Preparing Your Garden for Planting

Preparing a garden for planting usually takes place in the spring but can be done anytime.  If you prepare your soil before you plant help your garden be more productive and healthy.  Tilling the soil with some mulch or other type of organic material and added a good fertilizer will greatly increase your chances of a good garden.  

The type of soil that you have will determine what and how much mulch and fertilizer you should use.  Visit your local garden shop and they can help you decide what your soil needs.  Most garden shops are happy to assist you with this for free.  Compost from your own compost pile is the best fertilizer but if you don't have one you can purchase manure from you local garden shop and it is relatively inexpensive.  Try to avoid chemical and artificial fertilizers as they only give short term advantages without giving any long-term benefit to the soil.

Before you begin buying your seeds or plants you need to decide what you are going to grow; flowers or vegetables and if vegetables what will you be doing with them.  Do you intend to can or freeze or will you be eating them right out of the garden.  When you have decided what you are going to plant, it is very helpful to draw up a plan so that when you get ready to actually do the planting it will be easier plus if you keep them from year to year, you will know what worked for you and what didn't.