If you want to start a garden bed and never have before, it’s not as hard as you might think. First, location is paramount. Your new garden bed will need a spot that receives ample sunlight (at least six to eight hours a day) unless you plan to plant something that will thrive in the shade. Observe your chosen area throughout the day to ensure it meets the sun requirements of your desired plants. Additionally, proximity to a water source simplifies the task of keeping your garden watered. I’d recommend low water requirements for your first bed.
Once you’ve pinpointed the perfect spot, it’s time to design your garden bed. Consider the size and shape. A standard recommendation for beginners is to start small, perhaps a 4×6-foot rectangle, which is large enough to host a variety of plants but manageable enough for a novice gardener to maintain. Remember to keep the bed’s width to a maximum of 4 feet so you can easily reach the center from either side without stepping into the bed, which can compact the soil. And remember that as tempting as it is to plant around trees, well-established trees might drink all your plant’s resources first and leave none for your new bed.
The next step is to prepare the ground. If you’re placing your garden bed over grass or a weedy area, you’ll need to clear the vegetation. One method is to lay down cardboard or several layers of newspaper, and top generously with organic material like leaves and mulch, which will decompose over time, on top of the cleared ground to smother any remaining weeds or grass. Don’t use pine straw here, it can change the pH of the soil. Leave this down for a few months to really kill the weeds and improve the soil before you begin. Afterward, you can begin building your bed with natural materials like wood, bricks, or stone. If wood is your material of choice, untreated cedar or redwood resists rot naturally. But you can use thrifted plates or branches that fall from your trees as garden edges. This doesn’t have to get expensive.
When it’s time to fill your garden bed, the soil you choose becomes the foundation for your success. A mix of topsoil, compost, and other organic matter will create a nutrient-rich environment for your plants to thrive. The compost is especially crucial as it introduces beneficial microorganisms and helps with soil aeration and water retention.
With the bed built and filled, plotting out what you plant and where is the next critical step. If you’re growing vegetables, consider companion planting to maximize space and the plants’ ability to support each other’s growth. For example, tomatoes grow well near basil and onions but should be kept away from potatoes. For ornamental plants especially, think about how big the plant gets when it is fully grown, a four inch potted plant might get four feet wide over time. As you plant, be sure to give each seedling enough space to grow. Overcrowding can hinder growth and promote disease. Once everything is in the ground, another layer of mulch will help retain moisture and keep weeds at bay.
Remember that the first year is a learning experience. You’ll discover what works best in your space; what thrives and what doesn’t. Through trial and error, your garden bed will flourish, as will your skills and confidence as a gardener. And a plant in one corner of the bed might not do the same as the same exact variety in another corner of the bed. Don’t expect that it will look beautiful right away, plants take time to fill in and fill out. Creating your first garden bed is more than just a weekend project; it’s the start of a lifelong adventure in gardening if you invest time into it.
Feel free to swing by The Gathering Garden in Mount Gilead at the corner of W Allenton St and School St, if you want to discuss gardening with us, you can find out more about or workdays on our facebook page.
In these weekly columns, I will share the science of gardening and so many more interesting tidbits. Check back here every week for tailored Montgomery County garden advice, sharing our garden updates, and more.
Let’s grow together!
This article was originally published in the Montgomery Herald and is reused here with permission by Mary Poplin.