Reasons to Start a Garden

• Improve nutrition & access to healthy foods
• Encourage exercise / purposeful work
• Create beauty / care for the environment
• Create a sense of community
• Serve others
• Teach children / adults

Early Decisions

• What kind of garden?
  • Individual plots - gardeners keep their own harvest
  • Neighborhood garden - gardeners divide up harvest
  • Food bank garden - gardeners donate harvest
  • School garden - goal is education over harvest
• Where to site the garden on your land?
  • Access to water
  • Access for people
  • Access for vehicles
  • Access to storage
  • Slope of the land
• How big to make the garden? Considerations:
  • Initial costs: fencing, irrigation, tools, other supplies
  • Ongoing costs: water, fertilizer, plants, etc.
  • Labor available create it
  • Labor available to maintain it
• Physical layout of the garden?
  • In-ground beds?
  • Raised wooden beds or metal beds?
  • Width of beds and paths?
  • Direction (east-west/north south?)
  • Plan for a Friendly Inclusive Garden for all users and mobilities

Deal with Terrain, if Needed

• Leveling
• Terracing
• Retaining walls
• Rainwater ditches/berms

Getting Started

• Mark out the plot
• Clear debris
• Rake
• Weed whack
• Rake again
• Rototill and Rake smooth
  • Borrow or rent a rototiller
  • Go a little beyond your planned border

Install a Fence

• What kind of fence?
  • Decorative or functional?
  • Keep out rabbits or people?
    • Tips to foil critters
      • 1/2” galvanized HW cloth
      • Bury it 6-12,” bend outward
  • One fence, or multiple fences for multiple plots?

Install a Gate

• What kind of gate?
  • Decorative or functional?
  • Keep out rabbits or people?
  • One gate for the whole garden?

Lay Out Beds and Paths

• Mark off in-ground beds
• Mark off paths
• Build raised wooden beds

Mix in the Soil Amendments

• Haul to each bed
• Dump / distribute along the bed
• Mix and rake in

Assemble Soil Amendments

• Approx. recipe for a 50’ x 2’ bed:
  • Soil from adjacent paths
  • 10 cubic ft compost
  • 50 lbs chicken manure
  • 2 20-qt bags worm castings
  • 10 cups organic veg fertilizer

Install Irrigation

• Need to bring water lines to the garden?
• Decide kind of irrigation
  • Spigots with hoses?
  • Soaker hose?
  • Drip irrigation?
  • Automatic timer?
  • Separate for each plot, if you have plots?

Garden Amenities

• Potting bench or other work surface
• Storage for tools and other supplies
• Trash / recycle containers
• Compost bin?
• Trellises?

Assemble Garden Tools

• New / used?
• Buy at yard/estate sales?
• Donated tools?
• Gardeners bring their own?
• Where to store?
• What’s the plan for sharing?

Meanwhile -- Plan Your Crops

• What to grow?
  • Who are the crops for?
  • What do they want?
  • What season is it?
  • What grows in your area?
• Lay out your planting plan
  • What will go in each bed?
  • How close to plant? How many plants needed?

Plant !

• Can be gradual
• Be ready with tending plan
• Start your tending plan

Assemble Seedlings

• Start early so they’ll be ready
• Seek donated plants?
• Raise your own?
• Where will they be kept?

It’s All Worth It !

(Source: Adapted from The Backyard Produce Garden, Poway, CA December 2013)