The document provides instructions for garden preparation including choosing a sunny location near the house and water, building healthy soil over time by adding compost and manure, tilling the soil to incorporate organic matter, planning the garden layout using a triangular planting pattern with templates, and planting a variety of crops together in the prepared beds.

1. Garden preparation

2. Garden preparation

3. Relative location.
• The best location for a
garden is in a sheltered
spot where it can get at
least 6 hours sunlight per
day.
• Close to the house and
garden shed
• Near a water source
• With your compost, liquid
fertiliser and worm bins

4. Good soils take time to develop.
• Manure and seaweed
added in autumn and
left to break down over
winter.
• This will be dug into the
soil just prior to spring.

5. Good soils take time to develop.
• Building your soil can be achieved by regular
additions of organic materials like manures,
vermicast and green crops directly to your
bed, or
• By composting your garden wastes and
incorporating this into the soil by forking it in.

6. What a good soil looks like
• Garden soil needs to be
rich in organic matter,
as indicated by the dark
black colour.
• Friable, breaks up easily
into small crumbs
• and at least 60cm deep

7. Compost
• Compost is an ideal soil
conditioner it provides
• Structure so your soil
can hold more water
and improves soil
drainage
• nutrients which are in a
plant available form and
microorganisms which
help your plants grow.

8. Bed preparation
• Add your compost or
manure to the surface
of the garden bed
• Fork this organic matter
into the bed so that it is
well mixed
(incorporated) into the
existing soil.

9. Bed preparation
• composted material
should be incorporated
into the bed using a
spade or garden fork.
• Soil should be worked
or dug over until it is
friable, this will ensure
good aeration, drainage
and root penetration.

10. Garden preparation.
• After the compost is
incorporated the garden
should be left
• Raked smooth and level
• Weed free

11. Planning your garden layout
• The bed can be divided
into grids to make your
plant layout easier to
visualise.
• This can be done on
paper or out in the
garden like here.
• These grids are 30cm
square.

12. Planning your garden layout
• The most efficient
planting layout is a
triangular pattern.
• You can make up
templates of different
sizes to help you
achieve the correct
plant spacing and
arrangement

13. Planning your garden layout
• The size of the triangle
template is based upon
the a spacing between
plants where leaves of
the plant will be just
touching when they are
mature size.
• A peg is placed at each
corner of the triangle to
mark where plants will
be planted.

14. Planning your garden layout
• Completed bed, starting
from near end the
plants are
• Garlic and Spinach
• Lettuce and Alyssum
• Celery and Calendula
• Broccoli and Coriander
• Beetroot and spring
onion
• Garlic and strawberry

15. Planning your garden layout
• This bed was planted on
the 18th of July.
• Water and weed as
required.
• Liquid feed with worm
juice at 14 day intervals
• Protect from frost by
covering with a cloche
as required.

16. Planning your garden layout
• The bed on 16 of September. • Beans and corn to follow
Eating , coriander , spinach lettuce. Tomatoes and Basil to
and lettuce. follow Broccoli
• Spinach and lettuce ready