Choose a stepStep 1: Take advantage of your location, Step 2: Plan the design of your garden, Step 3: Grow the recommended varieties, Step 4: Get good seeds, plants, equipment and supplies, Step 5: Prepare and care for the soil properly, Step 6: Plant your vegetables well, Step 7: Reduce weeds, Step 8 - Control Plagues. Either way, work the soil only when it's moist enough to form a loose ball in your fist, but dry enough to fall apart when you drop it. Digging when the soil is too dry is a harder job and you can damage the soil structure if it is too wet. Use a shovel or fork to gently turn the top 6 to 8 inches of soil, mixing the organic matter from Step 4 at the same time.
Walking on prepared beds compacts the floor, so place plywood boards temporarily to distribute your weight evenly. Seedlings should never be allowed to dry out, so water daily. Regulate as plants grow. Transplants also need frequent watering (approximately every other day) until their roots are established.
After that, how often you need to water depends on soil, humidity and rainfall, although once a week is a good starting point. Clay soil dries out more slowly than sand, so it doesn't need to be watered as often. Sunny and windy conditions dry the soil more quickly than cold, cloudy weather. Still not sure? Feel the earth 3-4 inches below the surface.
If it feels dry, it's time to water it. Water slowly and deeply so that the water seeps in instead of running off. To minimize evaporation, water early in the morning. There are four simple steps to planting a garden: decide, locate, create and plant, and you know how to start on your own.
If you find that the area you want to plant tends to accumulate stagnant water, you'll want to build your beds to protect your soles from overly wet feet. If you want flowers because of their style, color and fragrance, decide if you want annuals that bloom most of the summer but need to be replanted every spring, or perennial plants that have a shorter flowering time but return year after year. Still, it doesn't have to be complicated; when you break your project down into manageable steps, you can dedicate yourself to gardening at your own pace. These steps will help you start from scratch, but if you have something in particular in mind, you can also use a garden plan to guide your design.
Loosening soil in new beds before planting or planting helps roots grow more easily and access the water and nutrients they need. As in real estate, planting a successful vegetable garden has to do with location, location and location. Once you've made a list of the plants you want to grow, pick up mail-order catalogs, search the Internet, or visit your favorite garden center to find seeds and transplants. Check plant labels or ask the staff at the local garden center to help you understand how much sun a plant needs.
There are really only four basic steps to planting a garden, and none of them are very complicated. Fast-growing plants, such as lettuce and beans, are also great choices for children because they produce remarkable results quickly. Since my younger sister started college this year, my mother should finally have time to create a vegetable garden where she can grow her vegetables and any other plants she wants. Local extension offices and locally owned nurseries are a great place to start your search for a planting guide.
To create single beds, many old school gardeners rely on the traditional practice of removing heavy layers of grass and then tilling and modifying the soil underneath before planting vegetable plants. Eliminate destructive insects (such as tomato worms) by removing them from the plant and dropping them in a bucket of soapy water, washing them with a hose, or spraying them with insecticidal soap purchased at a garden center. With a shovel, dig holes for the seedlings and make sure you plant them at the correct depth for each plant. .
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