11 Step on How to Start a Garden! Begin Gardening Today! We want every Minnesotan to be able to enjoy their yard!

How to Begin Gardening

edits by: Agniregi, Lucky7, Maluniu, MA (see all)

Whether you want to begin your garden from a manicured lawn or a mess of overgrown weeds, you need to follow the same basic steps. While one may seem more challenging than the other, with a little bit of planning, a splash of hard work, and lots of determination, you will have a beautiful and functional garden before you know it!

Steps

1. 
   1
   Sit down beside the area where you want your garden to be and really look at it. Is your chosen location: sunny? shady? Does it slope to the left? Does the ground turn into a mud puddle after a hard rain?
2. 
   2
   Grab you a piece of paper and draw out your dream garden. As much as possible, keep 'to scale'. Include any land or building features your garden must compete with for sun and water.
3. 
   3
   Decide what you want to plant. Are you planting vegetables, flowers, ornamentals, trees? Each type of plant has its own specific requirements for optimum growing conditions.
4. 
   4
   Read up and know what the requirements are for your selected plants. Are you planting from seed or seedling? Do you want to use already established plants? Most vegetables (besides asparagus and rhubarb) are grown from seed each year, while most flowers do better if planted as seedlings.
5. 
   5
   Mark out the garden plot. This undertaking can be as simple as using flour spread on the ground, to shaping with a plastic border. It doesn't have to be elaborate, just so long as you know where you are going to be working.
6. 6
   Remove the competing vegetation. Roll up any lawn, dig up weeds and grass. It works best if you completely remove these plants, because the roots and seeds of grass and weeds are very prolific and will grow even if tossed on bare dirt. Being lazy at this point will cost you in additional hard work later.
7. 
   7
   Take a shovel (or tiller) and dig the ground to a depth of about 1 foot (0.3 m).Turn (not dispose of) the soil as you dig.
8. 
   8
   Work in some compost or fertilizer as you turn the soil. If you have time, do this step separately during a second turning of the soil. Otherwise it can be included in the first turning.
9. 
   9
   Prepare the areas.
   
   
   • For seeds: Mark out circles with the butt of a shovel where each plant will be planted. Spread your seeds according to the directions on the seed package.
   • For seedlings: Separate seedlings into individuals, being very careful not to damage the roots. Set the seedlings where you want the plants to be to be sure of placement. Dig a small hole with a spade and plant the seedling, making sure to cover the root ball completely and pat down firmly.
10. 
    10
    Water and weed when required. Know the varying preferences of the plants chosen; some love damp soil while others prefer it dryer. Some plants can cope with weeds while others are quickly overtaken and out-competed.
11. 
    11
    Watch your plants sprout and bloom!

Tips

• Water a lot. Make sure you know how frequently your plants require watering.
• Weed occasionally, but ruthlessly. It's much easier to pull a sprout than a clump!

Images and Article provide by www.wikihow.com

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