Shopping List:

• Organic Top Soil: You can buy this in bulk or in bags from a garden supply store. You can never have too much of this as soil is naturally "consumed" as a plant grows. When i went, i bought lots of damaged bags at half price. Even when i don't need soil i tend to stock pile this item.
  
• Flower & Vegetable Soil : This is also necessary to mix in with the top soil. It must look dark black and rich. The worse it smells the better. If not buy some manure to mix into it. Rich soil is VERY essential. It is well worth the investment.

• Organic Pesticide / insecticide: Many of the retailers on the side of this page carry this product and other products on this list.
• Organic Fertilizer / Food: My garden needs to be fed once every couple of weeks. My daughter spreads a small amount around the edge of each plant.
  
• Weed Prevention Mat: Usually comes in a black roll up to 6ft wide. (Sometimes more)

• Hand Shovel, Fork & Gloves. If you have kids, they appreciate tools in their size too!
  
• Raised bed materials: Most people do not need to create a raised bed. They are great if you want to prevent soil erosion. This is when soil is washed away by rain. I created one and i will be posting tips on how that went later.
• Container Gardening:
  
• Deep and wide Pots with drainage holes at the bottom. Plants vary with how much soil they need. So you'll need a variety, depending on what you want to grow. Salad greens, radishes, green onions, and herbs only need about five inches of soil to thrive. Tomatoes, beans, and cucumbers need 12-16 inches.
  
• Potting Soil. Be aware that this is different from top soil. Potting soil drains much better than top soil. A good tip if you need to give better drainage to your garden, is to mix in potting soil.
• Container gardens tend to dry out faster than the earth-bound variety. So be sure to water daily or even twice a day when it's really hot.

Is This Worth the Hassle?
At this point i got a little weary after i saw what it would take but here are some numbers for you to gloat about: You can harvest up to half a pound of vegetables for every square foot you plant on.
The average return on a home garden patch is $530 with a $70 average investment!

Search Charleston, SC Properties Online

Starting A Garden Anywhere

• The first thing to do is to make a list of what type of fruits or vegetables your family eats the most.

• The next thing is to establish your lifestyle: This helps determine how much time you have to devote to maintaining your garden. Include other people in your household: children partners etc. Talk to them about your intentions and the benefits of gardening. Let Farmophobes know that they need not cringe. Get them to do simple stuff like spray organic insecticides or water the garden if they rather not get their hands dirty. If your farmophobe is a kid, ignore their protests as the benefits will not be reaped until they see the end results.
• Kids have the most to gain both health wise, educationally and mere social consciousness. I know this because i have three two of which i battled with and one who simply joined our flow when it came to gardening.More importantly i am a working mom who has only been doing this for 2 years!
  
• Make a seasonal schedule e.g one that includes only the months in the season. Add the names of the participants. Define what each activity involves at the back so all the participant has to do is turn the sheet over and they know what to do when their "turn to tend" comes up.
• E.G Watering(W) could be described as: "Water and soak garden patch once weekly. Thyme & rosemary need not be soaked"
  

• Get an old plastic container and start stockpiling all your fruit and vegetable scraps only. Please do not add any dairy or flour based products.

• Choose a spot: Do you have ground space or container space? I do both because healthy eating is something that cannot be forced it is a slow process and a habit that is formed over time. Also having both is just more convenient.
• Sunshine is key so find a sunny spot.

• How Much Can You Spend? Spending more does not necessarily mean your garden will yield more; You must spend wisely initially to get a good yield hence the term you reap what you sow. Plan to spend the most on the soil and natural pest & weed prevention and of course organic fertilizers.
  

• The Quality of your soil is key: Fast draining rich soil is essential(not too much sand/clay). Organic nutrient rich top soil is a VERY important investment.
  

• Plant or Seeds? Seeds are great if you have time, kids or handle disappointment well.:-). For folks with kids, it is an invaluable learning process; Their little hands can feel the texture of the seeds, plant and watch the growing process. They can even photograph and keep a log. My 2nd & 5th grader aced this part of science recently just because of this learning experience. Also they learn the life skill involved with dealing with disappointment: Not every seed will sprout which is another disadvantage but seeds are by far the cheapest route. Later i will give you tips on which plants almost always sprout from seeds.

• Plants / Seedlings provide instant gratification if like me you don't have time or patience or you are a beginner. They cost more but the success rate is higher by far. The smaller the plant the better. Once you transplant it, the plant adapts and thrives better.

• My next entry I will introduce myself & the reasons that led me down this road...
  

Search Charleston, SC Properties Online

qkajhng8eu