Getting Started with Basic Gardening Supplies

If you\'re just beginning your journey into gardening, you will have to lots of expense going out right at first, you\'ll need basic garden supplies in order to do the job and make it easy and fun.

Before you begin tilling the soil, buying the seeds, or even purchasing fertilizer, you need to take a look at your watering system. Basic garden supplies include a watering system that can make it convenient and easy for your plants to receive the moisture that they need. You can decide on a hose and a few sprinklers, or you can install an underground sprinkler system. It\'s up to you and your budget as to what type of water system is used for your garden, but this is one of the important parts of garden supplies. Without a good water source you may be packing buckets of water, and then your plants never seem to get quite enough.

Now you\'ve determined your water supply is going to be adequate, you need to decide on the size of your garden. If it\'s your first garden try not to go to large, but just choose four five different types of plants to grow, and then expand it the next year.

Now you want to take a look at your basic soil composition, if you\'re not familiar there will be master gardeners in your area that can help. Or, head to your County extension agency and see what they have to say about the soil in the area that you live. They may be able to test the soil for pH balance, mineral and nutrient value and a variety of other test. This is where you may need to start looking into fertilizers, but you need to know your soil composition first.

Once you determine the soil type and fertilizer and you can begin to look at plants and seeds you would like to have in your garden. In other words, choosing the plants before the soil is ready may have you choosing plants that won\'t grow well in your soil. This is why it\'s important to start with water and soil before you begin purchasing other types of gardening supplies.

Basic garden supplies are going to be needed before you even begin to plant. Make sure that your watering system is set up so it makes it easy for your plants to receive the moisture they\'re going to need to grow well. Make sure that you test your soil so you know what to add to it in order to make it an optimum growing situation. Then choose four or five different types of plants to grow in your garden if it\'s your first, then think about expanding as you get to know more about growing. You can find a variety of different garden supplies that may include seed, fertilizer, soil testing kits, garden sheds, as well as all of the gardening tools you may need at your home and garden store, or you can research them all online

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Asheville-area Home & Garden calendar

Send items for the home and garden calendar to Nancy Sluder at Nsluder@Citizen-Times.com two weeks before the event. Or mail to Nancy Sluder, Asheville Citizen-Times, P.O. Box 2090, Asheville, NC 28802.