Photo by: RaeA
Gardening season has arrived and with it the anticipation (and often anxiety) of all that needs to be done! If it’s your first time planting a garden, you may feel overwhelmed. You want the garden to thrive, but have no clue what challenges may lay ahead. Follow these simple gardening tips to get your garden off on the right foot.
The first step is planning your garden. This doesn’t have to be fancy. You can eyeball the space, sketch the area, and identify the types of plants and their locations. Keep in mind the amount of space each plant needs to grow. If this is your first garden, less is more. You can always add more plants next season. Once you have a few seasons under your belt, you’ll have an even better idea of where everything should go.
The next step is to buy some supplies. You’ll want the standard gardening tools: a hoe (and a tiller if you want to get serious), rake, spade, shovel, hose and pruners. Also, pick up some bagged manure or compost. If you have your own compost pile, you’re ahead of the game!
Next, you need to prepare your soil. Turn the ground over (this is where a tiller comes in handy) and remove grass roots and weeds. If you don’t have a tiller, a hoe and elbow grease will work. Once your soil is broken up, turned, and de-weeded, flatten the area. Finally, add your compost or manure.
Now you’re ready to plant! You can either sow seeds directly into the ground (some veggies grow best that way, including beans, beets, carrots, lettuce and peas) or plant seedlings (other veggies are more successful when planted as seedlings, including eggplant, squash, tomatoes, broccoli and cauliflower).
The last step is crucial: you need to stop hungry animals from eating your garden. Animal repellents such as Critter Ridder® keep wild animals like skunks, groundhogs, raccoons and squirrels away from your crops. The last thing you want is your hard work destroyed by nuisance animals. Once you see growth, use critter repellent to protect the plants you’ve worked hard for!
Lastly, enjoy your garden – you’ve earned it! You have probably learned lessons along the way to keep in mind for next year’s garden, too!
