How to Plan, Plant, and Care For Your Garden

Gardening is a hobby that will bring many hours of work, but also produces great satisfaction as your garden grows and shows off throughout the summer. If you have not gardened before there are guidelines that you can follow to make your efforts turn into a gratifying array of blooms and vegetables you'll enjoy all season long.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. The right tool for the job helps keep garden work as easy as possible. Tools commonly needed include a cultivator, pruner, shovel, rake, and trowel. You can get the best value for the price range you choose by knowing each tool's uses and particular qualities when comparison shopping.
2. While deciding where your plant bed site will be keep in mind what you will be planting and what type of weather conditions will be necessary. There are flowers, both annuals (a plant that lives for one growing season) and perennials (a plant that lives for many years), which do better in the sun, shade, or a sun/shade mixture. Vegetable gardens do best in a sunny area but should be protected from the wildlife that also enjoy the taste of home-grown vegetables. Once a site has been determined be sure the soil condition is adequate. The best plant beds have soil which can retain large amounts of water but still drain well after heavy rains. Beds that can be worked on without walking on the soil around plants are best. Loosen the soil 12-18" deep.
   
   Sprinkle on a balanced fertilizer (10-10-10) until the soil looks like it is covered with frost and mix the soil well. Fertilizer should be applied every 6-8 weeks during the growing season. You may also need to add peat moss, manure or rotted compost. Once the soil is ready it is time to plan the garden design.
3. Don't plant before the frost-free date in the spring. As you decide which flowers to plant make sure they will thrive in your zone. Group plants according to their blooming season, sun and water needs. To show off your work plant groups of one variety in a triangle-style arrangement. This creates a more impressive display versus planting in a straight line or in a spotty fashion. Each plant comes with recommended spacing. Although your plant bed may look sparse for a while plants spaced properly will be healthier and bloom more freely. Cover your plant bed with 2-3 inches of hardwood mulch to prevent drought stress and weeds.
   
   Most plants need one inch of water per week. Watering in the morning, before the heat of the day, is recommended. Soaker hoses or sprinklers can be used but don't over water. Placing a pan in the garden helps to monitor how much water the plants have received. If you planted moisture loving and drought resistant plants in groups it is easier to water them effectively. This prevents stress from lack of water on the water-loving plants and root rot on plants that need less water and well drained soil.
   
   Your garden needs attending several times each week or however often needed to keep up with weeding and removing deadheads (spent blooms). Your plants will bloom longer and with more vigor if you remove these spent blooms.
4. Garden art also creates a complimenting and interesting look for your garden. Chimes, stepping stones, mobiles, plant rings, trellises, statues, bird feeders, free standing water falls, and creative plant hangers can be used to add a personal touch to your garden. There are endless choices so you're sure to find something that is uniquely you.
5. Gardening does not have to be costly. Shopping at retail garden center for everything could be, though. When you do go shopping buy in bulk and use the local sources for the heavy things to avoid shipping or delivery charges. Settle on a few good mail-order sources to cut down on their shipping charges and, most importantly, have gardening friends. As your garden grows you can split perennials and share with those friends and them with you. Purchasing late in the season could afford you 50 - 75% off on plants and bushes and autumn is a great time to plant and add to your garden for next spring. Trying to get everything at once could be confusing and expensive. This does not allow you to step back, see how your garden has taken shape, and decide what else you may want to add to enhance the look. Patience may be the key to avoid purchasing the wrong items and needing to replace them for the next growing season.

Tips & Warnings

• Take your time while planning, shopping, and planting your garden. The return on your investment and patience will show as your garden grows and matures.