The "I Don't Know Where to Start" Gardening Post

"I want a garden and fresh grown produce but have no idea where to start." 

I know! I had no idea where to start either. Then you read a few gardening books and are simultaneously inspired and too overwhelmed all at once.  That is why I started writing this blog in the first place. Gardening can be really complex but it doesn't have to be. Here's where I suggest you start.

First you need to plan.
I am not much of a planner. I am a digger and a impulsive seed buyer. But let's walk through this basic plan together.

Ten steps to starting your first garden. 

1. Where are you going to put your garden? If this is for veggies, you are going to want a sunny spot.
2. Do you want to go with raised beds or to fix your soil?
3.  A)If you went with raised beds, build your beds, then fill your boxes with soil/compost.
     B)If you decided to fix the soil you have, dig out the grass, and mix in compost.
4.  Now for the fun part- find a planting guide for your area. Here is a link to the post wherein I suggest my favorite planting guide.
If you are here in town- you can also click on my Sowing San Antonio Link at the top of the page and see all the posts about what you can plant in our area NOW.
5. Look at the list of what you can plant both now and later in the season. Write down a list of your favorite foods off that list. You will want to leave room in your garden for those later season favorites.
6. Decide where in the garden you will put each veggie or herb and note when you need to plant it.
7. Buy your plants and seeds!
8. Plant
9. Water. For seeds, you are going to want to water everyday or at least every other day until they pop up and are established. For transplants-you are going to want to water deeply esp. the first day- IE keep the hose on them for awhile. We deep water 2-3 times a week depending on the weather.
10. Harvest when ready.

If you need more specific advice on any of these steps, you can search the blog with the "find what out are looking for" bar on the upper right corner or feel free to ask!

Just give it a go-it won't be perfect, some plants will die, it is a work in progress - you don't need to do it all at once. I promise you our garden was not built in a day. I know you can do this!

Texas fall gardening is nature's way of apologizing for August.