Tips to Plant a Successful Garden

There are many reasons someone chooses to plant a garden. It may be because the rest of the neighborhood has one and their yard looks grim in comparison, they simply want to perk up their property, they want to use their plants to cook, or other reasons. Gardening can be very enjoyable and rewarding. It gets you outdoors, gets you active and in better shape, and gives you a sense of accomplishment. At the same time, it can be challenging for some people, leading them to let go of that dream. This does not have to be you. With some research, some great tips, and a plan, you can enjoy gardening, as well.

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Decide what you want your dream garden to look like

You should not go into gardening haphazardly. You will be digging and upending some section of your yard. It is better to take the time to really think about what you want your garden to look like before starting. Look online or through some home and garden magazines for inspiration. Decide what you’d like to grow and where you want to grow it.

You may find it helpful to print out or cut out some pictures that you like and place them on a poster board. You can tape or glue each picture on the poster as you would like everything arranged. Whether you keep it simple with a list of what you want or you get creative with some pictures is up to you. The most important thing is to have a plan in mind.

Research

Before you dive in to planting, you need to do some research. The following three items are very important contributors to a successful garden:

Studying what you want to plant

This is really, really important. Different plants require different levels of care and maintenance. Some do not grow in warm climates and others do not grow in cold ones. Find out how they grow and how much maintenance. If they require more than you have time to give, choose something else. Do not set yourself up for failure by choosing plants that you cannot take care of.

What grows well in your area?

Not everything grows well everywhere. Do some research online to find out what grows well in your area. You might speak with friends or family, research online, or check into your community’s social media pages for the answer.

Frost schedule

It can be exciting to start a garden, but if you jump the gun before the earth is ready, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. If you plant too early, you could kill your plants before they even get a chance to come alive. Learn your areas frost dates: the last average spring frost and the first autumn frost date. This tells you when you can plant and when you should move your plants indoors or harvest them.

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Plan

You need to have a plan. Here are a few places to start your planning:

1. Decide what to plant

Deciding what you want to plant is exciting. By this time, you have researched your area, so you should be able to pick out some good plants. Below are the three basic categories of plants to choose from- or choose all three.

• Flowers

If you want to beautify your yard, colorful flowers are a great way to do it. However, beauty is not the only thing flowers have to offer. In fact, many of them serve great purposes including natural insect repellant, lovely fragrances that can improve some mental health, and even make your air a little healthier to breathe. Look into the different flowers you can grow in your area and research what all they can do for you.

• Herbs

Herbs are used for a variety of purposes, including cooking, creating fragrances for your home and car, and repelling insects.

• Veggies

Growing vegetables is a great way to cut down grocery costs and feed your family more natural foods. It can also be a great hobby or side job. Whatever you choose to do with them, only plant what you can cook, sell, give away, or store safely away. If you end up with more than you planned and have no other way to get rid of them, take them to a church or charitable organization, or simply tell people in your community to come pick what they need. Many people like canning items, which you can do pretty easily once you research it.

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• Great plants for beginners

If you are just beginning to garden, do not dive head first into the difficult to grow and maintain plants. Instead, start with some easy ones. You can always go for more difficult plants later. For now, here are a few to start with:

• Sunflowers
• Petunias
• Roses
• Tomatoes
• Onions and peppers
• Basil

There are some even simpler than those- you literally just throw the seed on bare soil and water them. These are another great way to start your gardening venture. Here are a few to get you started:

• Zinnias
• Marigolds
• Poppies
• Larkspurs
• Cosmos
• Do not plant too much of one thing

Unless you will eat 300 carrots in a season, sell them, or give them away, do not plant enough to make that many. Instead, mix your garden up and plant a variety of items. This way, you are more likely to use what you plant.

2. When should I start planting?

For the most part, you do not want to plant anything outdoors until the last spring frost. However, it is always a good idea to start your seeds indoors about six weeks to two months prior to the last frost. This gives you a bit of a head start instead of having to wait until the optimal weather outside.

3. Choose a Location

Deciding where in your yard to plant is important. There are quite a few things to take into account when choosing your location. First, do not put it in a far corner of your yard that you never look at. You want to remember to take care of it, but that might not happen if you do not see it.

• Follow the Sun

Most flowers, especially your edible plants, need at least 6 hours of sunlight. To be sure that your plants get optimum sunlight, watch how the sun moves across your yard before you plant anything. Plant them in the path of the sun.

As a side note, not all plants grow best in full sunlight. Leafy green veggies need little sun or a little shade. While the general rule is to plant in full sunlight, it is always best to read any information that comes with your plants or seeds, or look it up online. Sometimes the garden center attendants can help but not all of them are gardeners or experts, so do not expect them to be.

• Close to water source

As important as sun is to the health of your plants, water is important, too. When you choose your location in the sun’s path, be sure that it is also close to a water source. Natural water would be best and the cheapest, but not everyone has a creek in their backyard. Thankfully, a water hose will do just fine as long as it can reach your garden.

• Companion Planting

Companion planting is an interesting way to help your garden grow better. Some plants complement others by providing nutrients to one another, creating combinations that keep pests away, or other important things. Check out the plants you chose to put in your garden. Are any of them great in combination with another? If so, be sure to plant them side by side.

Invest in Basic Gardening Tools

As you improve in your gardening- and decide if you really want to do it- you will likely find new tools that you want to try out. For now, just grab some basic tools, such as:

• Gloves

Though they are great for keeping your hands clean, it actually goes beyond that. Your hands can take a real beating digging, weeding, and everything else you will be doing. Invest in some quality gloves that fit you well enough to easily grasp things and that are tough enough to protect your hands. You want to find some that are both water resistant and breathable, and you want the cuffs to cover your wrists so you do not get scratched up there.

• Pruners

You will use pruners to keep your flowering beauties free from branches, green stems, and more. They should easily fit in your palm and should be sharpened consistently.

• Trowel

Hand trowels are excellent for digging up weeds, to dig into rocky soil, and to transport plants and herbs. Again, it should fit easily and comfortably in your palm. Those made from stainless are the most durable options.

• Container for tools

You do not want to leave your tools laying out in your garden, but lugging them back and forth every gardening day can get tiring. You have a couple of options here. You can choose something on wheels that you can simple push back and forth- think road side garbage can- or choose a bin with a handle. The choice is yours, but try to choose the most convenient container you can find to keep gardening enjoyable.

• Watering gear

All you really need here is a garden hose and an adjustable nozzle. You want to soak the roots, not the leaves, so there is no need for extra. Few plants, such as ferns, do benefit from having their leaves misted, but mostly watering your leaves is a no go.

• Quality fertile soil

When you are starting your garden out, try not to skimp. You do not necessarily have to choose the most expensive thing on the market. Just make sure that your choice does a good job by checking out the ratings- and the company that produces it.

• Plant food

You want to give your plants a great start, so feeding them a ton of nutrients is a great way to do that. Mixing it in with your dirt is the best thing to do.

• Shovel

A shovel will be especially useful in the beginning as you are digging up the ground for your plants, but you will find them useful in many other occasions, too. Choose a tough shovel with a good handle. Do not forget to wear your gloves when using your shovel because your hands will blister, which is not fun, of course, and can keep you from doing any additional gardening until your hands feel better.

• Garden fork

It is exactly what it sounds like- a garden tool that looks like a fork. It is excellent for digging in soil, especially compact, rocky, or clay soil. For jobs such as these, they work much better than a shovel. Many people recommend a stainless steel option. The best advice, though, is to get one with an ergonomic handle- something that fits well in your hand.

• Rake

You can bet that you will have some items you need to rake away. Adjustable rakes seem to be the rage at the time. On these, the rake head expands and it collapses for easy storage.

• Hoe

A garden hoe can be used for a variety of tasks, including preparing and turning the soil for planting. Tempered steel is a great material for maintaining a sharp edge. Be sure to get one with pretty long reach and a comfortable handle.

• Wheelbarrow

You will inevitably be moving things around, and having a wheelbarrow for that is an excellent help.

Time to Plant

You are finally ready to plant, but you may have a couple of other common questions. Here are two of the big ones:

Why buy soil when I already have dirt?

While dirt is natural and great for growing, it is important to give your plants a good start. Just like we give babies all we can to give them a great start in life, you want to do the same for your plants. Soil- whether organic or store bought- is full of nutrients that provide your plants with things your dirt may be missing. Mix about 3 inches of soil to about 6 inches of your dirt for the best results.

Organic vs store bought soil

Those not used to gardening may not enjoy this, but learning about organic soil is important. Purchasing inorganic soil is fine, but organic soil has more nutrients in it. However, it comes from natural items such as compost and manure. The good news is that you do not have to go out and find some yourself since retailers sell organic soil.

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Maintaining Your Garden

The work does not end when the plants go in the ground. There is consistent maintenance that needs to take place. The amount of maintenance depends on your plants, but the following are a few great tips to get started:

When to water

Generally, about an inch of water per week is enough water. Do the whole inch at once, too, so that the water will actually get down into the roots. Shorter watering periods will barely penetrate the surface. Do not water in the mid-day heat either. Instead, do an early morning soak or at dusk.

If you see leaves turning yellow, that means that they are being over watered. Try not to wet the plants’ leaves too as this can lead to a sickly plant.

Use mulch and plant food

Mulch is an excellent way to prevent the growth of weeds and prevent the evaporation of moisture. Place a layer about two or three inches deep around each of your plants. You can purchase bags of mulch, or you can use shredded leaves, pine straw, or any similar material.
It may seem silly to think about feeding your plants, but the fact is that the feeding and care of your plants is very important for a beautiful, thriving garden. Isn’t that what good soil, sun and water are for? Yes, that’s true, but adding plant food is like a human taking a vitamin. It is just extra nutrients for your plants so they grow stronger. After your plants have been in the ground for about a month, start feeding them some plant food. The frequency with which you need to feed them will be stated on the packaging of the different brands.

Composting

Composting is a very natural process of decomposing organic material. This may include leaves, fruit, veggie scraps, grass and more. It is excellent for the environment as it reduces the production of greenhouse gad emissions, replaces trace minerals and organic material and more. Compost can be purchased, but it really is not that difficult to do yourself.

Getting Rid of Weeds

In addition to laying mulch down around your plants, you might also want to purchase some weed prevention products, like Preen, as an added measure.

Keep pests and furry creatures out

1. Make a border of marigolds around your garden to keep pests out.
2. Either purchase something prickly or use plastic forks. Put them in the ground around your garden with the pokey side up. Most creatures will step on them when trying to get in your garden and the discomfort usually will deter them.
3. Plant the any or all of the following herbs for natural mosquito repellant:
• Catnip
• Lemon grass
• Lemon thyme
• Citronella geranium
• Basil
• Lavender
• Peppermint
• Garlic
• Pennyroyal
• Rosemary

Trim and Prune

It is important that you trim and prune your plants as this is what keeps them growing healthy and beautifully. This will generally mean cutting off dead leaves or other unhealthy parts that may interfere with healthy growth. As always, learn what you should do specifically to the plants you purchase. Often, you will find the same steps, but it is always best to check just in case.

Mulch leaves instead of raking

Here is a gardening tip that will help prevent back pain: stop raking your leaves. They are excellent composting materials. Try mulching them instead. This is simple as you just need to do it with your lawnmower. An added benefit is that it will cut your gardening costs.

Improve your soil

Okay, this is going to sound repetitive- because it is- but those mulched leaves have tons of minerals in them that your soil needs. If you burn wood, the ash is full a potassium and calcium, so it can improve the pH balance of your soil. Composting your kitchen scraps, such as egg shells, banana peels, coffee grounds, and so on add vitamins and nutrients back into the soil. You can even send cardboard through a shredder for some mulch. One great thing about gardening is there usually is not a reason to spend money doing it unless you want to.