Starting a small garden is one of the most rewarding projects you can do; you’ll find yourself learning so much about the more delicate forms of life. Ultimately, you will experience an unmatched sense of pride and accomplishment when you witness the life you’ve nurtured grow before your eyes. Furthermore, you’ll save a lot on groceries once you start growing your own crops. Since you know where your crops come from, you won’t have to worry about chemical additives and preservatives ruining your health. However, starting a garden is no easy task, so here’s a step-by-step guide you help you get started.
Decide What to Plant
First and foremost, you’ll need to decide on the kind of plants you’ll grow. The preparation that a vegetable garden needs will vary greatly from planting herb or flower gardens. Furthermore, if you do settle on vegetable or herb gardens, you’ll need to pick the crops you’ll plant. It will do you little good to plant crops that won’t contribute to your dinner table, so you’ll have to take your family’s taste into account. If you settle on a flower garden, then you’ll want to pick them according to the colors they’ll contribute to your overall landscape design.
Pick a Suitable Location
Before you dive into planting, you’ll need to survey your yard daily to observe the way the sunlight hits different places. Most vegetables need 6-8 hours of sunlight daily, so you’ll want to pick a location that gets enough sun exposure. Other plants need shade or partial shade to grow. If you want to have more options at your disposal, the UK’s leading supplier of greenhouses recommends installing a greenhouse. Greenhouses can be purchased readily-made and assembled without much hassle, giving you more freedom to pick your crops and flowers, regardless of seasonality.
Prepare the Garden Bed
You’ll need to prepare the garden bed to welcome the new plants. You have two approaches to take: quickly get it ready by cutting out the sod covering the area to be planted, or use newspaper to smother the grass, although it’ll take some more time. If you’re in hurry to get the crops, cutting the area is faster and will achieve the desired effect. However, if you still have more time on your hands, then using newspapers can be easier to do. You may also consider opting for an artificial grass installation.
Tend the Soil
To get the best quality veggies and plants, you’ll probably need to improve the soil by adding some fertilizers. Most residential soil is short on beneficial minerals, water, and nutrition, so you’ll have to get it tested and treated according to the results. Once treated, you’ll need to work the soil to prepare the beds for the upcoming plants. Working the soil through digging or tilling will make it more plant-friendly, as it makes it easier for the roots to grow and access nutrients and water.
It’s Time to Plant!
Now that the soil is ready, it’s time to start planting. First, you’ll need to pick the seeds and/or plants you’ll grow. While some people get stuck for months looking through catalogs, others simply get out and buy whatever steals their breath from the garden city. You can do whatever works for you, given that the plants you settle on are adaptable to your yard’s climate, sunlight, and soil. While planting seeds can be rewarding in the long run, many beginning gardeners opt for buying young plants and growing them instead.
You’ll have to keep in mind that most plants and flowers are seasonal, so you’ll need a backup plan. If you don’t want your garden to look empty during the offseasons, you’ll want to either plant annuals or alternate the crops according to the season.
Maintaining Your Garden
With your seeds and plants in place, all that’s left is to maintain your garden until the harvest is ready. One of the most important tasks you’ll need to carry out for your garden and landscape maintenance is watering your plants. You will be able to take care of this yourself with a few landscape supplies without too much trouble. The seedlings should never be left to dry out under any circumstances, so you’ll have to keep a daily reminder of watering your plants, either through irrigators or manually. Covering the soil with a couple of inches of mulch is also a great idea for keeping the moisture in while keeping the weeds out.
If you’ve decided to start your own small garden, then there’s a lot of research and studying ahead of you. Growing a garden takes a lot of care and knowledge. To avoid ending up with undesired results or seeing your plants die, be sure to choose the right plants, provide them with a suitable environment, prepare the soil, and maintain your harvest.