How to Simply Care for Gardens and Plant Gardening Designs

Basic gardens are often laid out in simple rows.

Simple garden care is not complicated or difficult with the application of foresight and planning. This extends to the layout and design of the garden. Basic garden spaces are square or rectangular and feature plants in straight rows, with taller plants toward the northern side of the space. Intensive gardens, such as square-foot gardens, use a smaller plot and plants arranged in squares. Raised bed gardens are a type of intensive garden. Raised beds drain well, reduce soil compaction and grant easier access for maintenance. Inexperienced gardeners can save steps, experiment with plant varieties and receive specific care instructions by buying nursery-grown plants for their first year of gardening.

Things You'll Need

• Spade
• Rake
• Hoe
• Trowel
• Hose or watering can
• Plants
• Fertilizer

Instructions

1. Create a plan before attempting to implement your design. This will ensure that you have allotted sufficient space for the crops you intend to grow and that you don't have tall crops shading low-growing plants. Let the plan serve as a guide to tell your garden seedlings from weeds before your plants reach the stage where you can detect the difference.

2. Obtain an array of basic gardening tools, including a digging spade, a rake for smoothing soil, a hoe for weeding, a trowel for planting and a hose or watering can to deliver water.

3. Select plants and plant varieties and cultivars that are suited to your area's conditions, including the soil type, climate and weather. Start small and grow a limited number of fruits and vegetables until you gain confidence. This also limits the amount of maintenance and care your garden will require.

4. Choose a site that gets six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily and offers good drainage. Provide supplemental water when rainfall is not enough to support your plants. Sufficient rainfall is generally 1 to 1 1/2 inches of rain per week.

5. Get a soil test to determine the nutrients, pH level and potential issues present in your garden. Your local extension agent can assist you in preparing and submitting a sample and interpreting the results.

6. Prepare the soil before planting. Dig the garden space, turning and breaking apart the soil to a depth of 6 to 12 inches. Add organic matter or compost to supplement the soil's nutrients and create better aeration and structure.

7. Add fertilizer before you plant, mixing it into the soil, then smooth out the prepared bed. This can be done 10 days to two weeks before planting, advises the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension. The University of Illinois Extension recommends a mixed fertilizer such as a 5-10-5, 10-10-10 or 12-12-12 for soils that have not been tested to determine the specific nutrient makeup. These numbers represent the nitrogen-phosphorous-potassium content of the fertilizer.

References

• University of Illinois Extension: Watch Your Garden Grow: Vegetable Gardening Basics
• University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension: Vegetables -- Growing and Garden Maintenance
• University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension: Irrigation
• University of Kentucky College of Agriculture: Square-Foot Gardens Ideal for Small Volume Growers; Aimee D. Heald; May 2, 2001
• University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension: Gardening in Small Spaces -- Limited Area Gardening

Resources

• University of Illinois Extension: Horticulture: Gardening Basics