How to Start a Garden and What Materials Are Needed

Site Selection

• Determining the garden's site before you begin preparation saves time and headaches later. The best garden site receives the amount and kind of daily sunlight required by the plants that will grow in the garden, and its soil drains well, eliminating standing water as an issue. Vegetable plants and many flowering plants require at least six hours of direct sunlight daily. When possible, select a site near a water source to ease the task of irrigation when plants are in the garden.

Bed Style

• A garden bed's style affects the materials needed for the project. If an area has poor soil or poor drainage, a raised bed can overcome the problem. Even if you don't install a raised bed, most gardens benefit from some sort of edging to separate them from the surrounding lawn and landscape. Vinyl edging, stones, bricks and wood provide edging or raised-bed building options.

Tools and Materials

• Depending on the new garden's size, you may need only a few basic hand tools for gardening tasks. A hoe, soil rake and spade are necessary when installing a garden. Using a power tiller can make short work of installing a large garden. Because garden soil requires amending before plants are placed in it, amendments such as compost and fertilizer are beneficial materials to have on hand. If you build a raised-bed garden, then you may need additional soil to fill it.

Bed Preparation

• Determine what a new garden's soil needs by using a soil test on a sample of soil from the garden. Either a home soil-test kit can be used or the soil sample can be taken to a laboratory. The test results provide a guide for the kind and amount of amendments or fertilizer the soil needs. Using the spade or power tiller, loosen the top 8 to 12 inches of soil. Spread over the soil a 2 inch-thick layer of compost and the kind of fertilizer the soil test indicates is necessary, and mix those elements with the loosened layer soil. If the garden is a raised bed, then the compost and bagged soil can be mixed together to fill the raised bed's outer frame. Smoothing the prepared soil's surface with a rake prepares it for planting.

Planting Tips

• Whether you plant seeds or seedlings, plant layout is a key element when starting a garden. Place tall plants at the rear of ornamental beds. Planting vegetables gardens' tall plants on the bed's north end prevent them from shading out lower-growing vegetables. Follow all plant spacing guidelines on seed packets and seedlings' information labels so the garden doesn't become overcrowded. Overcrowding makes plants prone to pests and diseases. Covering the garden's soil with a 2-inch-thick layer of bark mulch or straw mulch helps to prevent weeds. It also conserves soil moisture so the soil doesn't dry too quickly.