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Beginning Gardening

When I speak of gardening, I include an entire range of plants and landscape elements, as well as their combinations and possibilities.  If it grows on my plot of land, I consider it part of my garden.  My garden is not a yard.  A yard is a place for storing tools or junk or construction materials.  Contractors have yards.  Rental companies have yards.  Dogs have yards.  People have gardens.

A garden is one's own bit of land, a place to create a sense of home in the out-of-doors.  Eden.  Gardening requires labor, but it is never "just plain work."  It is an act of creation--the creation of something wonderful.  It is nurture and development, growth and encouragement.  I realize that most people have a more simplified view of a garden.  To many, it is just a fertile section of soil in which to grow vegetables, some flowers for cutting, and maybe a few herbs.  Even for that view of a garden, I have a deep and long-lived respect, rooted in the knowledge that in the desert Southwest, this type of garden requires the greatest amount of care and preparation. [--Kim Nelson in A Desert Gardener's Companion, pg 24. emphasis mine.]

• What You Need to Know

  • Type of soil you have

    • Clay

    • Sand

  • Average first frost and last frost dates

  • USDA hardiness zone (helpful)

  • Sunset zone (helpful)

  • What varieties do well in your area

  • Chill factor for your area

    • Number of hours below 45°

    • <400 hours for southern NV

  • For each variety you are going to plant:

    • When to sow seeds

    • When to plant seedlings

    • When to start seeds indoors

      • Usually a number of weeks before last frost date

• Things to decide

  • Where to plant your garden

    • Needs minimum of 6-8 hours of direct sunlight

    • Protected from winds

    • Kitchen & herb gardens are usually planted near the house for easy access

  • What you want to plant

  • Estimate of how much to plant

  • Watering setup

    • Have a different watering station for different watering needs

    • Separate lines for:

      • Lawn

      • Desert adapted & native plants

      • Annual flower beds

      • Herbs

      • Vegetable beds

      • Drought tolerant shrubs & ground covers

      • Deciduous fruit trees

• Gardening Journal

  • Calendars

  • Plans

  • Lists

• Catalogs