Getting Started in Your Garden

Before digging holes in the ground and planting trees and shrubs, we need to do a little planning to save time and money!

Planning where all your garden elements will be located ensures everything is in the best place for your needs and also for the plants to grow.

First of all Start with a Plan – this saves time and money.

  • Start with a Dream List of all the things you’d love to grow and enjoy. Include the flowers and foods you love, plus all the elements to make your garden look stunning and practical, like seating, bird baths or secret pathways.
  • Make a note of how much time you have to spend in the garden. If you’re busy with work and family, then consider spending 20 – 30 minutes, 3 times per week in the garden. Read my article of fun garden things to do in just 30 minutes!
  • Also consider how much space you have to create gardens. This will help you plan the garden areas needed to grow your favourite plants. Do you have a small area? Grow in containers or pots. Have a large space? Then plan for garden beds, compost system and a few fruit trees.

Next Get Creative – one method for planning your garden is to use a vision board.

A vision board is a tool used to help clarify, and focus on a specific dream or goal. Vision Boards can be used for ideas for anything ranging from business ideas and goals, fashion ideas or planning interior designing.

I use vision boards to help plan and design gardens!!

How to create your own inspiring board…

  • Start with a large piece of cardboard and draw the current areas of your garden, including any existing features like boundaries, trees, buildings, playground, paths, etc.
  • Look through magazines and old books and collect ideas for your garden, keeping your dream list in mind!
  • Cut out colourful, bright images of your dream garden features and all the other elements from your list. This is a great activity for all the family!!
  • Place all the images in the areas where you might like them on the cardboard. Move things around until they’re all in the right place, functional and look good.

TIP – make sure the locations for your gardens receive enough sunshine to grow!

  • Glue the pictures onto your vision board and then add any comments you’d like to include, eg chicken shed here, plan for next season, fruit tree growing full size, etc. Make this a fun activity.

Also try Pinterest. for ideas and inspirations online! For extra ideas on planning gardens and resources visit Cath’s Pinterest page here – http://pinterest.com/cathmanuel/

Now it’s Time to Create Your Space – Start small and build garden spaces as you feel confident and have extra time. Create a garden for veggies and herbs, containers and pots for potted plants and set up a Compost system to provide your garden with rich compost to keep your garden thriving.

If you decide to build a no-dig garden, follow my easy-to-do method here – soiltosupper.com/how-to-build-a-no-dig-garden/ 

Then Get Growing! – start with a few ‘easy’ plants to grow from your dreamlist.

A few plants that grow well are Chives, Parsley, Lettuce, Basil and Rocket. Ensure it’s the correct time of year to grow these in your home garden.

Start with a few perennials (forever plants) that grow year round and provide colour and flavour. Mix plants together in garden beds to help each other thrive and grow plants that suit the current season (eg spring, summer, autumn or winter) and your climate (eg temperate, cool, arid, sub-tropical or tropical)

Nurture your Garden – care for your garden, starting with the soil, and you’ll have a beautiful thriving garden.

  • follow organic gardening methods – Lesson 4
  • keep a kit of gardening goodies to help save time and money.
  • mulch around gardens to reduce weeds and keep in moisture.
  • add nutrients to the soil.
  • harvest your crops regularly to enjoy your own fresh food…and not let all the critters eat it!!

 

When starting a garden, or becoming a green thumb, my favourite tip is…

“Dream Big, Start Small” Gardening is meant to be a pleasure, not a chore.

Allow gardening to be an enjoyable part of your life, not another chore that needs doing. Gardening is a form of therapy and you’ll feel all the amazing benefits that a connection with nature brings when you enjoy the process.

 

Now you’ve completed all 5 lessons, I’d like you to consider where you’re at now with your understanding of gardening terms, equipment and methods.

This helps to measure how much you have learnt from the course and have confidence to apply your new knowledge!

Please choose which best describes you right now, after completing the Course –

  1. I’ve read through the gardening words, equipment and methods but have no understanding of what they mean.
  2. I have a basic understanding of some words, equipment and methods but still don’t have clear knowledge to take action.
  3. I understand the meaning of words and terms used in gardening and the equipment used when gardening, but am uncertain of how to apply them.
  4. I have knowledge of gardening terms, equipment and methods and have a clear understanding on how to apply them.

Ideally from this course, you would be at option 4 and have knowledge and understanding of gardening terms, methods and ways to get started as an organic gardener.

Please revisit the lessons at anytime, you have full access now, plus print each Lesson notes to follow while out in your garden.

Thank you for taking this course, you’ve increased your knowledge of gardening and are now ready to step out and inspire others. Well Done!!