Spring is a good time to begin growing and digging, although planning can take place before the snow melts. Gardeners spend most of the summer watering, weeding, and watching young plants grow. Fall is a good time to plant trees, shrubs, bulbs, and some perennials.
1. Get an idea. Is this going to be a vegetable garden? An herb garden? A flower garden? If you choose to grow flowers, do you want annuals, which you must replant each year but give color most of the summer? Or, do you prefer perennials, which have a shorter bloom time but come back year after year? You can mix any of the above—after all, it's your garden. Just one bit of advice: Start small. ''Tis better to succeed just a little, than to fail grandly.
2. Pick a place. Almost all vegetables and most flowers need about six hours of full sun each day. Spend a day in your chosen spot and watch how the sun moves across the space. It might receive more sun than you think. But don't despair if your lot is largely sunless; many plants tolerate shade. Check plant tags or ask the staff at your local garden center to find out how much sun a plant requires.
Put the garden where you can't ignore its pleas for attention—outside the back door, near the mailbox, by the window you stare out when you dry your hair. Place it close enough to a water spigot that you won't have to drag the hose to the hinterlands.
3. Clear the ground. Get rid of the sod covering the area you plan to plant. If you want quick results, you can dig it out, but it's easier to smother it with newspaper. A layer of five sheets is usually thick enough; double that if your lawn is Bermuda grass or St. Augustine grass. Spread a 3-inch layer of compost (or combination potting soil and topsoil) on the newspaper and wait. It'll take about four months for the compost and paper to decompose.
If you don't want to wait or if the area is covered with weeds such as creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea), you're better off digging the sod out.
4. Improve the soil. Invariably, soil needs a boost. The solution is simple: organic matter. Add a 2- to 3-inch layer of compost, decayed leaves, dry grass clippings, or old manure. If you dig soil (see Step 5), till the organic matter into the soil. If you decide not to dig or are working with an established bed you can't dig, leave the organic matter on the surface and it will work its way into the soil in a few months.
To learn more about your soil, have a soil test done through your county cooperative extension office. They'll lead you through the procedure: how much soil to send from which parts of the garden, and the best time to obtain samples. Expect a two-week wait for their findings, which will tell you what your soil lacks and how to amend it.
5. Dig or don't. Digging loosens the soil so roots can penetrate more easily. But digging when the soil is too wet or too dry can ruin its structure. Dig only when the soil is moist enough to form a loose ball in your fist, but dry enough to fall apart when you drop it. Use a spade or spading fork to gently turn the top 8 to 12 inches of soil, mixing in the organic matter from Step 4. In vegetable gardens and beds of annual flowers, turn the soil only once a year in the spring before you plant.
The traditional method of preparing a bed for perennial flowers is to double-dig. Double-digging involves removing the top 8 to 12 inches of soil (usually from one small area at a time), loosening and working organic matter into the newly exposed 8- to 12-inch layer of soil, replacing the top layer, and then working organic matter into the top layer. It's a lot of work, but it can make a big difference in how well perennials grow.
Start Seeds Indoor:
A Step-by-Step Guide
Expert Tips:
by Doug Hall, BHG Associate Garden Editor
Content provided by BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
For many gardeners, the growing season officially begins long before the spring thaw. The season kickoff happens indoors with a packet of seeds sown on a sunny windowsill.
Sowing seeds indoors is a simple technique. As long as you pay attention to light, temperature, and moisture, success comes easily. Here are some guidelines.
What to sow
When you start them indoors, many annual flowers begin blooming earlier in the growing season. Geraniums, verbena, impatiens, salvias, coleus, lobelias, and many others can be sown indoors. Even the quick growers like zinnias and marigolds, which are traditionally sown directly in the garden, benefit from a jump-start indoors. You can also grow many perennial and biennial flowers from seeds, as well as vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers that need warm soil to get started.
When to sow
As a general rule, sow seeds indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost date. Some smaller-seeded annuals, such as petunias, snapdragons, and begonias, need more time to reach transplant size. Information on the seed packet is your best guide in knowing when to sow. Time indoor plantings so that your seedlings do not outgrow their containers before it is time to plant them out in the garden. Seedlings kept indoors too long will be weak; they will grow slowly and bloom poorly.
Choose a container at least 2 inches deep with drainage holes—a terra cotta or plastic pot works just fine, or a plastic growing flat, or a clear-lidded deli container with holes punched in the bottom. Later, you'll need to transfer the seedlings to small individual pots, multi-cell packs, or peat pots that you can plant directly in the ground outdoors in the spring.
To avoid disease problems, use fresh potting mix. Commercial seed-starting mixes are usually blended from finely milled sphagnum peat moss and vermiculite. Soil-less houseplant mixes containing perlite, vermiculite, and peat moss work well, too. Moisten the seed-starting mix; then fill containers and level the mix.
Tiny seeds can be scattered over the surface of the soil-less mix; for larger seeds, trace shallow furrows on the surface. Cover seeds lightly, if necessary. Some seeds need light to germinate and should be left uncovered. Check the seed packet for recommended planting depth.
To maintain moisture, cover the seed-starting container with a clear plastic dome or make a tent with a clear plastic bag.
Keep the container in a warm location (about 75 degrees F) to encourage quick germination. As soon as seedlings sprout, remove the plastic cover and move the seedlings to a cooler spot. The seedlings of many annuals grow best at around 65 to 70 degrees.
Water the emerging seedlings gently to avoid disturbing them. Allow the container to soak up water from below, or water from above with a mister. About one week after the seedlings appear, begin feeding them every time you water with a dilute water-soluble fertilizer.
Bright light is the key to growing sturdy, healthy seedlings indoors. If you live where late winter days are often cloudy, even a south-facing window may not provide enough light for your seedlings. Consider supplementing natural light with a fluorescent shop light, hung so the tubes are just an inch or two above the leaves. Wide-spectrum tubes come closest to duplicating sunlight, but cool white tubes give similar results at a fraction of the cost. Connect your shop light to an automatic timer that switches the light on for 14 to 16 hours a day.
When the seedlings have formed their second set of leaves, they're ready to transplant to individual containers. Don't delay too long in transplanting the seedlings or you will find yourself ripping tangled roots.
Individual pots or multi-cell packs allow each seedling to develop roots free of competition and avoid transplant shock later on when you move your seedlings to the garden.
To transplant seedlings, carefully lift plants by their leaves (not stems), loosening the soil from around their roots with a sharpened pencil. Replant them in moist, all-purpose potting soil at the same depth they grew before or slightly deeper.
Tender annuals won't tolerate frost, so wait until winter is gone for good before setting your transplants out in the garden. Gradually acclimate your seedlings to outdoor weather over a period of two or three weeks. Start by setting the seedling flats in a shady, protected location for an hour or two a day. A coldframe facilitates the acclimation to outdoors, but any spot protected from wind and strong sunlight will do. Gradually increase the amount of time the seedlings spend outdoors and their exposure to sunlight.
When planting more than one variety, label each container. Tiny seedlings can be difficult to distinguish.
Recycle cardboard egg cartons as seed-starting equipment. Sow one or two seeds in soil-less mix in each compartment. On planting day, carefully peel away the cardboard without disturbing the root ball.
When seedlings emerge too close together, thin them without disturbing the roots of those that remain by snipping off the extras at the surface.
Most seeds need warmth to germinate. Put your seed-starting containers on top of your refrigerator, where the additional warmth will speed the process.
If your seedlings grow weak and spindly, they are likely not getting enough light, or the room they are growing in is too warm.
Some gardeners find transplanting the seedlings to be tedious, so they eliminate that step by sowing their seeds directly into multi-cell packs, one or two seeds per cell.
Damping-off is a fungus disease that causes seedlings to suddenly wilt and die. To prevent damping-off, use clean containers and fresh soil-less mix; keep the mix lightly moist but not saturated; and leave enough space between seedlings to allow for air to circulate.
Certain seeds have special requirements for temperature or planting depth. Read the seed packets for any additional instructions.
