Preparations Before You Start Planting

Green fingers are the extension of a verdant heart. -Russell Page

There are a few important things to remember when preparing an area for a garden.

Placement of Your New Garden

A very important thing to consider is the location of your new garden. Keep in mind the amount of sunlight this area will offer. It is a little more difficult in finding shade only plants than plants that can take full sun. Another important thing to consider when choosing an area is the moisture content of the soil. Certain plants can take a bit more water than others, however they are somtimes hard to find.

The Composition of Your Soil

It is always important to check the type of soil that you will be working with before making any hasty decisions. You can determine the composition of your soil by digging in a few areas and checking with the simple grip of your hand. If the soil breaks apart freely in your hand, your soil may be a bit too sandy. If it is diffiult to break apart, you may be working with clay soil.

Tip: Another way that you can check your soil composition is by simply placing a clump of soil in a jar filled with water and letting it settle over night. By the morning, you should see three distinct layers: sand at the bottom, then silt, and then a layer of clay at the top.

Preparing Your Soil

The best way to prepare your soil is adding organic matter.

• Sandy Soil- in order to neutralize sandy soil, add a combination of topsoil, peat moss and compost.




• Clay Soil- in order to neutralize clay soil, add a combination of peat moss, compost and sand. Sand will help break up clay soil and allow for proper drainage to occure.

A Layer of Landscape Fabric To Help Fight Those Pesky Weeds!

Landscapers often opt for rolls of landscape fabric to lay down before adding your topsoil.

The advantages of landscape fabric include:

• Weed control


• Permits air and water movement through the soil.


• Helps to maintain even soil temperatures.


• It can not only be used around shrubs and trees, but also around stepping stones, decks, retaining walls, and stone sidewalks.

Note: Landscape fabric will not prevent all weeds. It is only a barrier in preventing germinating weed seeds into landscaped areas.

Edging: A Garden's Curves add Character

In most cases, an industrialized (four inch) black plastic edging is used to separate your lawn and your planting bed, or in some cases, can even be used between a driveway and a lawn. It is easy to use because it adapts to curves, corners, angles and straight lines. Stakes (either metal or plastic) are placed in the side pocket of the edging and are used to hold it in place.

Installation- Dig a small trench about five inches deep (if you are using standard 4" industrialized edging). The edging goes smoothley into this trench, making sure the rounded edge is facing up. Next, simply fill in the sides with topsoil, making sure that the edging is at least 1/2 of an inch above ground level.

Mulch

Laying down mulch not only makes the appearance of your garden beautiful, it helps in the growth of your plants too! Mulch is usually spread 3-4 inches deep in order to help in the prevention of weeds. Mulch also preserves soil moisture by reducing evaporation and helping to prevent erosion from weather conditions. It also helps to moderate soil temperatures by keeping the soil cooler in the summer, and helps to prevent root damage in the winter. It is made up of organic matter, and eventually decomposes, adding nutrients and natural fertilizers to the soil.

The Importance of Composting: Gardening for the Environment's Greater Good!

A great idea to participate in helping to keep the environment healthy is a simple process called composting. You can easily think of composting as natures way of recycling. It biodegrades organic waste and turns it into a valuable organic fertilizer. Participants in Composting: These may include food waste, manure, paper, leaves, grass trimmings,wood,feathers, crop residue, even sewage sludge.