How to Prepare a Garden Bed

Preparing a garden bed is the most difficult part of gardening. A well prepared bed will help to increase garden yields and make tending the garden easier. Spend part of a day preparing the bed for your vegetable garden and enjoy the fruits of your labor for months to come.

Things You'll Need

• Spade
• Steaks
• String
• Organic mulch
• Fertilizer
• Rake

Instructions

1. Choose a sunny spot for the garden. Steak out the desired shape. Stretch string along the steaks for a defined border.

2. Cut the sod with a spade. Remove all of the grass with the spade until the soil is completely exposed.

3. Dig up the soil with a rototiller or by hand with a shovel. Place excess soil on a tarp.

4. Work in organic mulch and/or fertilizer in to the soil. Use a shovel to mix the existing soil with the mulch.

5. Loosen the dirt with a gardening fork. Break up any clods of dirt and remove all rocks and debris.

6. Shovel any excess soil on top of the compost mixture. Smooth the garden bed with a rake.

7. Form rows for each vegetable that you will plant in the garden. Make small ditches between each row for deep root watering.

Tips & Warnings

• Rent a rototiller at your local lawn and garden center or equipment rental company.

• Mulch prepared beds in the fall with organic materials for a rich soil in the spring.

• Put a thick layer of newspaper under the soil for help with weed control.