5 Steps to Start a Texas Garden
By Lydia Wallie, Nutrition Director
If creating a garden sounds daunting, start simple with just a few pots and plants...and here are 5 steps to start:
1. Choose your location and create the foundation. If you only have a deck or indoor area, planting in pots is a great option and you can go the easy route and buy potted plants from a nursery. But if you have access to land, building a raised bed is ideal. Here is a simple guide. (1) You will want to put your pots or raised bed in an area that receives at least 6 hours of sunshine daily.
Why is a raised bed advised? “Raised bed gardens improve growing conditions for plants by lifting their roots above poor soil. Soil in the beds can be amended to provide a better growing medium for plants, even plants that would not naturally thrive there. The soil in raised beds warms up earlier in the spring and is less apt to be invaded by certain grasses and by tree roots. Also, the height of raised beds may make them easier to maintain.” (2)
Once you have a raised bed, fill the bottom layer with yard cuttings like leaves and twigs, the next layer with any dirt in your yard (or buy more soil), and the final layer with garden soil. Look out for tarantulas too…
2. Decide what to plant. First, input your zipcode on the Garden in Minutes website to find out what zone you’re in. Then, use the Gardenate website to discover what to plant each month. You can sign up for monthly planting reminders too. (3, 4)
3. Buy your seeds/plants. You can purchase seeds online like through a website like True Leaf Market or locally from a nursery or store. (5) Also, save seeds from the foods you eat (squash, okra, cucumbers, etc.) to plant later.
4. Plant companions together and follow seed/plant directions. Plants have friends and foes so you’ll want to plant the friends together. Here’s the Farmer’s Almanac guide for companion plants. (6)
5. Maintain your garden. This may be the most difficult aspect of gardening...you need to water your plants and pull weeds as needed. Set a daily reminder to water your plants or set up a drip irrigation system.
And if the garden falls apart and things start getting wild, you can always go to Trader Joe’s, buy a potted basil plant, and start over. :-)
Sources:
(1) The Frugal Homemaker: How to build easy and inexpensive DIY raised garden beds
(2) Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Raised Garden Beds
(3) Garden in Minutes: Find Your Growing Zone
(4) Gardenate: Keep your garden growing - see what to plant right now
(5) True Leaf Market: Seed Assortment of Annuals and Perennials