You’ve planted things with the word “butterfly” in the name: butterfly bush, butterfly weed, and the pincushion flower ‘Butterfly Blue.’ A few butterflies do seem to flit by, but what if your garden is still more of a stopover than a destination? By learning more about butterflies, the plants that attract them, and their survival needs, you can increase your garden’s butterfly allure considerably.

Plant Butterfly Friendly Flowers

The flowers you choose to install in your butterfly garden are likely to be classics that your parents or grandparents grew. Growing these heirlooms preserves genetic diversity, honors old-fashioned garden style, and connects you to your ancestors. It also allows you to propagate your garden by saving seed.

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Traditional flowers that you will see repeatedly in butterfly gardens include brightly colored plants with shallow blossoms that allow easy nectar access. Popular butterfly perennials include milkweed, coneflowers, hyssop, asters, and liatris. Shrubs add a structure to the landscape while nourishing butterflies, so include some viburnum, sweetspire, and elderberry. These plants and shrubs all thrive in full sun, which butterflies need to maintain their metabolism.

Use a mix of annuals and perennials to prolong blooming time. Flowering containers allow you to exchange plantings during low-blooming lulls in the garden, like late spring and late summer. Use a combination of window boxes, patio containers, and hanging baskets to help create staggered blooming heights in the butterfly garden. Stick to nectar-rich flowers like pentas, cosmos, lantana, petunias, and zinnias instead of sterile hybrid flowers to ensure a steady supply of nectar.

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Include not only a variety of colors, but plants of differing heights to attract more butterflies. A short row of flowering bedding plants may look attractive to homeowners, but it doesn’t satisfy the needs of some butterflies. In nature, butterflies fill specific feeding niches by focusing on flowers at certain heights. By including flowers that grow at a range of heights, you can not only achieve a professional-looking border, you will attract a greater variety of butterflies. For example, Tiger Swallowtails seek tall flowers like Joe Pye weed and honeysuckle vines. The Least Skipper and Little Yellow butterflies prefer flowers closer to the ground, like lavender, dianthus, and asters.

Add Plants for Butterfly Caterpillars

Many butterflies are very specific about which host plant they will lay their eggs on. Sometimes they seek out plants in a particular family, and sometimes their caterpillars will dine on one plant and one plant only. If you intermingle attractive host plants with nectar rich plants in your flower garden, you may find yourself fostering one butterfly generation after the next. Don’t worry about extensive caterpillar damage on your host plants; unlike some caterpillars that are voracious garden pests, butterfly caterpillar feeding rarely causes death or stunted growth on healthy host plants.

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Aster flowers are an important source of nectar for migrating butterflies in the fall, but before that, the larvae of the pearl crescent butterfly feed on its foliage. Monarchs depend on butterfly weed and other plants in the milkweed family to provide them with the toxins that make them unpalatable to birds and other predators. The showy zebra butterfly, a Florida and Texas resident, feeds its babies exclusively on the foliage of the passionflower. If you reside in the Eastern half of the United States, you may attract the iridescent Eastern tailed-blue to your garden with a host planting of sweet peas.

Include Butterfly Shelter Areas

Butterfly houses look like wooden blocks punctuated with tall, narrow slots, presumably to shelter butterflies from predators and bad weather. Have you ever seen a photo or video of swarm of butterflies emerging from this butterfly apartment house in the morning? Probably not. Unfortunately, a prefab butterfly house is more likely to become the future home of a paper wasp colony than it is to shelter butterflies.
Butterflies do need shelter from wind and rain, but you don’t need a fancy shingled house to protect them. Take your cue from nature, and provide them with a simple log pile in a corner of the yard. Butterflies will use this natural shelter to roost at night, or even to hibernate over the winter. In addition to the spaces between logs, small butterflies can creep between gaps in the bark. If you wish to make the shelter more cozy than a rustic log pile, you can cover the pile with a tarp, which will help the insects stay dry during downpours.

Offer Alternative Butterfly Foods

In spite of your best efforts to maintain a garden that blooms from spring until frost, there will inevitably be some times when a butterfly’s favorite flowers are scarce. You can continue to draw butterflies to your garden during this time by focusing on species that spend little time seeking nectar. Hackberry butterflies in particular relish overripe fruit, so you can attract them with dishes of peaches, pears, and bananas that are past their prime.

Fermented beer or molasses can act as the condiment on the fruit main dish, proving irresistible to species like the Question Mark and Red-Spotted Purple. Replace the fruit frequently to discourage wasps and ants from taking over the buffet. You can also cover the fruit with a window screen, which butterflies can bypass with their proboscis but will block wasps.

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Provide Butterfly Puddling Stations

Butterflies seek shallow puddles in the garden not only as a source of drinking water, but also as a way to obtain vital minerals. In fact, the Cloudless Sulphur and the Sleepy Orange butterfly may congregate en masse in muddy areas or bog gardens. Look for this puddling behavior in the hottest part of the day, and keep your soil free of chemicals that can harm sensitive butterflies. A shallow dish filled with pebbles or sand and water can act as a valuable drinking station on hot days.

Avoid Pesticides That Harm Butterflies

When it comes to pest control, butterfly gardeners must tread lightly. Most pesticides will harm or kill butterflies (as well as other beneficial pollinators like bees and parasitic wasps). Even organic pest control options like insect soap or neem oil can kill butterflies or disrupt their feeding and mating habits. However, this doesn’t mean you have to hand your flowers over to the aphids. Minimize pesticide effects by shielding flowers from sprays and powders. Only use pesticides to treat insect outbreaks, not as a preventative treatment. Finally, try non-pesticide insect controls, like floating row covers, jets of water to blast away small insects, and hand-picking for large insects like beetles.

Homegrown fruit always beats market fruit for freshness and taste, but not everyone has the space to grow a fruit tree or a melon vine. For that reason, berries are the gateway fruit for many gardeners, and none are easier to grow in the home garden than the blackberry. As native North American plants that can typically be harvested from June to August, they are primed to grow in your yard with little extra maintenance. All you need to grow summer blackberries for your pies, jams, and smoothies is a spot with full sun and a good supply of soil amendments like compost or leaf mold.

• Botanical Name: Rubus Fruticosus
• Common Name: Blackberry
• Plant Type: Perennial Shrub
• Mature Size: Three to five feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Type: Rich and loamy
• Soil pH: Slightly acidic; 5.5-7.0
• Bloom Time: Spring
• Flower Color: White
• Hardiness Zones: 5-9
• Native Area: North America, especially the Pacific

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Northwest

Caring for Blackberry Plants

• As members of the Rosaceae family, the cultivation of blackberries resembles that of rose bushes. Fortunately, blackberries are closer to wild roses in their ease of care than they are to a hybrid tea rose. Blackberries will tolerate many growing conditions, but the harvest of a struggling blackberry plant will be disappointing compared to the harvest of a pampered plant. Plenty of sunshine, regular irrigation, and rich loamy soil will give plants the energy and nutrients they need to yield sweet, jumbo blackberries.

Light

• Sites with full sun are best for productive blackberry bushes. Some afternoon shade is tolerated, especially in areas with hot summers.

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Soil

• Careful site selection will ensure a long life for your blackberries, which usually live for about a decade with proper care. Soil should have good drainage. An elevated site or raised beds will not only help drainage but will also prevent late spring frosts from damaging flower buds. Remove all weeds that might draw nutrients or water away from your blackberries, as their shallow roots are susceptible to this competition.

Water

• Blackberries need moderate amounts of water, around an inch a week provided either by rainfall or from drip irrigation. Blackberries do not fare well in wet soils.

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Temperature and Humidity

• Because of their shallow root systems, blackberries don’t do well in areas where temperatures go below zero degrees routinely. Cold winter temperatures combined with wet spring soils may lead to plant death. The reverse environment of hot, dry winds are also unfavorable for blackberry growing and may result in stunted, seedy fruits.

Fertilizer

• Fertilize your blackberries in the spring when plants are emerging from dormancy, using a balanced 10-10-10 formula. Fertilize plants again in the fall with an application of manure and compost, which will also suppress weeds and improve soil tilth.

Propagating

• It’s easy to propagate blackberry plants from stem cuttings. Cut a four-inch piece from the end of the stem in late spring when temperatures are mild and rainfall is plenty. Plant it in the soil, and keep it moist. Roots will form in two to four weeks.

Varieties of Blackberries

Blackberries fall into two categories: primocane, which produce fruit the first year and are fall-bearing or ever bearing, and floricane, which produce fruit the second year and are summer-bearing.

‘Shawnee’ is resistant to cold, and has self-supporting thorny canes. ‘Natchez’ is thornless and erect, and will form a hedgerow as it spreads by suckers. Semi-erect thornless varieties like ‘Chester’ and ‘Triple Crown’ grow as a clump, and benefit from a trellis. Primocane varieties like ‘Prime-Ark Traveler’ produce fruit on new and old canes throughout the season.

Toxicity of Blackberries and Its Leaves

Blackberry leaves are edible and are sometimes dried for use as a tea ingredient.

Pruning

Pruning keeps blackberry plants a manageable size and improves fruit quality. Prune old canes that have previously born fruit to the ground to make room for young canes. In the spring, prune trailing young canes back to about three feet to reduce tangling. Prune erect varieties back to about three feet in the summer, in a process called tipping.

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Harvesting

Because they are highly perishable, it’s important to follow the development of your ripening blackberries carefully. Immature blackberries start out green, then transition to red before maturing to a deep, glossy black. Blackberries do not continue to ripen after harvest, so only pick the berries after they have turned completely black.

Berries last about seven days after harvest in the refrigerator.

Being Grown in Containers

When growing blackberries in containers, choose a compact cultivar like Baby Cakes™ that does not need pruning. Choose large containers that hold at least five gallons of soil to prevent drying out.

Growing From Seeds

Blackberries are sold as dormant bare roots or as potted plants. If you have the patience to grow blackberries from seed, plant them in the ground in the fall. They require a period of cold dormancy to germinate.

Common Pests and Diseases

Blackberries are prone to anthracnose, stem blight, and crown gall. Prevent disease by purchasing disease-free plant stock from reputable nurseries, and planting your blackberries away from areas with wild brambles. Insect pests include stink bugs and raspberry crown borers. Healthy vigorous plants are less attractive to insect attack.

Blackberries vs. Raspberries

Both blackberries and raspberries belong to the Rubus genus. Blackberry and raspberry plants look very similar, both featuring thorny canes and compound leaves with toothed edges in groups of three or five. One key difference between the fruits of blackberries and raspberries is the way the fruits are formed. The tiny globes of the fruits, called drupelets, are attached to a white core in blackberries. Raspberries, including black raspberries, form drupelets with a hollow core.

Learn how to lay out a vegetable garden for your space and the plants you want to grow—from super-fresh lettuce to juicy tomatoes. In this video, we discuss the benefits different styles of garden beds. We’ll also demonstrate how to position your vegetables for a better harvest.

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Site Selection

Before we get started, let’s consider the location of your garden.
• Where do you get the most sun? Ideally, choose the sunniest part of the garden for your beds, away from frost pockets. Most vegetables need 6 to 8 hours of direct sun a day! Note that the south, east, and west sides of your home will get more sun than the north.
• How far away is the water? Make sure you have easy access to a hose or water source!
• Is there a spot near the house? The ideal garden is one ou can see outside your door or window so it’s easy to water and keep an eye on!
• Is there a nice clearing? If you have too many shrubs or trees nearby, they may compete with your garden for nutrients and moisture as well as sunlight.
• How large do you want your garden? It’s better to start small! If you’re new to vegetable gardening, a 10’ x 10’ garden (100 square feet) is a great place to start.

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Which plants do you want to grow?

• For a beginner, perhaps pick 3 to 5 plants that you would like to grow, and buy 3 to 5 plants of each one. See the most popular vegetables, herbs, and fruit here.
• Here’s a good article and list of vegetables for the beginner gardener.
• If you’re growing annual plants (most vegetable seeds need to be planted each year), then look at dedicated vegetable beds.
• For the perennials (such as asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries), you may want to dedicate a separate space.
• If you have our Garden Planner, we make it easy to plan where to grow your fruits and vegetables. Select a crop from the plant selection bar and add it to your plan. Use the corner handles to extend the row or expand it out into a block, and the Garden Planner will automatically calculate how many plants can be grown in that space.

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Plan Dedicated Vegetable Beds

Growing in dedicated beds reduces soil compaction, helps to simplify crop rotation, and makes weeding and protecting your crops a snap. A simple bed system in your garden will make it easy to plan, tend and harvest your crops.

You can lay out your beds on paper, but today, we much prefer to lay them out on the computer with the Almanac Garden Planner. It automatically calculates how much space each plant requires, your frost dates, your planting dates, and so much more.

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• Beds can be laid out at soil level or raised, and should be no more than 3 to 4 feet wide to make it easy to reach into the center without stepping on the soil.
• The length of your beds should take into account how far you are willing to walk to get around to the other side.
• A narrow bed also enables you to grow plants in blocks rather than rows, which helps suppress weeds and maximizes the number of plants you can grow in that space.
• Make each bed the same size to make it simple to move crops, row covers, and cloches from bed to bed as required.
(Note: On the Garden Planner, mark out your beds with the rectangle tool. Switch your tool to Garden Objects to select a particular style of raised bed.)

Design Your Paths

• Make access paths between beds at least 2 feet wide to enable easy access for weeding and harvesting.
• Paths can be made of grass if they can be easily mown.
• Alternatively, lay cardboard and cover it with a mulch of wood chips, or pour a loose material such as gravel over weed-suppressing fabric.

• For a more permanent path surface, consider using brick or pavers.

If you’re using our Garden Planner, there are a number of path types to add to your plan. Irregular shapes can be created by selecting a texture from the Palette, then adding solid shapes.

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Positioning Vegetables in Beds

1. Tender Plants
   Grow tender plants such as tomatoes and peppers in the warmest, sunniest parts of the plot, so add these to your plan these first.
2. Sprawling Plants
   Next, consider plants such as squash that need a lot of space. Add these near the edges of beds so they don’t smother neighboring plants.
3. Climbing Crops
   Tall-growing climbers such as peas and pole beans should be located where they won’t shade lower-growing vegetables.
   You may want to take advantage of potential shade to grow cool-season crops like lettuce and spinach, especially in hot climates.
4. Quick-Access Crops
   Plants that are regularly harvested and which don’t need to be included in crop rotation, such as herbs and salad leaves, should be positioned in beds nearest to the kitchen.
5. Pollination and Companion Planting
   Consider pollination requirements. Corn, for example, is best grown in blocks rather than rows, as they are wind pollinated.
   Include pollinator plants and plenty of flowers such as calendula to attract beneficial insects to your garden and help improve pollination of fruit or pod-bearing crops!
6. Thirsty Plants
   Thirsty plants such as salad leaves are likely to need regular watering. Cluster these plants together in a damper part of the garden or where irrigation can easily be supplied.

Finally, if this isn’t your first garden, think about where you planted your veggies last year, then be sure to rotate them to different beds for the coming season to help prevent diseases and avoid plant-hungry pests that overwinter in the soil. Our Garden Planner actually has a crop rotation feature and even warns you when you need to rotate!

Try Out the Almanac Garden Planner for Free

All the best with your garden plan!

As a courtesy, the online Almanac Garden Planner is free for 7 days. This is plenty of time to play around on your computer and try it out. There are absolutely no strings attached. We are most interested in encouraging folks to try growing a garden of goodness!

Not only does the Garden Planner help you lay out a garden, but we also provide you with a customized planting calendar so you know when to plant what. Plus, we provide lots of gardening videos and techniques to help you out!

Raised garden beds are fairly easy to construct, even easier to maintain, and offer myriad benefits for your garden (and you)! Here’s how to build a raised garden bed in your backyard, as well as some advice on using the right wood and soil.

Raised beds are an easy way to get into gardening! Whether you purchase a kit or build your own, there are many great reasons for using raised bed gardening.

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What is a Raised Garden Bed?

A raised garden bed (or simply “raised bed”) is a large planting container that sits aboveground and is filled with soil and plants. It is a box with no bottom or top—a frame, really—that is placed in a sunny spot and filled with good-quality soil—to become a source of pride and pleasure, and a centerpiece of the garden.

Why Should I Build a Raised Garden Bed?

Raised beds have many benefits. Here are a few reasons why you should consider using one:
• Garden chores are made easier and more comfortable thanks to less bending and kneeling. Save your knees and back from the strain and pain of tending the garden!
• Productivity of plants is improved due to better drainage and deeper rooting.
• Raised beds are ideal for small spaces where a conventional row garden might be too wild and unwieldy. Raised beds help to keep things organized and in check.
• Planting in a raised bed gives you full control over soil quality and content, which is especially important in areas where the existing soil is rocky, nutrient-poor, or riddled with weeds.
• Raised beds allow for a longer growing season, since you can work the soil more quickly in the spring in frost-hardened regions, or convert the bed into a cold frame in the fall.
• Fewer weeds are seen in raised beds thanks to the bed being elevated away from surrounding weeds and being filled with disease- and weed-free soil.
• Raised beds allow for easier square-foot gardening and companion planting.

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Learn more about the benefits of raised garden beds.

Choosing the Right Wood for Raised Beds

Many people are concerned about the safety of their wood frame. First, rest assured that CCA pressure-treated wood is banned, as it was known to leach arsenic. To ensure that the wood lasts, there are several options:

• Regular pressure-treated lumber sold today has a mixture of chemicals applied to prevent the moist soil and weather from rotting it. Although pressure-treated wood is certified as safe for organic growing, some people have reservations about using it, and there are various eco-friendly alternatives.
• More expensive woods, such as cedar, contain natural oils which prevent rotting and make them much more durable. They are more expensive to buy, but they will last many more years.
• Choosing thicker boards can make the wood last longer. For example, 2-inch-thick locally sourced larch should last 10 years, even without treatment.
• Avoid using railroad ties, as they may be treated with creosote, which is toxic.

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Alternatives to wood include concrete blocks or bricks. However, keep in mind that concrete will increase the soil pH over time, and you will have to amend the soil accordingly to grow your best garden.
How Big Should Your Raised Bed Be?
• First, you need a location that has level ground and gets the right amount of sunlight (6 to 8 hours per day). This should narrow down your options a bit.
• In terms of bed size, 4 feet is a common width. Lumber is often cut in 4-foot increments, and you also want to be able to access the garden without stepping into the bed. Making the bed too wide will make it difficult to reach the middle, which makes weeding and harvesting a pain.
• Length isn’t as important. Typical plots are often 4 feet wide by 8 feet long or 4 feet wide by 12 feet long. Make your bed as long as you like or build multiple raised beds for different crops.
• The depth of the bed can vary, but 6 inches of soil should be the minimum. Most garden plants need at least 6 to 12 inches for their roots, so 12 inches is ideal.
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Preparing the Site for a Raised Bed
• Before you establish the bed, break up and loosen the soil underneath with a garden fork so that it’s not compacted. Go about 6 to 8 inches deep. For improved rooting, some gardeners like to remove the top layer (about a spade’s depth), dig down another layer, and then return the top layer and mix the soil layers together.
• If you’re planning to put your raised bed in a space currently occupied by a lawn, lay down a sheet of cardboard, a tarp, or a piece of landscaping fabric to kill off the grass first. After about six weeks (or less, depending on the weather), the grass should be dead and will be much easier to remove.

Building a Raised Garden Bed

• To support timber beds, place wooden stakes at every corner (and every few feet for longer beds). Place on the inside of the bed so that the stakes are less visible.
• Drive the stakes about 60% (2 feet) into the ground and leave the rest of the stakes exposed aboveground.
• Ensure that the stakes are level so that they’re in the ground at the same height, or you’ll have uneven beds.
• Set the lowest boards a couple inches below ground level. Check that they are level.
• Use galvanized nails (or screws) to fix the boards to the stakes.
• Add any additional rows of boards, fixing them to the stakes, too.

Check out our video on how to build raised beds for your vegetables:

Soil for Raised Garden Beds

The soil blend that you put into your raised bed is its most important ingredient. More gardens fail or falter due to poor soil than almost anything else.

• Fill the beds with a mix of topsoil, compost, and other organic material, such as manure, to give your plants a nutrient-rich environment (see recipes below). Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting.
• Note that the soil in a raised bed will dry out more quickly. During the spring and fall, this is fine, but during the summer, add straw, mulch, or hay on top of the soil to help it retain moisture.
• Frequent watering will be critical with raised beds, especially in the early stages of plant growth. Otherwise, raised beds need little maintenance.

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Raised Bed Soil Recipe

For a 4×8-foot raised bed:

• 4 bags (2 cubic feet each) topsoil (Note: Avoid using topsoil from your yard, as it may contain weeds and pests.)
• 2 pails (3 cubic feet each) peat moss
• 2 bags (2–3 cubic feet each) compost or composted cow manure
• 2-inch layer of shredded leaves or grass clippings (grass clippings should be herbicide- and fertilizer-free)

Planning a Raised Bed Garden

To plan out the perfect garden for your space, try the Almanac Garden Planner! In minutes, you can create a garden plan right on your computer.

The Garden Planner has a “Raised Garden Bed” feature. It also has a specific square-foot gardening (SFG) feature, which involves dividing the bed into squares to make the organization of your garden a lot simpler (see photo above).

Which ever garden you select, the Garden Planner will show you the number of crops that fit in each space so you don’t waste seed or overcrowd. There’s even a companion planting tool so you plant crops that thrive together and avoid plants that inhibit each other.

Test out our Garden Planner with a free 7-day trial—plenty of time to plan your first garden! If you enjoy the Garden Planner, we hope you’ll subscribe. Otherwise, this is ample time to play around and give it a go!

Learn More
• Get more tips on building a raised garden bed and planning for it.
• If this article sparks your interest in raised beds, then we’ll show you how to do it. See our video, “How to Use Raised Beds in Your Garden.”
• Learn more about companion planting, which can vastly improve the health and yield of your garden. See our Companion Planting Guide and our Companion Planting Chart for Vegetables.
• Check out our Plant Growing Guides for advice on growing all of the most popular vegetables, fruit, herbs, and flowers.

The term “kitchen garden” is bandied around a lot these days. But what exactly does it mean? We’ve always considered it a vegetable garden in proximity to the kitchen door or whichever portal to the outdoors is closest to the kitchen. Proximity, of course is relevant, and almost any garden plot inside your property growing food no matter how far from the kitchen door qualifies.

As I’ve worked over fresh ideas for my landscape — otherwise known as “the yard” — I’m hoping to turn some features near the back door into vegetable and herb patches. This will include the borders along the walk and patio, triangular plots where the walks intersect, a window basket off the kitchen window, a few containers of various sizes on the small patio; things like that. It’s not an especially geometric or well-designed array of features. It’s mostly taking opportunity of what’s already there.

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Fertilizer combines a special mix of plant nutrition with beneficial bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi to make sure your plants are covered from leaf tip to root hair. Apply 5 lbs per 100 square feet and thoroughly mix into soil.

That brought me to the old controversy about balancing form and function. Form won’t be too important in my planning. Function will. And that’s where the real thinking started. What is it exactly that I want to plant? And where?

I’ve always believed that the function of a kitchen garden is to have greens and other vegetables as well as herbs ready when needed and close at hand. When you’re planting lettuces and kale, thyme and rosemary, peppers and a few root vegetables, you don’t really have to worry to much about form as far as which plants complement the other. Nature takes cares of that.

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In fact, I can’t really think of an ugly vegetable. It’s true that some are more attractive than others, but with the exception of salsify there are few that aren’t things of beauty. Some are exceptional. I remember a cluster of artichokes grown when I lived in a place that was warmer than Montana, their curved fronds covered with tiny glistening hairs, the buds at their center growing stout and green. A friend used to say I was wasting a real homegrown delicacy when I let those buds flower. It’s the one time I chose form over function. But those flowers were stunning.

My plans stick to the concept of growing those things most used in our kitchen (minus the onions and garlic which will go in our big plot). I foresee lettuce and Asian greens and kale in the borders, chard with its white or burgundy stalks, standing in tall clusters, colorful dwarf peppers in the triangles, tomatoes and herbs in the containers, and maybe some carrots for their lovely, fern-like tops (and tasty roots). Not big plantings like in the regular garden plot. Just a few of each.

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I’m also thinking of things that will have presence in the gardens, things that won’t be harvested as quickly as the lettuces. Fennel is one of these. A most attractive plant, its one with multiple uses in the kitchen. Anise is another, with its minimalist flower heads and distinctive taste. Nasturtium vines will go in along the borders. There big, stately leaves will add a welcome presence as the blossoms decorate a summer’s worth of salads.

Your planting plans, of course, will be different, shaped to accommodate your family’s needs. Have kids? You’ll want to include them in your gardening, letting them plant radishes and other fast growing veggies that they can harvest themselves.
Sunflowers are always a good choice for kid-friendly planting with their big seeds, season-long growing period (a great symbol of slow and steady progress), and stupendous size. Harvesting edible sunflower seeds with kids is always fun. And you can extend their garden lesson by helping them save seed for next year’s planting.

Herbs are a must, in kitchens and in gardens. If you have an abundance of tomatoes, you’ll want to have homegrown basil for sauces and adding to dishes like homemade pizza. Sages of various sorts can take on a year-to-year presence in gardens with favorable conditions. Likewise rosemary. Both are great with poultry. Rosemary makes a wonderful grilling addition with meats and vegetables. You can grow it in the ground as a perennial or include it in, say, a window box that’s replanted yearly.

There are other considerations when planning your garden. In these small spaces, companion planting becomes an art. Some plants don’t go well with others, such as dill which isn’t good around tomatoes and carrots. Make sure you’ve planned your garden so that all plants are accessible. You don’t want to go reaching behind some tall, heavy tomato plants to get at a spring of lettuce.

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Sketching it all out is a good idea so you can plan just how much seed and how many starts you’ll need. Here are some detailed kitchen garden plans that might fire your imagination.

In the end, kitchen gardens are just a good way to extend your edible gardening right to the backdoor. They’re attractive without trying, and full of flavor to take away. I’m anxious to get growing. But first, the seed order.

Container-grown plants can be an addition to an already flourishing

landscape or a garden all by themselves. By planting in nursery pots, buckets, whiskey barrels, grow bags, or whatever else you find around the house, you’ll be adding aesthetic interest and practicality to your yard and home.

Container gardening is useful when:

1. You want to move plants into the house for the winter.
2. Controlling the soil quality is desired.
3. There isn’t much space available.
4. You want to grow year-round herbs and vegetables (or pretty flowers).

Choosing Plants

When selecting plants, you need to consider both what you want and what the plants need.

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What You Want in a Plant

Almost anything can be grown in a container, even many trees! But, before you rush out to the nursery to buy whatever suits your fancy, take a moment to think about what you want your container garden to achieve.

– Are you looking to grow foodstuffs such as vegetables or herbs?

– Do you want to add color to a drab garden?

– Does your yard need height and texture?

– Is your growing season short and you are looking for something that can come inside?

If you are taking an aesthetic approach, look for plants that:
• Balance and contrast each other
• Are suited to the size of the container
• Suit your color tastes
• Provide a focal point

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Although the container gardening field is wide open, some plants are better suited to pots than others. These include:

What a Plant Wants

After you’ve thought about what you want, consider what you can provide the plants given your environment, space and time commitment. Of course, plants need light, food, air and water, but the quality and quantity varies from plant to plant. (Read more about plant requirements here.)

Read seed packets, plant descriptions or online references and then grow plants with similar requirements together.

Space

Find out how big your plants will be when mature and make sure your container can accommodate that. Dwarf varieties usually do well in containers since they are small by nature.

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Ideal for growing indoors or out! Roots Organics® Potting Soil is a ready to use mix made from quality natural and organic ingredients. The unique recipe enables better drainage and encourages a vigorous root structure. Available in a 1.5 cu ft bag.

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Potting Mix

Container plants do best in a potting mix rather than in garden soil which can compact easily. Often garden soil contains weed seeds, pests and other critters you don’t want in your containers.

Look for a mix that is light, fluffy, drains well and contains enough organic material to hold water and nutrients. You can purchase a pre-mixed potting soil or make your own.

When purchasing potting soil (not really soil at all) read the package carefully. Instead of buying something labeled “topsoil” or “compost” which could be made of just about anything, invest in high quality organic potting soil.

If you choose to make your own, find a good recipe and experiment. A classic soil-based mix is:

• 1 part peat moss or mature compost
• 1 part garden loam or topsoil
• 1 part clean builder’s sand or perlite

Water

Watering plants in containers is different than watering plants directly in the soil. Potting soil is often less dense than garden soil and thus holds less water. Additionally, the pot restricts the amount of soil to hold water. And because the pots are above ground, they don’t have all that mass around them to keep cool.

Too much or too little water will kill your plants. The idea is to keep the soil moist throughout, but not wet. Many container-grown plants need to be watered once or twice a day when it is hot.

Going on vacation? The Scheurich® Bordy is an attractive and effective automatic plant waterer. Not only a handy plant companion but this cheery little bird makes its mark as cute home decor. Simply fill with water and rest assured that your plant will be perfectly watered for up to four days.

Use a watering can or garden hose to wet the soil directly (not just the leaves!). If you still can’t tell how much water is needed, consider a digital moisture meter for an exact reading.

If you plan to be away from home for several days a drip irrigation system can keep your plants happy. Purchase one or make your own (Learn how to make your own pop bottle irrigation system here).
You can also retain water longer by adding “agro-polymers” (sold under the name Soil Moist) to the soil or potting mix before you plant.

Mulch

Adding organic mulch to the top of your containers will retain moisture on warm days and add nutrients to the soil (remember that nutrients leach out each time you water and need to be replaced.)

Sunlight

Most plants need 7-12 hours of sunlight a day (especially herbs and vegetables with fruits). If you don’t have that, look for shade tolerating varieties like spinach and chard.

Read seed packets to determine the amount of light an individual species needs. Here’s what the packet terms mean:

Full Sun: Between 6 and 8 hours of direct sunlight per day.

Partial Sun: Plants require between 4 and 6 hours of sunlight a day, preferably in the morning and early afternoon.

Shade: Less than 4 hours of direct sunlight per day, with filtered sunlight during the rest of the day.

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When you move your containers indoors for the winter, you may need to give them an extra sunlight-boost with plant grow lights. These specially designed lights simulate the sun and help plants thrive through the dark of winter.

Temperature

Plants grow best at temperatures between 55 and 75° F. Without the insulating earth around them, the roots of container plants get hotter and colder more quickly than their in-ground counterparts.

Move containers inside before it frosts. Provide shade (consider grouping pots together to shade each other) when it gets too hot. Some folks “plant” their containers part way in the ground for insulation.
Nutrients/ Fertilizers

Nutrient solutions such as compost teas, worm teas made from worm castings, as well as liquid organic fertilizers, fish emulsion and kelp meal provide needed nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium in addition to micronutrients and organic compounds.

Better than synthetic fertilizers, these organic fertilizers won’t burn your plants and supply the necessary macronutrients as well as many micronutrients, minerals, amino acids and vitamins. Most release their nutrients slowly — a good watering gets them started — giving you long-lasting, healthy results. At Planet Natural, we carry a variety of organic formulas — including guanos — designed to encourage growth, blooms and bountiful harvests.

Use to stimulate exceptional budding and blooming on all flowering

Derived from Atlantic fish, phosphoric acid and potash, Alaska MorBloom stimulates exceptional budding and blooming on all flowering plants. Brightens colors in flowers and foliage and promotes vigorous root growth, too! Mix 1-3 Tbsp per gallon of water to encourage budding in flowers, vegetables and ornamental houseplants.

Timing is everything when fertilizing as plant nutrient needs change as the plant grows. Annual plants, for example, benefit most when fertilized with a solution high in nitrogen when they are first planted (for growth and leaf development) and then switched to a low-nitrogen, high-phosphorus solution to encourage blooming.

Since nutrients leach from the soil every time your container plants are watered, it is important to add fertilizer every week or two.
Time

You’ll need to devote some time most days to your containers. Between watering, pruning, dead heading and harvesting your crops, container gardens need your devotion.

Proper watering is the key to a lush, vibrant yard, and the right sprinklers can help you get the job done. This guide will help you explore the various models and uses so you can choose the best sprinkler system for your lawn.
The size of your lawn and the area to be watered will play a large role in determining which sprinkler is best, as will how involved you want to be in the process.

Stand-alone lawn sprinklers come in a variety of types:
• Fixed, or stationary, sprinklers feature several different designs including rings and “salt shakers.” They cast water in a single pattern over a fixed area.
• Oscillating sprinklers have a long tube with numerous openings and move back and forth, emitting a fan-shaped waterfall.
• Impact sprinklers, sometimes called impulse sprinklers, rotate in a circle and squirt out a single jet of water, making a distinctive clicking sound as they do.
• Rotating sprinklers feature two or more arms and spin to disperse water in a complete circle.
• Sprinkler hoses lie along the ground and squirt water from tiny holes to cover a long, rectangular area.
• Traveling sprinklers often look like little tractors and move through your yard in a preset pattern, dragging the hose behind them.
• In-ground sprinkler systems are installed int the lawn and pop up at a designated time, usually cycling their way through the yard to provide complete coverage.

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Sprinkler Usage

Fixed
• Feature Benefits: fast and precise watering, water hard-to-reach areas, economical, multiple types
• Recommended For: small areas, gardens, landscaping

Impact
• Feature Benefits: wind-resistant, adjustable pattern, less likely to clog, lower water pressure and flow rate
• Recommended For: large areas, front lawns, backyards

In-Ground
• Feature Benefits: automatic operation, timers, complete coverage, can be programmed by zones
• Recommended For: front, back and sides of house; landscaping, gardens

Oscillating
• Feature Benefits: gentle watering, even coverage, rectangular or square pattern
• Recommended For: medium- and large-sized areas, front and backyards, newly seeded areas

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Rotating
• Feature Benefits: may feature adjustable jets and bases, even distribution, work quickly
• Recommended For: medium-sized areas, gardens; front, back and sides of house

Sprinkler Hose
• Feature Benefits: low flow rate, localized watering
• Recommended For: long strips of lawn, gardens, landscaping

Traveling
• Feature Benefits: cover a wide area, save time, multiple patterns available, look for automatic shutoff valve
• Recommended For: oddly shaped yards; front, back and sides of house; hilly, uneven areas
Watering Tips

Thorough watering is essential for lush outdoor greenery, but be careful to avoid overwatering or watering with the wrong frequency for your soil type.

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The type of soil you have will dictate how frequently you need to water. If you’re unsure of when to water, look for changes in grass and plants as slow or arrested growth and browning will give you an indication that more moisture is needed. Allow soil to dry between waterings.
• Sandy soil needs short, frequent periods of water.
• Clay soil requires less watering than sandy soil.
• Loam soil holds water longer than sandy soil but not as long as clay.
Additional watering tips:
• Use sprinklers more frequently on hot summer days. Because grass is composed primarily of water, it is particularly vulnerable in high-heat, low-water conditions.
• Intermittent watering over several hours provides thorough root penetration.
• Water your lawn early in the morning so water doesn’t evaporate as quickly as it does during the hotter parts of the day and to give grass sufficient time to dry before nightfall. Constant wetness can lead to disease and insect infestation.
• Irrigation systems can also run to a set number of zones. Zones are used to distribute water more evenly and precisely, according to how much water is needed in certain areas. Choose an irrigation system that can control the number of zones in your lawn.
Sprinkler Features
Automatic timers, flow timers and automatic shutoff valves can help make operating your sprinkler system easy and effortless.
• Automatic Timer: A common feature of in-ground sprinkler systems, automatic timers allow you to choose when you want sprinklers to go on or off, so you can start watering early in the morning without having to crawl out of bed to turn them on.
• Flow Timer: Sprinklers with this feature monitor the amount of water they emit and let you calibrate it to a specific setting. This will allow you to customize the amount of water you’re using to ensure thorough soaking on different parts of your lawn.
• Automatic Shutoff Valve: A good feature to have in traveling sprinklers, these valves automatically cut off the water supply once the sprinkler has completed its pattern to ensure that water is not wasted and your lawn doesn’t get waterlogged.

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Sprinkler System Components

An irrigation system is made up of many components:
• Sprinkler tubing, also known as sprinkler pipe, makes it easy to install or repair your irrigation system.
• Sprinkler valves can be used in locations where the use of a pressure vacuum breaker (PVB) or a double-check valve is required by code to protect against backflow. They can also flush your irrigation system of dirt and debris.
• A backflow preventer can help prevent irrigation water from re-entering your main water supply. These are often required by city codes to prevent the contamination when the water is shut off and routed back into the main water system.
• Sprinkler manifolds are used to control the waterflow for multiple sprinkler lines.
• A sprinkler valve box is designed to cover and protect your irrigation fixtures like valves and manifolds.

Garden hoses may not be the most fascinating tools in your landscaping arsenal, but they are an absolute necessity for watering the lawn and garden. Choosing the best garden hose for your home will depend on your usage, climate and budget. Before you buy a new expandable hose or a shiny new brass garden hose nozzle to water your yard, here are a few things you should consider when shopping for a hose.

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Hose Materials

• Hoses are generally made from vinyl, rubber or a combination of the two. They are also constructed in different layers, or ply. The more ply the hose has, the more durable it will be.
• Vinyl provides an economical choice that is best for mild climates and lighter watering tasks. Vinyl hoses are usually reinforced, but are not as durable as rubber hoses.
• A rubber garden hose requires a larger up-front investment and weighs more than vinyl hoses. Rubber hoses are tougher, more durable under harsh weather conditions and have the ability to carry hot water.
• Hoses comprised of the two are priced in the middle, providing rubber’s flexibility and durability along with vinyl’s lighter weight. These hoses may be reinforced with a number of layers for greater resilience. Some also feature an outer mesh layer to protect against snags and punctures.
• Some hoses have metal coils or cords between the layers of rubber or vinyl to help keep the hose from kinking.
• Nylon and rayon may be used to reinforce hoses for greater strength and durability.

The length, diameter and fittings of a hose will determine its water flow capacity.

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Hose Length
• Hoses can be found in 25-foot increments up to 100 feet. Longer isn’t always better. The longer the hose, the harder it will be to maneuver it around plants and other obstacles.
• The best way to determine the length you need for your yard is to measure the farthest distance you need to reach from the spigot.
• Buy a hose slightly beyond that length for best results. This will give you room to move about your yard without having to tug on the hose.

Hose Sizes
• Hose diameters range from ½- to ¾–inch diameters. Standard household piping is typically ½ inch in diameter, so a garden hose size of ½ inch in diameter will suffice for most lawn and garden uses.
• Larger diameter hoses are better suited for heavy-duty watering tasks. Commercial landscapers benefit from larger diameter hoses because of the heavy water flow.

Fittings
• The fitting, or coupling, is where the hose attaches to the water supply. They are the end pieces that attach to spigots, sprinklers and nozzles.
• The main choices for fittings are metal and plastic. Metal, usually brass fittings, is more durable than plastic, but harder to tighten on the spigot. Octagon female fittings are easier to maneuver than standard round fittings.

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Nozzle
The best garden hose nozzle for your hose will depend on your specific watering needs. Here are the most popular types:

• Pistol grip nozzles feature pull-style handles that allows you to change the pressure and style of spray as you squeeze.
• Watering wand nozzles extend your reach by up to 30 inches. They are great for watering tasks that are difficult to reach.
• Fan nozzles feature widened mouths that spray a wide, gentle spray of water. They perfect for gentle watering of delicate foliage.
• Fireman nozzles are versatile and can put out a large amount of water in a very short time. They are perfect for large watering jobs.
• Pattern nozzles are the most versatile of all nozzles. They offers the flexibility of many different types of spray patterns to cover all your watering needs.

Durability

As you shop around for the best garden hose, you will see hoses categorized as light duty, medium duty, heavy duty or super duty. Heavy-duty hoses have thick walls and are very sturdy. They can be left exposed to the elements without risk of damage. Lighter weight hoses are not as durable, but they are easier to wind up and store. The heavier duty the hose is, the more water pressure it can handle. Use heavy-duty hoses for pressure washer tasks.

Flexibility

All hoses are flexible in sense, but some are more so than others. Stiffer hoses are less likely to kink while in use, but they can be heavy and cumbersome. On the other hand, flexible hoses are easy to move around the garden, but they are more likely to kink. Aim for a garden hose that’s flexible enough for easy storage and going around corners, but not so flexible that it kinks easily. When shopping for a hose, use the “U” test. Bend the hose into a “U” and if it kinks, choose another. In general, aim for a rubber, reinforced garden hose for general use. They are less likely to kink.

There are hoses built for different tasks. As you shop for a new hose, consider the types of hoses available:

Standard Garden Hose
This is an all-purpose hose that works for general watering and cleaning tasks. You can get them in various materials and sizes.

Soaker Hose
This hose features porous walls that allow water to seep directly into and won’t
damage delicate plants.

Sprinkler hose
This hose acts as a sprinkler and soaker in one. It’s a water-saving option with a flat base on the bottom and holes on top to cast water in a mist-like rain. It’s ideal for general lawn and garden watering purposes.

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Flat Hose
Lies flat until water pressure causes it to become round. This hose is easy to store, takes up less space and is self-draining.

Coiled Hose
This type of hose has specialty hose springs for a tight coil when not in use. It’s great for hand watering in small areas.

Expandable Garden Hose
For a lightweight option, this scrunchy looking hose expands up to three times its length when filled with water. Expandable hoses are good for small yards and gardens.
Features a nontoxic core, safe for drinking water from and ideal for use in recreational vehicles.

Drinking Water Safe Hose
Most standard hoses are not drinking water safe. They have plasticizers which help give the hose flexibility, but also contain chemicals, like BPA, lead and phthalates that can leach into the water. Any hose marked as a “drinking water safe” is lead free, BPA free and phthalate free. Marine and RV hoses are drinking water safe.

Metal Garden Hose
This type of hose is puncture and kink proof. It’s made out of industrial stainless steel but remains lightweight. Metal hoses stay cool to the touch and are corrosion- and UV-resistant.

If you are confused about where to start, these kitchen gardening tips will not only help you getting started but also make you adopt best practices to make a fantastic kitchen garden:

1. Know What You Want to Grow

One of the mistakes, when beginners make while starting kitchen gardening, is that they usually don’t consider what they intend to grow. After all, one of the major kitchen garden benefits is that you can grow your own food without worrying about the chemicals and additives in the commercial vegetables and fruits.

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There are several kitchen garden plants which you can choose for your organic kitchen garden. In the beginning, you can focus on salad plants like basil, radish, salad greens, lettuce, etc.

which are easy to grow and do not require special maintenance or space. You can also plant various herbs in your small kitchen garden so that you can use them for cooking and other purposes to enhance taste!

1. Decide the Size and Location of Kitchen Garden

Always begin with the end look of your kitchen garden in mind. There can be several kitchen garden ideas such as backyard kitchen garden, a balcony garden, or a tiny window kitchen garden. In addition to this, you can do kitchen gardening on terrace or in pots and containers.
If you do not have much time, always go for a small kitchen garden which you can manage alone without getting overwhelmed. You have to consider these factors before you even decide to buy your set of kitchen gardening tools.

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Also Try: Small Gardening Ideas.

1. Kitchen Garden Design

After you have decided the size and location of your kitchen garden, the next step is planning a kitchen garden design. You must have a kitchen garden layout which will help you visualize the look of your garden.

If you are making a kitchen garden in your backyard or outdoors, you may have to choose between square foot gardening or row gardening. You can even plan a raised bed gardening layout if you have a large space.

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1. Seeds or Transplants?

Depending upon the type of plants you want to grow in your kitchen garden, you need to take this important decision of choosing between seeds or seedlings for growing your plants.

Also Read: How to Plant Tomato From Seed.

Vegetables like tomatoes, eggplants, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, peppers, celery give an excellent yield when they are transplanted. On the other hand, you must always grow root vegetables such as carrots, beets, salsify, turnips from their seeds.

In addition to these, melons, cucumbers, lettuce, garlic, peas, watermelon are easier to plant from seeds rather than using their seedlings. So, after you have chosen which plants to grow, you must do your research on the ideal way to grow them.

1. You cannot Plant a Garden In One Day. Start Small

The top mistake which beginners make in kitchen gardening is that they want to plant the whole garden within few days of the weekend. If you want to grow a kitchen garden which you can be proud of, you must take it slow.

If you have a busy schedule, just take seeds or seedlings of one or two plants a day when you return home. Gardening is a continuous process. Just enjoy the feel of soil in your hands while you dig it to nurture your garden.

1. Let Your Plants Breathe, Leave Space Between Them

Overcrowding is one of the biggest reasons why your kitchen garden may not turn out as you want. In the worst case, having plants too close to each other may lead to rotting and disease among them.
This is because when plants grow up with little space between them, they do not have access to airflow and also prone to excessive water retention. This eventually leads them to rot and develop diseases. So, leave space between plants while planting them.

1. Mulch Is Your Best Friend

The mulching process involves covering your soil with a layer of organic matter to retain moisture of soil and protect it from extreme weather conditions. It also protects plants against weeds and sometimes acts as natural fertilizers as well.

There can be several garden mulch types which you can use for your kitchen garden. These include shredded bark mulch, cedar mulch, wood chips, cocoa hull mulch, sawdust, pine straw.

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1. Pay Special Attention to Watering

Since you will be planting mostly fruits and vegetables in your kitchen garden, you must take care of watering them properly as they are mainly made up of water. In the beginning, when your plants have not yet developed a root structure, water them lightly once a day or two. Once they develop a root structure, they may need anywhere from one inch of water per week to more depending on your soil drainage properties and weather.

1. Embrace Succession Planting

When you are making a kitchen garden, start by planting only a portion of your garden area such as one or two rows at once. Next time, plant another variety in another row when you go to harvest the yield from your previous row.

Plan this technique of succession planting over a period of months to grow various items in your kitchen garden. At times, you may even plant flowers in between other rows to make your kitchen garden beautiful!

By following the above kitchen gardening tips, you can be sure of making a great organic kitchen garden and experience the joy of eating home-grown food.

Nothing tastes more delicious than the fruits of your labor, and you will see that once you start building your kitchen garden! If you do not have much space for it, do not worry and learn how to grow an indoor vegetable garden.

These include a healthy amount of outdoor exercise and a greater understanding of horticulture, and gardening is also a good method to improve mental health and fight stress. Fruit and vegetable gardens offer even more benefits, including increased access to foods that are fresher, healthier, and, in the case of organic gardening, exposed to fewer pesticides. Producing food in a home garden also leads to an increased level of self-sufficiency and lower food costs. People can participate in community gardens that spread these benefits to many households at once, and even apartment residents can make gardens to grow their own food. Of course, coaxing food from the soil requires some amount of trial and error to master, but there are techniques and strategies that people can learn in order to get the most out of their garden.

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A Plant’s Basic Needs

Before starting a garden, it is necessary to understand what plants require in order to survive and grow. Different species of plants can have unique needs, but some traits of a hospitable growing environment are the same for the vast majority of cases. Because plants use photosynthesis to gather energy, they require exposure to sunlight as well as water and soil. Plants also need chemical nutrients such as potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorous, and the soil must have a proper pH level. Before trying to plant, it is advised to test the soil for its pH as well as for contaminants such as lead or other toxic metals. If the nutrient level in the soil is low, it may be necessary to add fertilizer or compost. Plants will also need varying amounts of soil and space in order to grow properly.

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Climate Tolerance

When setting up a garden, it will be necessary to know the area’s climate and the plant hardiness zone that it is in. The hardiness zone is an area that is defined by the coldest temperatures in the region. Plants that can survive in the lowest temperatures in the area are best suited to grow there. It is also necessary to know the length of the growing season in a given region, as this will help with deciding when and what to plant so that the plants have time to mature and become ready for harvest.

Choosing a Location

Gardening is typically an outdoor activity done in one’s yard or in a public plot at a community garden. It’s also possible to grow a garden in a windowsill or on a balcony. While an individual plant’s needs will vary, a garden can be made anywhere that one can place a proper-sized container of soil. The right place to grow plants will depend on its access to sunlight, nutrients, soil, and water. Containers for growing plants can take any form, from flower pots to more creative spots that have been properly prepared, such as the inside of an old school desk, a cistern, a watering can, a lunch box, a wooden drawer, or a bathtub. Containers tend to run out of moisture faster than traditional garden beds, but they also take less time to water.

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Important Decisions

Before getting started, it’s important to determine the nature, design, and placement of the garden. For instance, think about what plants will be fun to grow or pleasant to look at. It is also crucial to think about how much time a person is willing to dedicate to gardening. The amount of space and sunlight available are also important to consider. When growing a fruit or vegetable garden, one may need to research which crops are capable of growing indoors or in outdoor containers.

Irrigation

Plants require water to survive. They should be watered slowly using a soaker hose or a watering can, and the amount of water needed will depend on factors such as the species of plant, the climate, and the type of soil. Areas that are damp and cool, for example, require less water than plants in areas that are hot and dry. Soil texture also plays a role in how frequently a plant should be watered. Fine soil holds more water and can be watered less frequently; coarser soil requires more frequent watering with smaller quantities of water. Whether the soil is fine or coarse, the total amount of water should be at least one inch a week. To determine whether plants need watering, stick a finger into the soil to feel how dry it is.

Necessary Equipment

Every gardener requires the right tools to plant and tend to their garden. Common tools that can be used for small container gardens, medium-sized bed gardens, or larger gardens include gloves, spades, pruners, shears, hand trowels, and a watering can. For garden beds, one may consider adding a digging fork, a shovel, and a hoe. A rake, dutch hoe, garden hose, wheelbarrow, loppers for thick branches, and edgers for clean lines around the edges of the garden can be added for use in larger areas.

Purchase and Plant

Once a person understands what’s needed to successfully start a garden, it’s time to purchase plants and get started. There are a number of ways to go about this. One option is to start growing plants from seeds, but one can also buy seedlings or young plants. One can start their garden more quickly with young plants, but this is a more expensive option. Seedlings are quick to start but require more time and attention than young plants. They must be handled carefully and potted and watered as soon as possible, and they are a good option for people with limited space. Seeds are the least expensive option, but they take time to raise, require daily care, and often must be sown indoors. While it’s cheaper to buy seeds, there tend to be more equipment costs, such as containers and trays, a seed-starting mix, and grow lights in some cases.

Vegetable Container Gardening For Beginners: Top Things To Consider
https://www.justhomegardening.com/vegetable-container-gardening-for-beginners-top-things-to-consider

Planting directions vary according to the plant type and whether it is a plant or seed. When starting seeds, refer to the packet for specific instructions. In general, the process begins by planting them in loose soil. Depending on the plant, they may need to be buried or simply sprinkled on the surface of the soil and gently pressed down. With plants, dig a hole that’s roughly the same depth as the pot the plant or seedling is being removed from and twice as wide. The extra width is important to allow the roots to spread and grow. Place the plant’s roots and the attached soil into the hole gently, cover the roots with the dirt, and carefully pat it firm. With both seeds and plants, water them and provide sufficient light.

Control Pests

Once planted, a garden is susceptible to problems such as pests, disease, and weeds, but these common issues can often be treated or prevented altogether. Weeds can typically be managed by pulling them out or reducing their growth by covering the soil with mulch. Pests and diseases can be kept at bay by removing any unhealthy plants, using compost, and clearing debris that may harbor destructive insects. Planting pest-resistant plants is another tactic. There are also many do-it-yourself natural pesticides and organic solutions that can be used. Physical barriers are also a way to keep both bugs and critters such as dogs or rabbits from one’s garden. These can include row covers, cloches, netting, and even fences.