How to Plant Your Garden

Member

By Eudora deWynter
User-Submitted Article

Article Rating: (4 Ratings)

Learn easy and simple ways to start your summer garden with advice from an avid gardener

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

flower seeds or seedlings, time and patience

Step 1

Before you start planting a garden make sure you have well prepared the soil. By this I mean have you loosened the soil by hand or with a tiller to allow for the aeration? Have you softened your soil with fertilizers and new topsoil? Most gardens should be lightly tilled in the spring before planting to kill weeds and smooth the soil. Correctly tilling the soil will enhance the absorption of water. Remember also that nitrogen is an important critical nutrient to plant growth so give it time to settle into the soil. Too much nitrogen will make for more vines that fruit on plants such as tomatoes or potatoes. Once you have readied the soil, its time to begin planting.
Since you have had all winter to lay out your design and spring has nearly arrived, digging and planting are close at hand. Let's say that we are novice gardeners and are planting for the first time, have a relatively large space and don't know a petunia from a begonia, or an annual from a perennial.
Step 2

First thing an annual (you must plant every year, but they bloom almost all summer) and a perennial (comes back year after year, but has a shorter booming span).
Step 3

Then pick your plants, and try and pick plants that are well suited to your climate and soil region. Know how much sunlight you will be getting in the spot that you have picked out. Annuals such as marigolds, zinnias and impatiens are fairly easy to grow. If you live in a region where late frost is common, don't plant anything until this danger has passed
Step 4

A simple solution is to start your seedling plants indoors from seed using containers or flats that are designed for indoor planting and the use of a sunny windowsill or an artificial growing light will work wonders. Always make sure your seedlings are kept moist but not wet, never allowing them to dry out
Step 5

Water every other day or so while they are small then cut back as they grow bigger. If you start with seeds indoors simply follow the packet instructions and when the weather is right transplant outside to fresh air and sunshine.
Step 6

Keep the weeds pulled before they get to big (by hand is best) and if you fertilize with a liquid, fertilize every other month and if with a dry fertilizer use again about half way through the growing season.