Creating a Garden

The first step in creating a garden is deciding on a location. The sun is the most important determining factor, so choose a location with a southern exposure. Run the rows northwest and southeast to get the best distribution of sunlight, and plan on paper to save time and unnecessary seed purchases. The goal is to get as much sunlight as possible distributed evenly for as long as possible. New garden spots are most likely to be discovered in one of two states: turfed or trashed.

In large garden areas, the ground is ploughed and the sod is turned under; in small gardens, the sod is removed in the most efficient manner. To remove the sod, mark the garden location with a stake and a line, use a spade to cut the edges, and roll it up like a carpet roll. If the garden plot is large enough to plough, pick out the largest pieces of sod than have them turned under and pile them in a compost heap. 

The most important details in this text are that a simple spading of the ground is insufficient to break up large lumps of soil, and that the hoe is an excellent lump breaker, but not for large lumps. The spade is incapable of pulverizing soil, but the rake can. After the lumps have been broken, the rake should be used to fine-tune and smooth the bed.

The first step in creating a garden is deciding on a location. Without a choice, it simply means doing the best one can given the circumstances. With limited space, it becomes a no-garden or a box garden. A box garden is certainly preferable to nothing at all.

However, we will now assume that it is possible to select the ideal location for the garden. What will be selected? The sun is the most important determining factor. No one would have a north corner unless it was absolutely necessary; because, while north corners are useful for ferns, certain wild flowers, and begonias, they are of little use as general garden spots.

If possible, choose a location with a southern exposure. The sun shines brightly here all day. When the garden is positioned in this manner, the rows of vegetables and flowers should run north and south. The plants are thus positioned to receive the sun's rays all morning on the eastern side and all afternoon on the western side. With this arrangement, there should be no lopsided plants.

Assume the garden is facing southeast. In this case, the western sun is not a factor. Run the rows northwest and southeast to get the best distribution of sunlight.

The goal is to get as much sunlight as possible distributed evenly for as long as possible. The lopsided growth of window plants demonstrates the effect of poorly distributed light on plants. So, if you use a small diagram and remember that you want the sun to shine on one side of the plants and not the other, you can juggle any situation. The southern exposure is ideal because the sun gives roughly half of its time to each side. A northern exposure may result in a complete lack of sunlight, whereas a northeastern or southwestern exposure will always have an uneven distribution of the sun's rays, no matter how carefully this is planned.

If possible, the garden should be planned on paper. When it comes time to plant, the plan will come in handy. It saves time and unnecessary seed purchases.

New garden spots are most likely to be discovered in one of two states: turfed or trashed. In large garden areas, the ground is ploughed and the sod is turned under; however, in small gardens, the sod is removed. The next question is how to remove the sod in the most efficient manner. Mark the garden location with a stake and a line. The line indicates a precise and straight path to take. All along the line, use the spade to cut the edges. This is simple if the area is small, say four feet by eighteen or twenty feet. A narrow strip of sod can be marked off like a checkerboard, cut through with a spade, and easily removed. This could be done with two long strips cut lengthwise. When the turf has been cut through, roll it up like a carpet roll.

However, suppose the garden plot is quite large. Then cut this into foot-wide strips and remove the sod as before. What will happen to the sod? Don't throw it away because it's full of richness, albeit in a different form. Pack the sod grass side down one square on top of the other. Allow it to rot and weather. When rotted, it makes an excellent fertilizer. A compost pile is a pile of rotting vegetable matter. Add any old green vegetable matter to this throughout the summer. Put on the autumn leaves in the fall. A great deal of goodness is being prepared for the coming season.

Even if the garden is large enough to plough, I would rather pick out the largest pieces of sod than have them turned under. Go over the ploughed area, pick out the sod pieces, shake them well, and pile them in a compost heap.

A simple spading of the ground is insufficient. The soil has remained in lumps. The big lumps should always be broken up with a spade. Nonetheless, the ground is unfit for planting. Because seeds can get very close to fine particles of soil, the ground must be very fine. However, the large lumps leave large gaps that no tiny root hair can penetrate. When a seed is planted in chunks of soil, it becomes stranded in a perfect waste. A baby would starve if surrounded by great pieces of beefsteak. A seed in the midst of large lumps of soil is in a similar situation. The spade is incapable of pulverizing soil. The rake, on the other hand, can. That is the rake's worth. It is an excellent lump breaker, but not for large lumps. Take the hoe if the soil still has large lumps in it.

Many people use the hoe in an awkward manner. This tool's primary function is to weed the soil and stir up the top surface. It is used in the summer to create that valuable dust mulch for retaining moisture in the soil. I frequently see people acting as if they are about to atomize everything around them. Hoeing should never be such a strenuous activity. Spading is strenuous, but not as strenuous as hoeing and raking.

After the lumps have been broken, use the rake to fine-tune and smooth the bed. The fantastic piece of work is now completed.