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economist stswilstouffwlte trfbum tuesdfdarfhgapaii 11 preparing your garden whether this is your first attempt at planting a garden or youve just got the planting itch preparing a new garden i provides a great deal of fun and enjoyment the most difficult part of the gardening process by far is learning how to have patience with the first warm days of spring many gardeners will be tempted to start planting right away avoid the temptation arid do some basic homework first planting too early is a recipe for failure and frustration determine what will grow before you rush out and purchase your plants its important to know where you plan to plant them there are three key factors that determine what plants will grow in a given spot soil composition soil moisture and sunlight soil moisture and composition can be influenced to a certain degree when it comes to sunlight you must accept what mother nature bestows remember plants that require full sun need at least six hours of direct sunlight per day plants located in shady areas under trees or the north side of a building should be able to thrive with only a few hours of direct sunlight per day if you choose a shady area there are many wonderful plants that will thrive in the shade consult with your local garden centre to be sure next step is your soil type soil consists of sand silt and clay the best type of garden soil is loam which consists of about 40 sand 40 silt and 20 clay soil type can be easily determined by a simple test grab handful of soil and press it into a ball if the soil cannot hold its shape then its probably too sandy next try to break the ball apart with your thumb a good soil will break apart easily if it doesnt youve probably got too much clay in it fortunately if your soil contains too much clay silt or sand you can enhance it with organic matter with soil that contains too much sand or silt you can add topsoil and peat moss or compost if your soil contains too much- clay compost or peat moss and sand can be added in some cases adding sand to soil can have a negative effect by creating a type of concrete but adding sand to a clayheavy soil will sometimes help loosen the clay and allow for proper drainage keep an eye on moisture if your garden is in a lowlying area with lots of moisture your garden could be subject to wetness for long stretches of time in this case consider a raised bed but choose plants that dont mind lots of water conversely if you have a dry plot frequent watering may not be enough in this case its best to choose plants that are not as waterhungry work with mother nature the best recipe for planting a garden is to work with mother nature not against her for instance roses will grow in shady areas but youll find yourself feeding them more fertilizer and spraying more fungicide than if youd planted them in a sunny spot azaleas in bloom may look wonderful at the front of your home where there is no shade but if youd planted them in a shady spot they are less likely to attract lace bugs so work with mother nature in determining which plants go where it will save you a lot of time money and hassle warehouse blowout salegp eme uui underpad iikv v 4 9054261333 18002137597 4164103368 artistic impressions 905 4720797