Growing a Garden

Planning a Garden

Your garden needs sunlight at least 70% (6-8 hours) of the day, and as far away as possible from trees and shrubs.

Growing a Garden:

Not Near Trees and Shrubs: One of the most important things to remember about where to place your garden is that the roots of trees and shrubs nearby will rob your garden of nutrients and water.

Full Sunlight: It should also be somewhere convenient and close to your house in full sunlight.

Near a Water Source: Choose a spot near a water supply. If your water supply is a hose connected to the house, make sure you have enough hosing to reach to the garden.

Growing a garden doesn't mean you have to have a lot of land.

If you don't have space in your backyard, you can grow a garden in containers such as 5-gallon buckets, old car tires, old #2 wash tubs, or just about anything that will hold soil that you can poke holes in the bottom. (See planting a garden in containers below.)

Your choice of fruits and vegetables will be determined by what your family likes or dislikes. Only grow what you can eat, give away to family, friends, neighbors or what you are able to can or freeze to keep and put up for Winter.

Growing A Garden

Basic Garden Tools: You need some basic tools for growing a garden such as:

• Hoe: Use for weeding, covering seeds and loosening up soil.


• Rake: Use to prepare the seedbed to break up large clods of soil.


• Watering Can: Use to water in seeds and transplants.)


• Labels, String, Ruler: Optional-Use to layout the rows and measure correct spacing. Each vegetable should have a label with name and date on it.

Preparing the Soil of a Garden

Construction sites sometimes have excess soil that they just haul off and will let people come get it at no cost, but make sure it is top soil, rather than clay soil or your plants will not grow well.

The easiest way is to purchase potting soil in the Garden Section of your local department store, however if it is very light in weight, (unless it is peat moss), you may want to add a little dirt to it from your backyard, too. Otherwise, it may dry out too fast.

Growing A Garden Using Organics: Organic matter will improve your soil by adding nutrients to it. Before planting, dig the soil to a depth of at least 6 to 10 inches by having it plowed or dug with a spade. Add 2 to 4 layers of organic matter (compost) and mix it into soil.

Compost should be of mixed organic matter and not just composted grass and leaves from your yard because these may be too acidic for some of the plants in your new garden.

Fruits and vegetables need nutrients to grow. A good fertilizer should have a balanced analysis of 5-10-5, 10-10-10 or 12-12-12.

Fertilizer Numbers The 3 numbers represent the amounts of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Pot Ash, respectively in your fertilizer. The nitrogen and phosphorus amounts in the fertilizer are the most important.

Nitrogen: The more nitrogen the plant receives, the more and the greener its foliage is, but be careful not to give the plant too much, or it might grow so many leaves that it doesn't have the "energy" to make any flowers for fruit.

Phosphorus: The more phosphorus a plant receives, the more it will bloom. An excellent product to make plants bloom throughout the entire growing season is Miracle Gro Ultra Bloom.

Remember, though, when growing a garden, plants need both nitrogen and phosphorus, so it is best not to use one without the other.

Lawn Fertilizer: Some people have some leftover lawn fertilizer and inadvertently make the mistake of using it on their garden plants or flowers. While it is high in nitrogen, it is not formulated or recommended for garden plants or flowers and will not give you the big healthy plants that you see in your mind's eye that the garden fertilizers will.

There are many very good fertilizers you may use when growing a garden. Vigoro, Scotts and Miracle Gro all make very good garden fertilizers.

Organic Fertilizers: If you are growing a garden organically, organic fertilizers like peat moss, compost or composted cow manure are also a great source of nutrients.

If you plan to use an organic fertilizer, add 2 to 4 inch layer of organic matter over the garden and dig it into the soil. Organic matter will improve the structure of your soil and add nutrients at the same time.

Planting a Garden

So, you will have to use a bit of a trial and error approach to see what will grow well in your containers with how ever much sunlight, water and nurturing that you can provide for them.

Step 1: Punch some holes (4-5) in the bottom of your container so excess water can drain out.

Step 2: Put 3 inches of gravel in bottom of container so your plant's roots don't sit in water all the time after it rains. This will make the roots rot.

If you have them available, other things that will hold the water near the roots of your outside container-grown plants is an old towel, a couple new/clean diapers or even some clean sponges.

Your friends may laugh when you tell them you put diapers in your hanging strawberry pot, but, trust me, you''ll have the last laugh when they see your healthy, green strawberry plant in late August!

Place these water absorbing items on top of the gravel before you add your potting soil. When it gets really hot, say in August or September, and you forget to water your container plants (as we all do, sometimes), these items really work wonders to hold the moisture close to the plant's roots to keep it from wilting or dying.

It will also save you from that dejected, guilty feeling that you get when you see that the plant has died,...not to mention the price of another plant to replace it!

Step 3: Fill container the rest of the way with top soil mixed with Peat Moss and Bone Meal. You can find these in your local department store in the Gardening Section.

Step 4: Ok, now you're ready to plant your seeds. Follow the directions on the seed package for planting depth of seeds.

Step 5: Put enough water in container so the soil is not dry.

Step 6: Put container out in the sun, but avoid sitting it next to a brick or concrete wall because it will cause it to overheat and burn up your plants.

Soil in your containers will dry out quickly, so frequent watering is necessary. You have to fertilize at least once a week when using containers. A very mild liquid fertilizer such as "Miracle Grow" works really well.

Many people think that more is better, but container grown plants can't use up excess fertilizer like your lawn can. The fertilizer has no where to go, except to the plant. That is why you have to be very careful not to over fertilize container grown gardens.

In The GroundPlanting a garden in the ground is simple once you have your soil prepared and you know what you want to grow. Setting out plants in your garden should be done late in the afternoon to avoid heat stress on your plants. Always plant from East to West if at all possible when growing a garden.

Step 1: Make sure you have created a smooth seedbed. Try to avoid compacting the soil where you will be seeding by walking on it. Walk in between your rows (seedbeds). If you prefer, you can stretch a string between 2 stakes to mark a row or use a straight piece of lumber as a guide.

Step 2: Follow the directions on the seed packet for planting depth of seeds. As a general rule, seeds should be planted to a depth 2 to 4 times their diameter or largest width.

Label Your Garden Rows: Be sure to label all the plants in your garden so you don't forget what you planted. Some people find this to be a hassle, not only for the time it takes, but when the rain obliterates the labels.

You can save yourself some time if, after you finish planting your garden, to simply write down what is planted in each row and clip it with a magnet to the side of your refrigerator so it doesn't get lost. That way, you can see at a glance, what is growing in your garden (and what is not).

Step 3: Cover seeds with soil and pat it down with the back of your hoe.

Step 4: Water lightly and keep moist until your seed begins to sprout. Seeds need moisture to germinate, so this is a very important step.

Step 5: When the seedlings have come up and developed their 2nd or 3rd set of true leaves, thin them as needed so that you keep the strongest plants, leaving the remaining ones spaced as directed on the seed package.

If you wait until the plants get too big and then thin them you will disturb the roots of the other plants.

Step 6: Watch your garden grow!! Be sure to keep weeds out so they won't choke down your plants by taking their water supply and nutrients.

Growing a garden is really quite easy and the pleasure you receive from nurturing all these "fruits of the earth" makes it not only fun but a very worthwhile hobby.

Return to Fruits and Vegetables Page from Growing a Garden.