Planting My First Garden

By

cwgrlmom1

I live in NC myself and my suggestions are to pick out an area where your garden will get full sun. Then mark out your garden area the size or sizes you want. Now watch the sun rise and set for a couple days. this will help in the planting process. And my biggest advice is to do some research online. you don't have to purchase books and magazines to get the information on planting a successful garden! I have been planting gardens of all kinds for 5 years in North Carolina now and the info I found online was a great help. Just type in planting first garden or something like that in the search engine and endless possiblities will come up. You can compare the sits and build a wonderful, successful garden from doing the research. Good Luck and happy gardening!

By

LillyM3

One of the easiest ways to garden is using the square foot gardening method. There are books available (check your local library), but the basics are: take two 2' x 4' untreated boards (either 6" or 8") and cut them in half. Nail or screw the boards together to make a 4' x 4' bed. Fill the bed with good topsoil/compost mix. You can dig under the bed before filling. If you take nails and nail them on the exterior 1' apart and run twine to make 16 beds, you have an easy way to plant. Even small children can reach across the sections and love to have their own small garden plots. You will be cutting down on weeds and you can reap a great harvest in a small space. Use as many beds as you like....one with vegetables, one with flowers, one with herbs, etc. Good luck and happy growing.

By

Southern Saver

Go to this website. It will give you a lot of information about what varieties to plant for your area.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/

Basically, you need a patch of soil, plants or seeds, water, and sunshine.

I, like kffrmw88, built a bed from cement blocks. Mine was much smaller - 5x10 ft. - but it worked so well that I added another one the following year.

Some plants, like tomatoes, are easier to grow if you buy the plants. Others, like squash and cucumbers, are very simple to grow from seeds.

Good luck - soon you'll be hooked!

By

Allison5

It depends on what you want to grow, flowers and shrubs versus vegetables. I always recommend drawing it out on paper after measuring things so you get it to scale. Use graph paper and a pencil, as you'll erase a lot as you go. Find a few landscaping books at the library and think about how you'll use the space; patio, flowerbeds, vegetables, etc.

Fragrance is a nice thing to add: http://www.oldhouseweb.com/gardening/Detailed/816.shtml

By

kffrmw88

We made a 30x20 foot raised bed garden in our back yard with plastic and cement blocks. You do not have to remove grass. Put down plastic or a thick layer of newspapers, and place cement blocks on top around the edge of the space. Then, fill it with composted manure. You have a garden without weeds or grass for years. Add more compost as needed every year. I get manure from Lowe's in 40 pound bags, I have a garden all the year, I also make flower beds the same way.also call your County agent ask for info on gardening,it's free, Good luck.

I want to start a vegetable and fruit garden this spring, but I've never gardened before. Does anyone have any tips?