Starting a New Garden

There’s actually a reason to be happy about all of the rain we’ve had lately -- it makes it easy to start a new garden bed. Every gardener knows that blisters are part of the process, but soft ground helps you get the job done with less effort. So here are some tips for how to get a new garden started this spring.

You'll only need a couple of tools to get started: a flat edged shovel, which is available at Larsen Lumber; gardening gloves, which are also available at Larsen Lumber or ; and a strong back.

Although I’ve started my fair share of gardens, I consulted the the HGTV.com website for some concise tips. Here’s what they recommend:

• Start your garden in an area that gets at least six hours each day of sun. Start it near the house, close to a water source and away from walls that would prevent adequate ventilation.
• Mark the perimeter of where you want your garden using a hose or a string tied to two stakes.
• Remove the sod with a shovel. 

In my opinion, removing the sod is the hard part, and a flat-edged shovel works best. Try to start your garden after a rain or water the area the night before to soften the ground. And make sure you don’t till the sod into the soil, or your garden will be filled with thousands of grass rhizomes, which turn into grass plants. You can use the sod that you remove to fill bare spots in your yard, or turn it upside down and layer it in a compost bin.

After removing the sod, it’s time to till. You can do this by hand with a spade, which is gratifying, but back-breaking, work. If you’re putting in a large garden, you might want to rent a tiller. Taylor Rental in Broadview Heights is one place nearby where you can rent one for the day. 

The soil here is known for having a high clay content, which doesn’t allow for adequate water drainage. You’ll probably need to amend your soil with some organic matter, like compost. According to the website for Your-Healthy-Gardens.com, an equal ratio of clay and organic matter is a good goal. 

You can buy compost by the bag at garden centers like in Broadview Heights, or have it delivered by the yard from places like Kurtz Brothers in Valley View. 

I've always thought that starting a new garden is one of the hardest, but most exciting parts of being a gardener. The newly removed sod leaves a blank canvas and anything is possible. And when I have blisters, I wear them as a badge of honor.