Starting Out – Tips and Hints for the Beginning Gardener

Starting your very first garden can be a daunting task. You nay have grown
up around gardens and gardeners but doing it all on your own is a lot of
work. Here are articles and links to help you have a beautiful yard and produce
to share with friends and family.The most important advice I can give though?
Start small and be patient with yourself and your plants. You can always expand
your beds next year and your yard will develop over time into what you truly
desire. Enjoy the process. You will never plant your very first garden again!

How do you pick the best spot in your yard for
a vegetable or herb garden?

For a beginner gardener, how big should the garden
be?

How much space should I allow for specific plants
like peppers and zuchinni?

How do you pick the best spot in your yard for
a vegetable or herb garden?
The answer to this question really depends on what you want to grow, but here are
a few things to keep in mind.

• Most vegetables and herbs prefer full sun to shade. Plants that
  like cool weather (lettuce, spinach etc.) will benefit from some shade during
  hot summer months.
• Afternoon sun is hotter than morning sun and heat reflecting off
  of buildings or walls can burn plants. Make sure that planting beds are at
  least a foot from any structure to allow air to circulate and keep yourproduce from
  being cooked!
• Soil should be light and easy to work and should not compact when
  dry or stay muddy for more than a couple of days after a rain.
• Large trees can compete with your garden for water and nutrients.
  Ifyou have to plant under trees consider using raised beds which will allow
  you to feed your garden with less competition from its neighbors.

For a beginner gardener, how big should the garden
be?

Unless you have a large family and lots of help a beginning gardener should
probably have a small garden. A 6′x6′ or a 6′x8′ space should be plenty of
room for a few plants without needing you to spend a lot of time on weeding
and watering. By limiting your space you’ll have more time to enjoy the gardening
process and experiment with the look and texture of your garden. You can always expand
next year if you want to have more tomatoes or zuchinni. For a sampleof a
beginner garden plan check out our
free garden plans, and for ideas on what to grow post in the comments section.

How much space should I allow for specific plants
like peppers and zuchinni?

The important thing to remember is that plants need air to flow around them
in order to thrive. If you divide your garden into 12 inch squares youcan
follow these general rules:

Lettuce, salad greens etc: 1 plant every three inches 16 plants/
square foot
Broccolli, cabbage etc: 1 plant every 6 inches 4 plants/ square
foot
Summer squash, zuchinni and other bush type squash: 1 plantper
square foot
Peppers: 1 plant every 6 inches 4 plants/ square foot
Tomatoes: 2 plants per square foot or per cage if using large
cages, 1 plantper cage for small cages

These rules may seem to crowd the plants but they will allow for adequate
airflow and the plants are close enough together to provide some of their
ownweed control by shading the ground.