Let’s make a resolution that you will want to keep up with the whole year through. It will pair with those goals of eatting healther and getting outside more. So, let’s plan a garden!

It can seem overwhelming until you have been doing it for a few years but planning your garden and knowing where to start is a major step in ensuring you have a steady supply of fresh, locally grown foods. Here are some tips you might want to think about when you get started and how it might workout for your new growing space.

Planning Helps

When it comes to making a garden space you are going to want to plan and do some research to make sure that what you want to grow will be the thing that grows. However, if plans change or your trying out new ideas be flexiable in knowing that it might not turn out the way you planned and plans might have to change on the fly. You want to make sure that no matter what though you have a plan and have taken the time to consider what you wnat to grow, where, and how much you might have by harvest.

Maps are Key

Making a map will mean that much less of a headace once you have starts and seeds in hand to go in the ground. This is where misstakes, ideas, and test runs can be done with little impact then a used eraser. Many websites and apps now are avalible for the tech gardener or if your more comfortable a scrape of paper can always be dug up. As you are making a map take the time to include your measurments, any new areas you want to plant in, and pairing of plants that you might want to do. Add in some notes on the wind directions, sunlight daily patterns, and shade coverage so that each type of plant has all of its needs are being met.

Start Small and Know your soil

If this is your first year, think of this as a building time to test run plans, theories, and options. It will be a much more managable and exciting season if you have never gardened before or in this area by going with simple and small in the scope of your garden. Also, look at some soil records from you local NRCS (Natural Resources and Conservation Services) to see if there is information on the type of soil in your area or property that you can expect to be dealing with. Then you will know if you might want to add to it or grow certian plants to help amend the soil.