Steps to Successful Gardening
Everyone has their own ideas of what a garden should look like, and everyone has their own style of gardening. No matter how you do it, gardening should bring you joy.
The one common element of a successful garden is a good foundation. If you are just starting out, or seasoned veteran, you still need to follow these guidelines.
Look around your yard and determine what you want to do such as
build a deck or patio
brighten an area or you yard
cover a fence with a vine
Start small and concentrate on one area at a time, it may take a couple of years, but that is the enjoyment! If you expect to do it all at once, it may become more of a chore.
Need some help with ideas? Remember the library is a great resource for all types of gardening and landscape books.
Look at your soil - does it need improvement
is it clay-e
is it too sandy
It's very laborous to improve poor soil. Sometimes it is easier to build a raised bed and fill it with good quality top soil.
Plants generally need 12 to 18 inches of decent fertile, well drained soil. even good soil needs to continually improved as plants take nutrients from the soil. Each year well rotted manure or compost need to be added. Don't use chemical fertilizers to improve the soil, they are best used as a supplement only during peak growing or flowering times.
to be continued....