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HOW TO CREATE A GARDEN

  • Select the perfect planting location for your garden. Things to consider are the location of a water source, light condition, and visibility.

 

  • Take photographs before you start so you can document your journey.

 

  • Find a garden specialist who can help create a landscape plan for your garden. Provide information about your garden area including your photograph. Some things they will need to know are: how much maintenance you can do, full sun or shade location, water availability, type of garden (such as butterfly garden, etc.), color preferences, how much funding you have for plants, perennials or annuals.

 

  • Remember location, location, location! It is a good idea to plant near the front door, entrance, or near a road that people travel that can safely be planted.

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  • Start small and choose only one planting area that can easily be maintained. You can add to it later if you have the volunteers and funding. Make sure you plant in an area that is near a water source. Plants that are regularly watered look better and are much healthier than those that aren't watered on a regular basis.

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  • When you have your landscape plan ready, you need to create your garden bed if it is not already established. Great ways to do this are to use a water hose to create the design or mark the bed line with paint to create an attractive border. Students love to use math to figure out the correct measurements for your garden border. This is hands-on mathematical practice for students. You will then need to till the area, remove any grass or weeds and incorporate compost into the garden.

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  • Finally, it is time to plant! Place all your plants where you would like them and get the correct spacing. You can use landscaping flags for location instead of plants if you have them available. You want to do this before your volunteers arrive so they can start planting. They will be excited to get started.

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  • Now is the time to start planting. You need to show your volunteers the proper way to plant. The plants need to be planted at the same depth as they were in the pot but the hole needs to be twice as wide. This allows loose soil for the roots to be easily spread. Once the plant hole is made, add a handful of Osmocote or other slow release fertilizer before planting. Make sure the plant is not planted too deeply.

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  • Collect the empty plant pots as the plants are installed. You can recycle these pots at many locations. Check with home improvement stores or local nurseries to see if they accept them.

 

  • Here is where you make your life much easier. Install newspaper or cardboard thickly (at least one section of the paper), whichever you have available, on top of the compost. This acts as a weed barrier to control the weeds. Now add mulch.

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  • Give your garden plenty of water! Now take after photographs of your garden.

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  • Make sure you create a plan of who is going to take care of the garden each day. Someone will need to water and do other tasks such as weeding, installing new weed barrier, picking up litter, etc.

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  • Enjoy the beauty and wildlife your garden brings to your community.

 

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