By National Gardening Association Editors
Eliminating weeds and getting the soil ready for your flowers and vegetables are important first steps in preparing a new garden. Time spent in preparation reduces the time you’ll have to spend maintaining and weeding your garden over the course of the growing season and increases the chances of success.
Tools and Materials – CHECK WITH PAYNE’S FOR THESE MATERIALS!
String and wooden stakes
Spade
Herbicide (*optional*)
Hoe or mattock
Steel garden rake
Soil testing sample kit
Soil amendments, as required
Garden fork or rototiller
Choose the Spot for Your New Garden.
Vegetable gardens and most flowerbeds require at least 6 hours of full sun each day. Choose a level spot — either natural or terraced — that has well-drained soil. Thick grass or vigorous weed growth usually indicate soil drainage and nutrient levels that will support healthy garden plants.
Mark the boundaries.
Outline the new garden plot with string and stakes, a hose, or a line of powdered limestone.
Eliminate the competition for Your Garden
Remove existing lawn by slicing under the sod with a spade and cutting it into manageable pieces. Add the pieces to your compost or use it to patch bare spots elsewhere. Kill weeds by use of an herbicide, pull them by hand, or chop them with a hoe or mattock and rake them up, or use a commercial weed barrier. If time permits, you can smother grass and weeds with old carpeting or black plastic anchored to the ground. For best results, leave the covering in place for several weeks of hot weather.
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STOP BY PAYNE’S NURSERY for our gardening experts’ advice on which soil amendments, nutrients and other fertilizers you will need to use in your garden! We know New Mexico Soil!