Starting your own backyard garden can be one of the most rewarding things you do. Sometimes getting your hands a little dirty can give you surprises like fragrant florals, fresh fruits for your smoothie, fresh leafy greens for a healthy bowl of salad.
If you do not already have a back garden, starting on this gardening adventure can get a little tricky, but it doesn’t have to be. In this article, we have broken down your backyard garden project into manageable steps.
What would you want to see in your backyard garden? A vegetable garden? A flower garden or a herb garden? If you’re looking for vegetables and herbs, plant the ones that’ll contribute to your kitchen and dining table. If you want a flower garden for its vibrant color and beautiful smell, decide whether you want annuals that bloom most of the summer but need to be replanted each spring or perennials that have a shorter bloom time but return year after year.
In both cases, it is important to understand the weather and climatic conditions in your area. You can also have a combination of vegetables, herbs, and flowers, but keep in mind that all of these will have different maintenance requirements.
Almost all types of plants require about 5 to 8 hours of direct sunlight. So before you choose the final location, make sure you observe your yard to spot which area receives full sunlight versus partial sunlight and which area is in complete shade. Front yard garden or back garden, whichever you choose, ensure that your garden is not in complete shade.
Clean any weeds and sod in the area you plan to start a garden. Now it’s time to decide on the type and size of the garden beds.
It’s always productive to grow in multiple beds. This way you can grow plants with similar requirements together and then rotate to different beds in successive years.
Vegetable beds can be any length, but keep the widths under 3 to 4 feet for ease of weeding, mulching, and tending the plants in the center of the bed. The depth of your garden bed will depend on the type of plant you’re growing and also the type of bed you’ve opted for.
Various types of beds are suited for various needs. Let’s take a look at the three most common types of garden beds and their features.
Before you start planting in your garden, it is important to test the soil pH and moisture level. Apart from that, loosening the soil in new beds helps the roots to grow easily and access the water and nutrients they need. There are two methods to loosen the soil in your backyard garden: tilling with a mechanical device such as a rototiller or digging by hand.
Soil can be both acidic as well as alkaline. Acidic soils or low pH soil can be sweetened by the addition of lime. Alkaline soils or high pH soil require gardener’s sulfur and rich organic matter. It should also be mulched with acidic materials such as pine needles and forest duff.
Before you plant your seeds, make sure that the soil is dry. Make sure you provide drainage by digging a drainage trench along the garden bed. You can also opt for a raised garden bed for better drainage.
You can enrich the soil with organic matter, once the soil is turned and large clumps are broken up. This soil should be dug into the top 6″ of soil where it will be available to the root systems of young plants. The best sources for organic matter are:
You wouldn’t want to use a butter knife to chop up raw carrots, and you shouldn’t use dull or flimsy tools to work in your garden. The right tools can make working in your garden a leisure activity instead of a chore. Basic gardening equipment includes:
Some people drown in catalogs for months; whereas others head to your local garden center and buy what wows them. As long as you choose plants adapted to your climate, soil, and sunlight, you can follow either of the two methods. You can even browse the Internet for plants to purchase.
Here are a few beginners’ favorites:
Now that the groundwork (literally) is done, you’re all set to start your own back garden. Most of the seed packets and transplant containers come with basic planting instructions. The key is to plant them according to their optimum weather conditions. Here are a few examples.
You can also start a garden with young plants, called set plants or transplants. You need to dig holes in your prepared bed based on tag instructions. Remove plants from the container by pushing up from the bottom.
The best fertilizer for a plant is the gardener’s shadow. If you want your plants to stay longer, make sure that the seedlings don’t dry out. Water them daily as per their requirement.
Weeds are a gardener’s enemy. In order to keep the weeds out and the moisture in your garden soil, cover the soil with a couple of inches of mulch. If you prevent the sunlight from hitting the soil, weed seeds won’t germinate.
If you have perennials, use a longer-lasting mulch such as bark chips.
Your job is not done once you’ve set your garden up. Your garden will only keep growing to its full potential just as you keep maintaining it.
Your journey started with how to start a backyard garden and now you’re a gardening pro! All these steps and pro tips in this article will help you grow a healthy backyard garden.
If you’re just starting on your back garden adventure, make sure the soil you’re using is healthy, choose the right plants or transplants, and have the right gardening tools with you. Also, to make a healthy backyard garden, choose a location that gets optimum hours of direct sunlight in a day.
If you want to start your own backyard garden make sure you start right by choosing the right plot, prep your soil well, and prepare your garden bed. Once you’re done with the basics, choose the right kind of plants that you want in your back garden, depending on the soil as well as the weather conditions.
Cucumbers, lettuce, peppers, and tomatoes are beginners’ favorites when it comes to vegetable gardening.
