How to Start an Outdoor Garden
The gardening bug may have bit you in grammar school, after growing that first bean in a paper cup. Or, it may not have started until a friend brought over that third bag of freshly picked zucchini squash. Whether it's been years since you thought about starting your own outdoor garden or just since last spring, you'll need to know some simple steps before you begin. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Decide on the size and location of your garden. If you are starting an outdoor garden for the first time, it's probably a good idea to start small, the first year. Plot out an area in your yard that receives full sun for most of the day. A 12-by-12-foot space would make a good starter garden. Raised garden beds (see Resources) are a way to keep your area neat, with less weeding to do. It also saves on back strain, as there is less bending.
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Break up the soil in your outdoor garden area. If your soil is not hard-packed, you should be able to turn the soil over, mixing in a bag of compost (organic material) with a shovel. Rake it even.
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Pick out your seeds. Choose only vegetables that you or your family members enjoy eating. For your first small garden, don't choose vegetables that require large areas, such as pumpkins, which require approximately 4 feet of growing room. Choose cucumbers or pole (green) beans that grow vertically up a pole. Tomatoes, green peppers, onions, peas and zucchini are good choices. Start tomato and pepper seeds indoors (see Resources below) or purchase plants from your local garden center.
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Most seeds will require you to make rows. With your hoe, mark out straight lines and form mounded rows by pulling up the soil from those lines. This will form a moat where you originally drew the lines.Some vegetables require mounds, such as squashes and melons. These should be formed outside of the row crops. Follow package directions for the area required and the size of mounds.
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Plant your seeds according to the package directions. Different vegetable seeds require different spacing and seed depth. The back of the seed package will give you complete and easy-to-follow directions.
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Water carefully when seeds are just beginning to germinate, so as not to dislodge them from the soil. However, you won't want the soil to get too dry during this important start of new seedlings. Ideally, you would receive enough spring rain to get the seeds started; this is a perfect watering system. Supplement, as needed, with light hose spraying to moisten the soil completely until the root system is established.
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Water more thoroughly when plants are established. Use the moats to run the water down, hydrating the root systems.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't forget to leave pathways between your vegetable garden rows, so you can move about easily to weed and harvest. A border of marigolds will attract ladybugs, which eat aphids and mealybugs that can be harmful to your crop.
Resources
- Photo Credit brianbope at Flickr
