How to Garden for beginners, getting started:
Welcome to Gardening for beginners on how to GET STARTED:
This is going to be a short introduction for anyone interested in starting there own backyard Garden. NO special tools or equipment will be needed. A small garden is about a 500-square foot. Stay clear of well water, septic systems. Before you start any digging into the ground you will need to have the area checked for underground pipes, wires, and this is found in county services. Once you have found a spot with most of the day in direct SUN light. Take some dirt samples into separate containers about a 1/2-cup of dirt. Mark them so you can match up with each sample with its location where taken from. Also a sample of water you will be using. About three dirt samples, one water sample and take them to your local county extension service. Also, let them know what you are planning on growing in your garden. Check with your HOA association as to guarding restrictions.
They can advise you of the nutrition levels of your soil for the seeds you want to plant. Once you have the all-clear, time for some elbow work. Never pull anything out of the ground using your back. Use your legs and arms for smaller weeds. Outline your area with a square face shovel, clearing out one foot to 3-foot squares until you have the full 500-sq foot area cleared. Check the levelness of the groud as this will help with watering. And rainwater runoff.
Some water-saving ideas did you know if your Air Conditioner runs all day you will get close to 15-gals of water from your A/C alone. If you have an attic unit you may want to consider setting up a rainwater barrel for collecting the runoff of the A/C water.
Once you have your report back from the county extension service you will know what if anything you will need to mix into the soil to help with growing your plants. You want the soil about 6 to 12-inches deep to be loose creating some rows about a 6-12" high.
Some plants and seeds will need protection for animals & Birds. Springtime is the best time to start your general garden. There are 100s of ideas for protecting your garden from two and four-legged creatures. Before you plant your first seed, build your mounds in rows and leave the ends open with a permit mound border to contain the water or fewer mounds if you want to stand water in yourself.
If you have a sloping hillside to your garden you will need to fix your rows side to side and NOT DO NOT RUN THEM DOWN THE SLOP. as the coming rainfall will dig out your garden very quickly and you will have nothing left. As to the slop your on, you may have to dig a runoff about the garden so that the rainwater will run around and away. Rainwater falling into the garden in most cases if fine. Water running over the ground can become a problem.
This is the simple 1-2-3s of making the soil ready to receive the seeds and grow your garden. You should have some ideas of what you want to grow. so read the instructions on the seed packets. Some plants will need help standing up with the heavy foliage like tomatoes. A 6-inch squad fencing wire works well making a circle and lifting the plant leaves as they grow up inside the wire. Doing so will give you more growth.
If you live in a condominium, or restricted HOAs check if you can use EarthBoxes. I love them because they are simple and I'm just too old to fight as much as I once did. Once you have grown your first garden you will learn to plant with taller growers in the back rows and smallest in front. Hope you like let me know if you want more of this or not? YOUR FEEDBACK good or bad is welcomed. You should also find local gardening Clubs, Groups, and instructional teaching Guarding in your area can be most helpful for one on one attention.
Next, post we can address building a simple poting bench to work off of for pots no more than two foot high.
