3. What Tools do you need ?
• Garden Gloves
• Garden Hose
• Hoe
• Shovel
• Sprinkler
• Rake
• Stakes & String
• Sprayer
• Soil
• Seeds
• Love of
Gardening
4. Location
• Pick a site that receives at least six hours of
sun a day.
• Afternoon shade benefits most vegetable
gardens because of the high heat and
humidity of Indiana summers.
• Think about the space in mid summer when
leaves are on trees.
5. Location
• A slightly elevated site warms more quickly in
the spring and has better drainage
• Avoid low-lying areas
• Avoid the north side of structures.
• Place near water source
6. Soil
Have soil tested for Ph level
best between 6.0 & 6.8
Purdue Extension
http://www.algreatlakes.com
8. Know Your Site
• Old Dump Site
• Old Home Sites
• Old Factory Sites
• Lead Paint
• Exhaust
• Old Cars
9.
10. Size
• The average home garden is 600sq ft
• First year gardens should be about 100
square feet
• Plant what you can maintain
• Think about the size of the mature plant
11. Fall Prep
• First Time Gardens Till in The Fall
• Cover-up Now !
• Black Plastic , Tarps , Leaves , Cardboard
• If you are not tilling you may consider Round-
up now .
• Round-up wait 2 or 3 weeks then Cover-up
12. What do you want to grow ?
• Decide What vegetables you want to grow.
• Divide them into 5 groups
• 4 groups for rotation , and one permanent
crop group.
• Read seed packets for best information on
planting.
14. Sample Layout
Be Creative
Bed 1 Bed 2
Pie Shapes
Pizza Garden
Permanent Permanent
Salsa Garden
Long Rows
Bed 3 Bed 4 Sidewalk edging
4 Year Rotation
15. Laying out garden space
• Divide garden beds , and measure Area
• Lay out design on paper.
• Place taller plants on north side of beds so
they do not block sun from shorter plants
16. Design
• Think about how you are going to water your
garden ?
• Drip, overhead , soaker ?
• Rain Barrels
• Put Compost bin close to garden
17. Seeds
• Start vegetables
indoors, you gain 4
to 6 weeks
• Your plant roots are
established early
• You have many more
varieties to choose
18. Plants
• Buying plants saves you time
• Cost may or may not be higher ?
• Organic ?
• Disease ?
• Growing practices ?
• Less selection
19. Maximize Space
• Companion Planting ( see handout )
• Use space wisely around plants
• Tomatoes are a warm weather crop so try
planting lettuce next to your tomatoes
• Containers
• Make sure to keep good air flow around
plants . Close is ok but too crowded can be
bad.
20. Growing Up
• Be creative
• Cucumbers up a fence.
• Old swing sets for beans, gourds etc..
• Look for things to grow plant up , Save
money use what you have
21.
22.
23.
24. • Traditional Raised Beds
• Straw Bales
• Containers
• Mounds or Temporary
Soil Beds
25. Keep a Garden Diary
• Track your successes & failures
• Try using a blog to track garden
• Mark things well. What is it. When was it
planted.
• Walk your garden everyday.
• Catch problems early. Act Fast.
