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Making a garden is such a wonderful pastime. It is something that you can enjoy all your life. Each year you get that same special feeling as the seeds you planted begin to shoot up their first green sprouts.
Even your very first garden can be successful if you carefully plan it and put some hard work into it. In the beginning, it would be best to pick out the flowers or the vegetables that would grow best in your area. This wills help to avoid any bare spots in your garden. I would also suggest that you start small so that you are able to care for it.
Gardening can be a year round projedt. You can start in the winter by planning you garden. Through the spring and the summer you actually plant and maintain it. Then in the fall you will be ready to reep your harvest.
If it is a flower garden that you are looking for, you can plant either a bed or a boarder. A bed can be in any shape that you like. The beginner should start with a rectangular garden because it is really the easiest. Some thing thay you might put in your garden is: Rows of tall flowers like asters, zinnias, smapdragons, or marigolds.
You might choose to have an informal garden. This type is made up of many different floweres. They will be of different heights, colors, and smells. Many times this type of garden will be refered to as the Englis garden. Some of the flowers that you may find here are: Pansies, hollyhocks, marigolds, foxgloves, and candytufts. If you have a really large garden, you could have a grass path or two going through it. This will make the yard and the garden tie together.
You can use a border of low-growing flowers to edge a walk, driveway, or lawn. You can even use them to accent a garden of taller flowers.
Even if you decide to plant vegetables, you may want to start small. Start out by growing just enough to feed your own family. This is what is called a kitchen garden.
If you want to, you can raise vegetables and flowers together. You could use your flowers as a border around your vegetable garden. Some vegetables will even look good in a flower garden. Carrots would look good in a flower garden because of their foliage. Peppers can also be a good source for decoration. Another great idea would be to add a trellis. You can teach certain flowers and vegetables to climb. Some examples of climbers are: Sweet peas, morning glories, cerry tomatoes, and cucumbers.
When you have decided the type of garden that you want, you have to decide where to put it. The best plan would be to put it close to a good source of water. It would be a good idea to have it where there are five to six hours of sunlight a day. That would make a spot with a southern exposure the best.
You will need to make the ground almost level with just a little slope for drainage. Make sure to stay away from area’s that are hard to work in. That would be those with a lot of tress, shrubs, and or large rocks.
After you have decided on and prepard the where, you must begin to map out the how. What do you want your garden to look like? The best size for a flower garden would be tree feet by twelve feet. A vegetable garden should be approximately twelve by sixteen feet.
When you are chooosing what to plant in your garden and where, it will be important to know how long your plants will live:
Annuals: grow from seed to flower/then die in one year.
Biennials: grow and die in two years.
Perennials: live for several years.
It is a good idea to plant each type of flower in your garden as they bloom at different times of the year. That way you should have something blooming at all times.
When you are planning your garden, you must keep in mind the dates you will need to plant them. You can use the instructions on your package as a guide. Some can be planted before the last killing frost and others must wait until the ground is warm.
Some to the things that you will need for your garden are as follows:
Seeds and bulbs
Spade and (or) shovel
Hoe
Fertelizer
Duster or sprayer
With all this done, it is now time to start making your garden. You may need to turn your grownd over depending on whrere you decide to plant. It the soil is already rich, you will not need to fertilize, but if the soil is poor; you will need to do something about it. You can use anyone of the following:
Compost
Manure
Commercial fertilizer
Compost is made by piling lawn clippings or leaves in a sheltered spot until they rot. You can then spread this on the ground. If you use manure, you will need one hundred pounds of manure for every one hundred square feet of garden. For the commercial product, you can just follow just follow the directions.
When you are digging your garden, you should dig about twelve inches deep. It is best to dig when the ground is dry and crumbly. Also it is a good idea to di this in sections.
When you are ready to plant amrd off the rows by placing a string on the ground as your guide. Using a how, make a shallwo grove in which to plant your seeds. Make sure that you do not plant your seeds too deep. They only need to be about 1/4 inch deep. Then lightly cover so that they can pop through easily.
Having beautiful flowers and good vegetables will be the reward for all of your hard work.
Your garden should be watered right after you plant. Then, you should water them with about an inch of water a week. If it does not rain at least that much, them give your garden a good watering once a week. Make sure to give it a good soaking so that the water goes all the way down to the roots. Remember that the best time to water is early morning or late afternoon.
After your plants have started to grow, rake the soil around them very lightly. This will make a dust mulch and it will help to keep the ground near the root dry.
If you are using enough mulch, you will not need tocultivate your garden and there should not be too many weeds to pull.
If you are not using mulch and you do need to cultivate, make sure not to do it when the ground is too wet. It will cake and make it more difficult for the seeds to grow.
It would also be a good idea to spray your plants once in a whild. This is to prevent against fungas and bugs. You should start this when the plants are only a few inches high. You know the old saying; “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Fix the problem before it starts.
After a lot of hard work and a job well done, you will be ready to harvest. Vegetables should be harvested when the crop is at it peak. Make sure you pick your vegetables when they are dry. Then you need to store them in a moist place.
While you are sitting back and enjoying your vegetable crop, don’t forget to bring in some of those beautiful flowers. They will be sure to brighten up any room.
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