick with potted plants or raised grow beds if you don’t want to affect the main lawn. The area needs to be easily accessible for regular watering and maintenance. It needs to be away from or sectioned off from the activities in the yard to its protection.
3. Not every soil is created equal: Most plants will grow okay with whatever soil they’re in, but they won’t flourish. The reason why there are so many types of soil is that each plant has different nutrients it needs. That doesn’t mean that you have to buy soil for each plant, but if you’re mainly planting veggies, get one geared towards that.
4. Get Planting! So you have the plants, the spot, and the soil. Now the fun part begins! This is where you start planting your flowers, veggies, fruits, and herbs. You can have everything in a specific order or have a little fun mixing and matching the plant colors. If you don’t like it, later on, you can change things around. If you have annual flowers, each year can plant something different to liven up the space! Get creative and don’t be afraid to get a little dirty!