Things You'll Need:
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Step 1
Determine what type of garden you want to grow. Take into account what type of soil is already present in your yard, whether it is in the sun or in the shade and how much time you can afford to tend the garden. This will determine the size of the garden that you should grow, as well as what plants will be planted.
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Step 2
Plan the garden. Look at other gardens-in gardening magazines or books, on the Internet or in your city-and get ideas of what type of plants you want to grow. Check with your local agricultural agent or nurseryman to learn more about the plants that are native to your area; these will be easier to grow. Ask if the plants are toxic to children or pets.
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Step 3
Draw a scale map of the garden and make copies of it. Then use the copies to come up with different gardens, using a variety of plants, before making the final decision. Once you’ve settled on what you want, be sure to list alternate plants, in case you can’t find your main choices. Take it with you when you go to purchase the plants or seeds.
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Step 4
Purchase all the supplies needed to get the garden laid out; the edging, top soil, lawn fabric and tools, as well as plants or seeds. Check out the return policy as some nurseries or garden departments offer a year’s warranty on their products. Write down what plants were purchased on the receipts and keep them, in case you need to replace a plant at any point.
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Step 5
Mark the area for the garden. Dig or till up the soil, moving it to the wheelbarrow or placing it on the plastic tarp. The depth you dig will be determined by the plants that will be in the garden. Remove weeds and rocks from the soil as you go along. Cut the lawn fabric to fit the garden and lay it down. Place the edging materials down, securing the outer edge of the lawn fabric.
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Step 6
Mix peat moss in with the garden soil and spread it over the lawn fabric. If need be, spread top soil over that to bring the soil level up near the top of the garden edging.
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Step 7
Use your garden map to plant the flowers, vegetables or seeds. Replace the plant markers that come with the plants with ones that you have written the names on. Keep the original plant markers, as they have important information about the plants on them.
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Step 8
Water the new plants thoroughly in order to settle the soil around the plants, thereby preventing the roots from drying out. Depending on the weather, continue to water daily until new growth is seen on the plants; this indicates that that plants are settling into the garden. At this point you can cut back to regular watering for the plants' specific needs.
