Starting Out

You wouldn’t just grab some lumber and nails and start building a home you planned on being in for the rest of your life, without a plan would you? So why would you build a garden without a plan. The first and most critical step is to go out and walk around on your property and take the time to choose a place for your new garden. Remember that this garden will be with you as long as you care for it and nurture it. This is why it is so important that you choose a spot where you will not have to remove the plants once they are firmly in their new home and happy there. Take your time on this step and you will be glad you did in the future.

Next you need to plan what you would like to see in your garden. Go to your local nursery and ask for pictures of plants if they have them or make sure to take a digital camera so you can take some pictures of plants they have there that are in bloom and past blooming also. You can lay the pictures out on a table in the pattern you are thinking about for your garden. The reason for this is that you want to be able to envision what plants will look like as the time passes over the summer and you can arrange your new plants so you get the maximum effect from the colors over the course of the summer. It is always nice to see color in all parts of the garden as the summer passes by. You can plan to have plants that have nice color right into the late fall too.

Beginning Construction

If you are going to build this garden on never before disturbed earth you will need either some equipment from your local rental facility or maybe even someone professional to come in and prepare the earth for you. You need to remove the sod and get down to just dirt. Before you do that go to the hardware store and get a can or two of landscape paint. With this can of paint you can draw the outline of your garden right on the grass before you do any digging. This will make it so you don’t remove far more sod than you really need to. You can always make the shape different or larger if your desire.

Now you can remove the sod and break up the earth with a garden fork or a rototiller if it is going to be a larger garden. Have any supplies you need such as soil amendments like manure and fertilizer ready when you are doing this step. It makes it easier as you are tilling the earth up to just add the soil amendments right in and till them into the ground at that point in the building process. You don’t have to have the plants at this time unless you are planning on putting them right into the garden. It is usually best to just break up the earth and amend the soil and let things rest for a day or so. While that is happening you can go shopping for the plants you have chosen. You will most likely change your mind a few times during the building process. Don’t forget to get weed barrier to help keep the weeds down to a minimum. Weed barrier and mulch combine will minimize your work in the future as the garden matures.

Now that you have the shape you want and the soil prepared, you can take the plants and set them container and all right where you think you want them to be. Please follow the recommendations about the proper amount of room for your new plants. Very often they will grow larger if they have the room to do it. It is a common mistake for people to try and get the finished look to their new garden only to find out that in a year or two that the garden is way over crowded. Give them their space and you and the plants will be much happier. If you are happy with the plants where you have set them you can go ahead and plant them. Make the holes the depth they recommend on the planting instructions and usually make them about twice as big around as the container they come in.

Finishing Touches

With the plants in the garden it is time to add the finishing touches. Top off the weed barrier you spread around the garden before you planted your plants with a good quality mulch. Add any decorations you want like stone or any other garden decor. Get out your garden hose and give the new garden a thorough watering. Make sure to give the garden plenty of water over the next couple of weeks or even more if you are in a very dry climate. Keep a close eye on your new plants for yellowing leaves or whithering plants. Use a good edging for your garden and it will make it easier to keep the grass trimmed without getting it in the new garden. Now with your new garden built and finished it is time to grab a shady spot and a nice cool beverage and sit back and admire your work. With a little direction you can see that it is not all that hard to build a garden from start to finish. Go out and find a spot and have some fun building a garden and enjoying the beauty of the flowers and the birds playing in the garden. Take some pictures as you go through the process and put them in your scrapbook. Good luck and have lots of fun playing in the dirt.

John Rowe
TheYankeeGardener.com