Don't know where to start Gardening?

[itsmewhoelse]

I answered a question in the Whats Blooming in Yard thread but thought the info deserved its own thread too.

So its getting close to that time of year YAY! To start to plan our gardens. In my searches for info on how to garden I found these 2 really helpful tools to use, amongst many others.

These tools are great for first time gardeners as well as seasoned gardeners.

The Garden Planner! Free to use and print plans off for the first 30 days then about $25.00 per year after

http://gardenplanner.motherearthnews...enplanner.html
They also have a facebook page, lots of great info from the members there too!

This neat site helps you plan your garden from start to finish (but there really is no finish when you are a gardener at heart lol) From what to plant, when to plant, how, when to harvest, crop rotation etc etc.

Its also has flower garden planner too.

The type of gardening that I chose to do last year was Square foot gardening. Super easy and you can grow more plants (food) in a smaller place.
The garden planner has a neat little button that you can click on to switch from regular planting to Square foot gardening.

Then there is this 8 min video that shows you how space your planting in a square foot garden (watching this you can see how super simple it really is to plant)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4pSk...eature=related
I just marked off 1 foot measures on each side of my raised bed and then stapled twine to each end to make my square feet spaces!

[WilliamHayden]

Hello Friends,

Before you begin decide what you want in each garden. Since you have several spots and no one has tended to them it can get overwhelming. If you are starting from seed you will need to start them inside. For your zone you start them usually in mid March through Mid April. I would suggest for this year to buy your veggie plants. You will have a lot of work to do outside to get the garden ready. Veggies are very cheap to buy in pots at any garden store. Weed your beds first than till them. Add some new top soil and till in peat moss. As soon as your done that you can plant. Never plant in your zone til you are safe fron frost. End of April more into May is a safe bet. If you decide to start from seed make sure they are strong enough to go outdoors. You cannot take them from a sunny window and put them out in the sun. You must gradually introduce them to being in the sun. Place them in the shade outside with a little bit of sun and every few days allow more sun. Once they are in,the sun for the day they can be planted in the garden.

Thanks and Regards,
William Hayden