KATHY’S HOME & GARDEN TIPS – GARDEN PLANNING FOR BEGINNERS
KATHY’S HOME & GARDEN TIPS – GARDEN PLANNING FOR BEGINNERS
1. Use graph paper to plot out space for your garden have each square represent one square foot.
2. Notice how much sun your plot gets. For full sun plants it needs full sun at least six hours per day.
3. Choose an area that has good drainage. Most garden plants need a lot of water but an area that does not drain well will quickly cause roots to rot.
4. Most soil in Chicago is clay like. Augment with sand and manure and peat moss.
5. Check out seed catalogues to become familiar with different vegetable varieties. While I would not recommend starting from seed for beginners they are great for getting ideas for flowers and veggies to look for at the garden center.
6. Keep cognizant of how much space each plant needs. Tomatoes need a lot of space at least 3 square feet per plant. Beans and peas are climbers. They can be trained up a fence or trellis. Plant other veggies in front. Plant often harvested vegetables like lettuce and spinach in an easy to reach area.
7. Start out with a few plants of each vegetable that you like the best. With tomatoes plan three varieties that have different harvest times. Early girls are a great first crop. They mature in around 65 days and produce abundantly. Better boys are a good mid crop look for varieties that mature around 70 -75 days. The larger varieties such as Beefsteak or Beefmaster are the largest fruits that harvest in around 85 days.
8. There are many places on the internet to get help with starting a garden. Home and Garden television www.hgtv.com is a good place to start also Better Homes and Gardens www.bhg.com/gardening
With a little planning you will have a bountiful garden!
KATHLEEN WEAVER-ZECH & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO
