Do you know how to make a garden? Well, these days the most immediate response from adults is “Of course I know how to garden!” Yes, but do you know how to make a garden that actually grows the fruits, vegetables, and flowering plants you want? And a garden that cultivates them in a healthy way?
Let’s see some of the keys to how to make a garden successfully.
- The floor is everything. You should have well-turned soil that is rich in nutrients and has the correct pH balance for what you plan to grow. So you need to keep it well watered, but also well drained. You will need to fertilize it and provide it with compost or rich compost. Have your soil tested professionally or using a home kit before planting anything. You need to know in advance whether you need to balance it to get more or less alkalinity or acidity.
- Buying cheap plants is fine, if you know how to garden. If you don’t know how to garden, the most expensive plants will fail.
- Use organic methods to control plant pests and diseases. You can use highly diluted bleach (diluted with water) as a “pesticide” spray. You can have ladybugs and other natural aphid predators and the like in your garden. Spray “green” herbicides on weeds. Use these and other organic gardening methods.
- Garden in raised 4×4 beds (that is, four feet). This gives you much more floor space in a more limited space to work. Keeps the soil richer.
- If you don’t have a lot of space for gardening, mix things up and maximize the space you have. Why not use red cabbage as a border, marigolds to ward off pests, and then have some herbs as your main “food crop”? You can also try container gardening if you don’t have enough acreage.
- Water, water everywhere. The key to successful irrigation, in addition to knowing in advance how much water each of your plants requires, is to do it consistently but never exaggerated. Too much water causes root rot and fungus, while too little water causes plants to wilt.
- Make a garden that is colorful and whose shape is delightful to the eye.
- Use the seasons to make different gardens with appropriate plants, colors, and designs. Do some research to get there.
Now you have the basics of how to make a garden.
