A garden is a personal dream comes true for many. With a bit of careful planning, you also can be the proud owner of a prized garden. But knowing where to make the garden as well as how to prepare the soil for plantation is important before you start buying the seeds and starting your gardening venture.
One of the first decisions you have to take before you start designing a garden is the location or spot where you can make your dream come true. If you do not have much choice in the matter and have to make do with whatever little space you have, then settle for a box garden – after all, something is better than nothing at all.
Let us take a hypothetical situation where you are allowed to choose a space to make your garden. Which one would you go for and why? The best sight for a garden is where there is plenty of sunlight. Consider sunlight to be the single most important factor while selecting a site for your garden. No one in his right mind would choose a northern corner for his garden, unless there is come kind of compulsion. While the north corner is good for growing ferns, certain wild flowers, and begonias, it is hardly the place to grow a proper garden.
The idea spot would be one with an exposure to the south. The land here basks in the glow of the sun all through the day. Once you have finalized the site, remember to plant the rows of vegetables and flowers which run from the north to the south., this way, they get the eastern sunlight during the morning hours and the evenings are aglow with the setting sun of the west. No lopsided plants are recommended with such an arrangement.
In case the site which you have chosen faces the southeast, you have to plant the rows which run from northwest to southeast as the western sun is out of the problem.
The whole idea is not only to get the sunlight as evenly distributed, but also for the longest period of time. If you have seen the poor growth patterns of window plants, you can imagine the effect of poor sunlight on plants. So if you wish one side of your plants to receive sunlight for a part of the day and the other side to receive during the balance of the day, you can actually juggle with the design for your garden. The southern exposure for the garden is perfect as sun would then provide sunlight to half the garden during some hours and the other half till it sets. The northern exposure on the other hand is bad for the garden as it then hardly gets any sunlight. Northeastern and southwestern corners invite only part of sunlight and can not evenly distribute the sunlight, however much you plan out your garden.
It is a good idea to draw out a garden on paper. This paper planning is a great help when buying seeds for plantation and arranging for their growth and development.
