Garden Basics
Using proper garden basics will ensure that you will have strong healthy plants. To have strong healthy plants you need to provide them with what they need to grow.
Location
A flower garden will give a lot of flexibility due to the many choices of plants that will grow in full sun to full shade. There are many varieties that are deer resistant.
While hosta plants are not deer resistant, they are very hardy and some varieties will grow in shady to sunny locations. Some gardeners will plant them in a row along the road where in the winter they are covered with snow and salt from the road. When the snow melts in the spring they come back looking beautiful. Hostas, tulips and many other plants that are not deer resistant can be successfully planted along a busy street. Try planting a small area around your mailbox and see what happens.
Your vegetable garden should be in the sunniest place in your yard and should get at least 6 to 8-hours of sun. The location should be fairly level and near a source of water from a garden hose or a rain barrel.
If you start your plants from seeds a cold frame is very useful in hardening off your young seedlings. It is also a good place new plants before you transplant into your garden.
If deer or other wildlife is a problem, then the garden should be fenced in. While it is true that some deer can jump a 7-foot fence, most will not. For most gardens a fence 4-feet high will keep them out. Deer do not have good forward binocular vision like we do. They will avoid a crowded closed in space like a small garden. Look around and you will see very few tall fences around small home gardens. On the other hand, if you have a large garden near a wooded area, you will need a taller fence.
Draw a Plan
Follow good garden basics by making a simple sketch on notebook or graph paper. It will be helpful to show where your house or trees cast a shadow and where the sunniest areas are. From your sketch you will now know where you can put the plants that require a sunny location and where you can put the plants that will do well in the shade.
Check the tag on the plant for the information you need to know about the plant. Many plant tags will list some companion plants that will also do well under the same growing conditions.
Planting Techniques
The most common method of planting is a traditional bed where an area is tilled or turned over by hand. When preparing the bed try to have it a few inches higher than the surrounding area to insure proper drainage.
A raised bed is a planting method in which the planting surface is raised above the surrounding soil and is usually enclosed by wood or some other material. A raised bed can be thought of as a type of container gardening.
A container garden is ideal for gardeners who do not have the outdoor space for a traditional garden. The containers can be anything from a flower pot to a half wine barrel in size. The containers can be arraigned on your deck or patio. Almost all vegetables, flowers and herbs can be grown in a container. Since your plants are in a container they need to be watered regularly and they need to have enough sunlight to thrive.
A trellis is a great way to plant any type of vining plant. Cucumbers, beans and peas all do well climbing up on a trellis. In this manor they take up very little garden space and the plants are healthier due to better air circulation. The fruit of the vine is also off of the ground, which makes them cleaner and easier to pick. If you are looking for flowers, there are many vining and climbing flowers to choose from. Take a look at climbing Roses, Clematis, Black-eyed Susan Vine, Sweet Pea, Potato Vine, Cypress Vine and Morning Glory as types of plants that like to climb.
If you are starting your plants from seed, they arrive in most stores between January and February. That is the time when the greatest selection of seeds and seed starting supplies are available.
Soil Preparation
The soil structure in your vegetable garden or flower bed is very important. It needs to have humus, which is organic matter which has broken down. It contains the minerals and natural organic fertilizer needed to grow strong plants.
A compost bin is the perfect way to turn your kitchen and yard waste into the best organic humus that can be added to your garden soil. It allows the soil to absorb water and gives the roots an easy place to grow.
Mulch around the plants keeps the weeds down; it lowers the soil temperature and slows down the rate of water evaporation.
Nutrition
All plants need nutrition in the form of fertilizers to be healthy. Organic fertilizers are usually derived from plant or animal matter. Plant matter may come from composted plants and animal matter may come from animal manure waste.
Inorganic fertilizers are chemically synthesized from material which usually comes from mines.
Follow good garden basics by adding composted plant material to your garden. By adding compost you will be providing all of the important things your plants require. If your plants are acid loving you may need to adjust the soil pH to bring it into a range your plants need.
Watering
Most of your flowers and vegetables do best with about an inch of water each week. Water from a rain barrel or a well will be the best for your plants. If you have a water softener, the water may have too much sodium in it. Make sure that the water going to the outside faucets does not pass through the water softener.
If your water comes from a municipal source, it may have fluoride, chlorine and many other chemicals in it. Stick with the garden basics and your flowers and vegetables will do better.
Suitable Plants
Make sure that the plants will grow in your area. Your local independent garden center will have the right plants that will do well in your area. They will also have experienced staff on hand that will be able to give you advice on how to correct a problem you may be having.
Most local garden centers have a very limited selection of varieties. For example, a local garden center may have one or two varieties of forsythia, while online nurseries may have more than a dozen forsythia varieties. You will find growth habits from standard heights to dwarf varieties in various shades of yellow and gold.
Check with the USDA Zone Map to see which zone you are in. If you are not sure which growing zone you are in, check with your independent garden center or your Cooperative Extension for help.
Garden Records
Garden Records may also be called Garden Journals, but to be a successful gardener you need to keep good garden records. These records will be invaluable next winter or early spring when you start planning your next garden.
If you are starting your vegetables or flowers from seed, record the variety, date planted and how many seeds you planted and then the germination percent.
There are many methods of keeping records. It could be pages in a notebook, a computer file, computer spreadsheet or a box of file cards. Choose whatever is convenient for you.
The following are some basic things to make a note of:
Variety of seed and brand
Seed packet year
When you planted the seeds
Number of cells or containers
Number of seeds planted
Number of seedlings
Germination rate (number of seedlings divided by the number of seeds planted)
When you potted up the seedlings to put in your cold frame
Date you transplanted into your garden
Photographs of your successes and failures
Label Your Plants
Another aspect of garden basics is marking your plants in some way. If you have a large group flowers of the same variety, a notation in your garden records of the variety and location, such as front flower bed or side flower bed might be sufficient.
If you have a large number of different varieties, then a plant marker or tag is necessary. A plastic knife used once and tossed in the trash at a picnic makes a great inexpensive marker. You can use a Sharpie marker on the white ones or a labeler such as a Brother P-Touch from Staples or other retailer to put a label on the clear or dark colored plastic knives.
The plastic knives can be stuck in the ground behind the base of the plant where it is hidden from view. After the winter freeze kills off the top growth you will know where your perennials are in the spring.
If your garden records indicate that the plant was not doing very well in that location because it had too much shade, you can move it to another spot that gets more sun.
Early spring is also a good time to divide your perennials. If you kept good garden records and also marked your plants, you know where they are.
Basic Tools
Some basic garden tools are necessary to prepare the garden bed for planting. Many of these tools can be found inexpensively at tag sales and moving sales.
A basic list of garden tools is a shovel, rake, garden fork, hand trowel, hand rake, pruning shear and a wheelbarrow.
More specialized tools such as those for planting tulip and daffodil bulbs can be added in the future.
Lawn Care
Many gardeners consider their lawn as part of their garden landscape. Lawn care is best done in the spring and fall when the weather is cool.
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