How to Prepare a Garden

No matter if your garden is as small as your kitchen table or as large as a back yard, you still prepare it the same way.
These steps will help you prepare any size garden for planting any vegetable you would like.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• small tiller
• hoe
• rake
• fertilizer

1. After deciding generally what you want to plant and what size yard you have to work with you need to mark off your area. You don't need to be very technical with this. A few large sticks in the ground would work fine. Till the area a couple of times if it is new to gardening.

2. After your garden is tilled to a good depth you will need to work the soil. You need to take the rake and go across this new ground getting rid of the turf that was turned up and any weeds. Also remove any rocks that you come across during this process.

3. Sprinkle the cleaned garden with fertilizer and take the rake to disperse throughout the dirt. Let this set for a little while, about a day or two.

4. Next you are ready to hoe your garden into rows. Hoeing rows is not difficult but you do need to have your garden planned ahead of time. This is important because, depending on what you plant, the distance between rows will change. For example, you will want two feet between rows of tomatoes, much larger between rows of watermelons or pumpkins and much smaller (like 1 foot)between rows of onions or carrots or smaller items.

5. To hoe a row you simply go across the garden, taking a hoe and moving it first towards you. You will notice that it starts to make a small hill or pile. Do this all the way across the first row. On the second row you will do a dual motion of working the soil towards the previous row and then towards your new row. This will give the distinct impression of actual row hills. Do not make them too tall of they will erode away during the first large rainstorm and may wash out your vegetables. Continue to work until all of the rows are made. After this step you are now ready to plant your garden as your plan dictates.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't worry if your rows are not perfectly straight. The only thing that matters is the approximate distance between the rows.
• If you plant too close it will be hard to get between plants to weed.

[JMButler1728]

on 7/18/2008 Great information. Thanks for sharing!

[celticeagle]

on 6/10/2008 Next year I will use your article. Good information.

[Tippy]

on 6/7/2008 Super ideas. Thanks.

[acole]

on 5/15/2008 Good info! My husband and I are wanting to do a garden this summer, and it's an excellent idea with the price of groceries going up! Thanks!

[amylaine]

on 4/28/2008 Very useful, thank you.