9 Steps to Start Your Garden the Right Way
We did just about everything wrong when we started our first garden almost 15 years ago. We put so much work into a bad setup, and instead of getting baskets of cherry tomatoes like I’d dreamed, we got lessons in what not to do next time.
I eventually taught myself how to garden and, more importantly, how to set up a garden so that success was all but guaranteed. By 2015, I started a garden installation business that has designed, installed, and maintained hundreds of gardens.
With the knowledge I gained first from making all the mistakes and then by creating so many beautiful and productive gardens, I’ve broken the process of starting a garden into nine essential steps. I won’t promise they’re simple or easy. Several steps involve hard, even dirty work like clearing sod and shoveling soil.
But I will promise that the result of following these steps is a garden that’ll be as beautiful as it is productive, without all the mistakes and frustration. This guide is your overview of the entire process. You’ll find much more detailed step-by-step directions by visiting the article below each step.
Note: These steps mostly focus on setting up raised-bed kitchen gardens, but I do discuss creating in-ground spaces for vegetables and flowers, as well.
All right, if you’re ready, grab some paper and a pencil. Roll up your sleeves. Let’s get started.
Step One
Choose the Garden Location
This step is all about assessing your available space for a garden, and you really don’t want to skip it, even if you only have a small area where your garden could go. Choosing the best location for your garden is actually the most important part of the process.
For this first step, you’ll need a compass (or an app on your phone), a measuring tape, a pencil, and some paper (preferably graph paper if you can get it).
To assess your space, you’ll first use a compass to determine the cardinal directions of your outdoor space. Find South if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere (and find North if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere).