Written by: Darla Carlock, Class of 2023

Are you thinking about starting a garden and don’t know where to begin? I’ve been there more than once. The big question is where do you start? I have the hardest time with that question but I’m going to tell you about my process and maybe it will be helpful.

First, I like to figure out just where my garden is going to be and how much room I’m setting aside. Once I know where my garden will be located, I need to look at what kind of soil I have in that space.  The soil is going to influence how well the water will drain from the plants, among so many other things.

You can start off by just feeling your soil. When you put some in your hand, is it gritty like sand, loamy like flour, or is it sticky like clay? If I want to go a little deeper, I’ll do the clear jar test by filling a jar with a ratio of one part soil to three parts water and giving it a good shake. Out of the three major components of soil: sand, silt, and clay, sand is the densest and will mostly settle within one minute.  Silt will mostly settle within two hours and clay can take up to a few days. By measuring each layer I can determine what percentage of my soil is sand, silt, or clay. See the Colorado Master Gardener Garden Note #214 for a detailed explanation of this process. Knowing the texture of my soil will help me determine how much water will be needed during the growing season and what other issues may arise.

Soils here in Colorado are often very high in lime which indicates a very alkaline soil. If you’d like to check your own to see if your soils may benefit from the addition of more organic matter, you can do another simple test. Adding a splash of vinegar to a couple of tablespoons of soil can show the presence of lime.  If it foams, lime is present. A formal test would let me know if there are any other soil amendments I need to add or if I should consider raised beds. Colorado Master Gardener Garden Note #221 discusses soil tests and where to send your samples for analysis.

Now that I know where I want my garden, what kind of soil I have, and what, if any amendments I need to add, I can proceed to the next step which is prepping the garden area. Currently, I need to clear some vegetation.  Rather than going through the effort of digging it out, I like to cover the area with a layer or two of cardboard. I am planning on adding fresh topsoil to my garden area prior to planting so I will place cardboard down first to smother the Bermuda grass and weeds in the yard and then put the topsoil on top of the cardboard to plant in. Landscaping fabric is no longer recommended as it actually causes more problems and gives weed seeds a place to lodge and germinate. Cardboard, on the other hand, will break down over time and add to the organic matter in my garden soil plus, it’s readily available most of the time if I want to add more.

My next step is to figure out what plants I want and determine what their cultural needs will be. I only want to plant species that will thrive in the conditions that my garden space can offer. This means assessing how much sun, shade, water, and space is available and which of the plants I want will do well there.

I also know from experience that having a path or spacing in my garden is important to gather seeds, keep the area from getting overcrowded, and for water management.

For my edible garden area, I don’t need to know hardiness as much as germination and maturation timeframes. Plants like tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers, will need to be started indoors many weeks prior to being planted in the ground because they take more time to mature than other plants like radishes or carrots.

If I plan on saving seeds to plant next year, I’ll need to be aware of which plants cross-pollinate and keep them distant from one another or I’ll run the risk of getting seeds with very different characteristics next year. An example of this is if I were to plant sweet peppers too close to hot peppers. The seeds that I collect this fall could produce peppers with a different taste and appearance next year.

For my flower garden area, I’ll need to take hardiness zones into consideration to make sure that I know what will make it through our winters and what I’ll need to replant each year. I also don’t want to plant anything that requires high humidity here in southern Colorado.  I wouldn’t be able to keep up on the water requirement and the plants would never thrive. I know my roses like full sun and well-drained soil because if their roots stay wet, they are prone to rot, so I’ll plant them accordingly.

Another thing that comes to mind when planting a garden is how to protect the crops and plants.  Are the plants themselves pest resistant? Or do I need to help them out?  I must decide between planting trap plants (plants that pests like more than the plant I want to keep) or planting something to keep pests away.   Planting things that have a strong smell like dill, garlic or onions helps keep pests away from roses. I have been told that planting radish is a way to keep pests off edible plants.  Some pests will eat the radish leaf but leave the radish itself. And finally, I need to decide if I want to utilize netting or fencing to keep larger pests away.

Now that I have a detailed plan, I can start preparing my garden areas at any time. I will clear the areas I selected, and I can start physically making rows during warmer periods later this winter. The moisture from the melted snow will make digging easier without increasing water usage. By starting early, I will be able to conserve energy in setting up my garden, rather than waiting for spring and needing to spend more time all at once.

Finally, I also recommend creating a spreadsheet or starting a garden journal as your season begins. I use a spreadsheet to track how my plants did, spacing adjustments that need to be made, any fertilizer schedule adjustments, water adjustments that might need to be made, and a wish list of things to add.

I hope my process is helpful to you as you plan your own garden this year!