How to Start a Garden

Gardening is the No. 1 outdoor hobby in the United States. If you are a new home owner or just want to find out what all the hoopla is about, here are a few tips on starting a garden of your own.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Spading Forks
• Garden Hoses
• Shovels
• Plants
• Fertilizers
• Compost Makers

1. Start small. Choose a sunny spot in your yard not larger than 5 feet by 5 feet. Gardening can be frustrating if your space is greater than your experience.

2. Remove all weeds before you do anything in your garden plot. Weeds have a tendency to reappear, so don't be surprised if they return in a few weeks. Pull them as soon as you see them.

3. Turn the soil over with a shovel or spading fork. If the ground is hard to dig, your plants will have a difficult time growing through it. If you have hard soil, water the ground the day before you work the soil to soften it up. Place some organic compost on the surface of the soil and mix it in well prior to planting.

4. Water the prepared soil prior to planting. Plant roots should never come in contact with dry soil.

5. Use small plants from the nursery rather than planting from seed. Growing from seed takes more experience. Smaller plants are easier to grow for the novice gardener.

6. Select plants that do well in your area. Save the exotic plants for a little later in your gardening career. Check with your local nursery for a variety of plants that are suitable to your location.

7. Water as soon as you are finished planting to settle the soil around the roots. Do not add fertilizer until you begin to see new growth.

8. Enjoy! Part of the fun of gardening is watching your plants mature and grow with your help.

Tips & Warnings

• Grow plants that you like. If you hate broccoli, why bother to grow it? Flowers are very rewarding to grow. Marigolds are almost fool-proof and bloom for a long time - great for first-time gardeners.

• Use a watering wand to break the force flow of the water. Keep the water near the surface of the soil, not the foliage.

• Search online to learn more about gardening and what plants grow best in your region.

• Water carerfully. The surface of the soil should feel dry to the touch before you add water to your new garden. Overwatering is the No. 1 cause of death in most landscape plants.