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Steps to Beginning a Garden. Get An Idea. Is it going to be a vegetable garden? An herb garden? A flower garden? Or a mix ? How much space do you have? How much time do you have? START small! ‘Tis better to succeed just a little, than to fail grandly’. Pick a Place.
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Get An Idea • Is it going to be a vegetable garden? An herb garden? A flower garden? Or a mix? • How much space do you have? • How much time do you have? START small! ‘Tis better to succeed just a little, than to fail grandly’
Pick a Place • Most vegetables and flowers need about 6 hours of full sun each day • Build your garden close to the house so that it reminds you it needs attention and so you can easily put your produce to use in your kitchen • Think about animals… Will you need a fence? • Close to a reliable water source and a place that will allow water to drain off
Improve the Soil • Choose an area, try to avoid sandy, rocky or heavy clay soil and clear the sod/ debris • **If you have time you could use newspaper to smother the weeds and this will give you more organic material • Add 2-3 in. layer of compost, decayed leaves, dry grass clippings, or old manure
Organic material • Compost- leaves (dry and green), manure, kitchenscraps • Bocashi- rice shells, molaces, yeast, chickenmanure, virginsoil, charcoal, calcium • Worms- compost, kitchenscraps, coffeegrounds
Making the Beds • Raised beds: This is for better drainage- less fungal growth and better aeration- promotes root growth • There are 2 types (digging and no digging) • Can use wood or cement blocks
Pick your Plants • Choose plants adapted to your climate, your soil and the amount of sunlight in your garden • It is good to plant herbs among vegetables because they act as a natural insect repellent
Water • Daily water is necessary when the plants are new/ small and it can be tapered off as plants get larger • Water in the early morning to minimize evaporation • In the summer months plants may need to be watered 2x day
Mulch • Helps keep water in and weeds out
Keep it Up! • Walk through your garden at least once a day • Enjoy the smells, the colors, the growth, and of course the vegetables • Now we will look at some recipes to make organic fertilizers and insecticides