How To Plant A Garden
The first thing to do if you want to learn how to plant a garden is to make a garden plan. Just take a sheet of paper, draw a box for the garden and start marking rows and adding vegetable names. One of the reasons a written garden plan can be important is because certain vegetables should not be planted in the same spot year after year. Plus, some vegetables should not be planted where other vegetables have been planted previously.
Buy your seeds, choosing vegetables that will grow best in your particular climate. Get disease resistant varieties whenever possible. If you live in a cold region you will need to grow some vegetables by planting young seedlings. You can buy these or you can start seeds inside six to eight weeks before you intend to plant them outside.
Have your soil tested to see what amounts of fertilizer, manure or compost your garden might need to grow strong, healthy plants. County agricultural extension offices usually offer this service. If your garden is tiny, you might be able to turn the soil over by hand but in most cases you are going to want to hire or buy a rototiller to break up and smooth out the soil. It needs to be quite fine for seeds to get a good start.
Depending on where you live, you can begin planting cool weather plants outside in March or April. In the coldest northern reaches, you might have to wait until the end of May to plant the vegetables that cannot withstand a frost. Alternatives to ultra-late planting are covering the plants with a tarp at night and removing it during the day.
Plants with short growing seasons can be planted by making rows and dispersing seeds directly into the soil. Among these are lettuce, radishes, green and yellow beans, peas, corn, carrots, beets, etc. Vegetables best started inside include squashes, pumpkins, tomatoes, cucumbers, and others like these. If a plant requires warm growing temperatures, do not place it in the ground until all danger of frost is past.
When learning how to plant a garden, be sure to follow the instructions on your seed packets as to how deep and how far apart to place your seeds. With many fine seeds, such as carrots, it is better to scatter more than necessary and then thin the plants after they have started to grow. If you have a lot of birds around your yard, planting more seeds than necessary is always a good idea, because if birds are attracted to a certain seed, it may disappear soon after planting.
Until you have some experience in how to plant a garden, you might want to keep the size small and then increase the space as you become more comfortable with plant management. Once you have learned the basics and have had a few good harvests, you will undoubtedly look forward to growing your own garden each summer.