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How do I start a garden?

I have nothing but a bunch of seeds. I want to have a vegetable garden. What tools do I need and how do I prepare the yard? I want to go as organic as possible. The inexpensive route too please.

Public Comments

1. You will need a shovel and a rake. Dig up a small area of ground, clean all the grass and weeds out. Smooth it out with the rake. Plant the seeds. You can add stuff to the soil to make it better - like cow manure, peat moss, fertilizer. Cow manure is very good for plants, acts like a fertilizer and is organic. Water your seeds regularly. Mulch -like straw or hay - helps the soil retain moisture and keeps the weeds under control. You can grow vegetables in large pots also.
2. check out the University of Arizona cooperative Extension/gardening page in addition to the advise of the first answer
3. Vegetable garden may take practice and your practice may span over several seasons. Do not become discouraged! Even one delicious homegrown tomato may make all of your work worthwhile. Organic gardening is the oldest method of cultivation, it's good for your family, and it's less expensive to do! Visit on http://www.agritura.com for various gardening tools.
4. October is not really a great time to plant, unless you live in Southern California or something. Starting a garden is cheap by definition. Dig (preferably double dig) a bed, and remove as much grass and weeds as you can while breaking up the soil and smoothing it out. If necessary, add compost or manure to improve the soil. Then plant according to the directions, weed, and water. As one of the other commenters said, it usually takes a few years to get it exactly right, but experiment, have fun, and don't give up! If you're interested in organic vegetable gardening, I highly recommend The Vegetable Gardener's Bible, by Ed Smith. It's a really excellent basic book. http://www.amazon.com/Vegetable-Gardeners-Bible-High-Yield-Gardening/dp/1580172121/ Virtually anything from Rodale Press is also a good bet,as is Square Foot Gardening. Other resources: http://www.organicgardening.com/ http://www.yougrowgirl.com/