Making a Garden.

 

Making a Garden.

The first step in creating a garden is deciding where to put it. Without a choice, it implies doing the best one can given the circumstances. With limited area, it becomes either no garden or a box garden. A box garden is undoubtedly preferable to none at all.

However, we will now assume that it is possible to select precisely the proper location for the garden. What will be chosen? The most important determining factor is the sun. No one would have a north corner unless it was absolutely forced upon him; because, while north corners do for ferns, certain wild flowers, and begonias, they are of little use for a general garden.

If feasible, locate a place with a southern exposure. The sun is warm throughout the day here. When the garden is in this location, the rows of vegetables and flowers should run north and south. Thus positioned, the plants receive sunlight throughout the morning on the eastern side and all afternoon on the western side. With such an arrangement, no plants should be unbalanced.

 

Suppose the garden faces southeast. In this situation, the western sun is not a concern. To get the finest dispersion of sunshine, run the rows northwest and southeast.

The goal is to receive as much sunshine as possible, uniformly dispersed, over the longest amount of time. Poorly distributed light has an obvious influence on plants, as evidenced by the uneven development of window plants. So if you utilize a little diagram, remember that you wish.

You can juggle any circumstance by having the sun shine on one side of the plants and then the other. The southern exposure is good because the sun shines almost equally on both sides. A northern exposure may entail an almost complete cut-off from sunlight; while northeastern and southwestern areas always get an irregular distribution of the sun's rays, no matter how precisely this is designed.

 

If possible, plan your garden on paper. When it comes to actual planting, the plan is quite useful. It saves time and prevents the unnecessary purchase of seed.

New garden spaces are likely to be located in one of two conditions: turf or garbage. In vast garden areas, the earth is ploughed and the sod turned under; however, in tiny gardens, the sod is removed. The next question is how to remove the sod in the most effective manner. Stake and line off the garden area. The line indicates a precise and straight course.

to follow. Use the spade to cut the edges all along the line. If the area is small, such as four feet by eighteen or twenty, this is simple. A short strip of sod can be marked out like a checkerboard, cut through with a spade, and simply removed. This might be done in two long strips, cut lengthwise. When the turf is cut through, roll it up like a carpet.

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Suppose the garden plot is huge. Then divide this into foot-wide sections and remove the sod as before. What should be done with the sod? Do not discard it because it is full of richness, albeit not quite in usable shape. So place one square of sod with the grass side down on top of the other. Leave it to decay and weather. When decayed, it produces a great fertilizer. A pile of decomposing vegetable debris is known as a compost pile. Throughout the summer, add any leftover green vegetable matter to this. In the fall, wear the autumn leaves. A great deal of goodness is being prepared for another season.

Even if the garden is large enough to plough, I would select the largest pieces of sod rather than having them turned under. Go over the ploughed area, take off any pieces of sod, shake them well, and place them in a compost heap.

Simple spading of the earth is not enough. The earth is still remaining in chunks. Always break up the huge lumps using a spade. Even yet, the ground is unsuitable for planting. Planting requires very fine ground since seeds might get quite close.

Indeed, dirt particles are fine. However, the huge lumps create enormous voids that no little root hair can penetrate. When a seed is put in soil bits, it becomes stuck in a perfect waste. A baby would go hungry if it were surrounded by delicious beefsteaks. A seed in a big pile of soil is in a similar scenario. The spade cannot pulverize earth. But a rake can. That is the worth of the rake. It is an excellent lump crusher, but it will not work for larger lumps. If the dirt still has huge lumps in it, use the hoe.

Many individuals handle hoes awkwardly. The primary function of this instrument is to remove weeds from the soil and stir up the top surface. It is used in the summer to create the dust mulch that is so effective at retaining moisture in the soil. I often view people as if they were about to chop.

Everything around us is being reduced to atoms. Hoeing should never be such a strenuous workout. Spading is a strenuous and labor-intensive activity that differs from hoeing and raking.

After breaking up the bumps, use the rake to smooth out the bed. Now the major piece of work is completed.