Too late for a flower garden??
I am a "spur of the moment" gardner. I've also been known to move a shrub or two several times before it stayed in it's permanent home. What I am trying to say is that it is never too late to start a garden.
Gardening is the most relaxing hobby that I have found. I will plan on spending a few minutes working on an inpromptu garden and the next thing I know the whole afternoon has gone.
Weeds can be gone in a weeks time with vinegar and water. Put about 3 parts vinegar and 1 part water in a sprayer and spray your area on a sunny day. The sun and vinegar will kill the weeds. Or just buy some weed kill product - there are many different brands that you can get at K-mart - even Dollar General. Spray this chemical on your area and most of them will kill the weeds within 24 hours.
You will then have to rake and pull up all of these dead weeds.
Invest in a rot-a-tiller to plow your area so that the ground is ready for planting. I have found that if I use the Miracle Grow products - my plants of whatever type do best. I have used products that are manure based to get a good fertilizer. For instance, if I am going to start a 5' x 5' area - I would probably buy about 3 or 4 bags of Miracle Grow potting soil and about 2 or 3 bags of the manure type product. With my weeds gone and my ground tilled, You will need to put black plastic down over this 5'x5' area - you can purchase landscaping fabric or just use several good thick black garbage bags.
Now you are ready to put all of those bags of potting soil and manure on top of this. You might, also, want to invest in some type of garden edging. Again, if costs are a problem - go to the creek or a quarry and get stones in different shapes to use as an edging for your garden.
Some people just would just till the Miracle Grow product into the dirt real good (mix and stir really good), and then plant.
I suggest the black bag method or landscaping method because I hate to pick those weeds!
Your next step is to decide what you want to plant. Look at your area. Do yo want your tall plants in the back up against maybe the house? Remember to space your plants out adequately. Your garden may appear a little sparse at first but when everything begins growing - you will be amazed!
Now its time to put mulch or lava rock down and around all of your plants. I always forget which type is better to keep away from the house because it will attract termites - So, I like to get lava rock or creek rock - all in all just depends on what type of color you want to match your home's color scheme.
Don't forget to water your plants. It is important to keep all of those little tags that come in your plants - so you know what its called - so you can follow watering tips (until you get the hang of it). Perrinials are the best - You might spend more this year on them - but with proper care they will come back again next year - so in the long run the Perrinials are the best buy.
Hibiscus' are huge flowering plants. Rose bushes are gorgeous. Forsythia bushes are yellowing in the spring and turn to a regular green bush during the summer and fall seasons.
Anyway, good luck on your garden this year!
Suzie
Reply:I would say that it is too late to get the soil ready. However you could compost your own soil in your home to add to the soil in the spring before you plant your garden.
Tools and Materials
Plastic storage container with a lid
Drill with 1/8-inch drill bit
Wooden blocks
Newspaper
Red wiggler worms (eisenia foetida)
Garden soil
Vermi-Composting How-To
1. Create a well-ventilated bin by adding air holes with a drill and bit. Drill many holes on the sides, top, and bottom of the bin.
2. Place the bin on wooden blocks in order to keep the air circulating under the bin.
3. Soak strips of newspaper in water (avoid using colored paper). Wring out paper, separate, and add to bin. Fill bin 2/3 full with bedding.
4. Sprinkle worms gently over bedding. Two thousand worms eat around 7 pounds of food each week. Leave the lid off for a few hours so that worms will burrow.
5. Add one cup of garden soil which will add bacteria, protozoa, and fungi, aiding the composting process. This also adds minerals that will help with worm digestion.
6. Bury food scraps deep into bedding. Rotate placement, encouraging worms to disperse. Feed daily or weekly. Avoid fats or meats in smaller bins. Don't place anything in the bin that is non-biodegradable or pet waste. After a few weeks, bedding and food will start turning into mash. Matter will completely break down in 3 to 6 months.
7. To harvest: Push compost to one side of bin. Fill other side with fresh bedding. Bury food into new bedding. Worms will migrate to new food.
Reply:take the time and visit your local nursery....they are pro and will answer all your questions and possibilities for starting your flower garden in your planting area. first time is always difficult but by the next year you will be amaze how much and better your garden will be year round.
Reply:not at all. you can plant all kinds of annuals that will give you all the color you want. go to a nursury and ask for suggestions, they are all very helpfull. after all, they want your cash. get some perrenials also, they will come back year after year.
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