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What do longer days, warmer weather, greener lawns, chirping birds, and blooming flowers all have in common? Spring has officially arrived! Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or brand new to the game, there is no better time to start your home garden and bring a little homegrown hospitality to your residence! Tyler Fisher, owner of Fisher Landscaping, is here to help us create a thriving home garden box in just eight simple steps.
Sense of Place
“Location is a huge part in creating a successful garden area,” Fischer emphasizes. Before following our steps below to create your own garden box at home, scout your yard for the best location for your garden’s optimal growth. “Sun exposure and, if possible, a protected area always create a bit more ease when having a garden.” Most plants thrive with at least eight hours of sunlight. Also, keep in mind our furry friends and mother nature! “Protection from the natural elements like wind and also from small animals like rabbits, squirrels, and even our own pets makes gardening much easier.”
Benefits of the trade
There are so many reasons why building a garden box is the best way to bring life, produce, and beauty to your yard this spring. “Garden boxes are a great way to create some family fun and a great way to bring food from the garden to table at your own home,” Fischer notes. Not to mention, building and cultivating your own garden box has three tangible benefits: less mess in your yard, a smaller amount of weeds in your garden, and fewer trips to the store for fresh produce!
Step 1: Choose your location. Pick a flat, sunny spot in your yard to build your garden box.
Step 2: Decide your size & height. “Consider the amount of time you want to garden and the number of items you want to fit.” For height, “A minimum of 18" in. and a maximum of 3 ft. in height makes it easier on our backs and creates ease when managing your plants.”
Step 3: Pick & Assemble your frame. “Timber or wood style boxes do a great job for a short period of time. Retaining wall frames give a much more permanent structure and hold up much better to our Colorado element throughout the seasons.”
Step 4: Add soil. Line the floor of your garden box with landscape fabric and “make sure that you have a nice garden mix topsoil that will have the proper nutrients for your plants.”
Step 5: Water! “Water is key for any garden to have success.” You can use either drip emitters, micro sprays, or spigots for irrigation.
Step 6: Set up a drainage system. Around the perimeter and inside the garden, use an aggregate base of 3-6", then a geotextile fabric on the aggregate, followed by the garden mix topsoil. This will allow water to percolate through the soil, so you don’t drown your plant!
Step 7: Choose & Plant your seeds! What you grow in your garden depends on your appetite. Just be sure that the produce you’re planting is in season to ensure a thriving garden and plant your seeds far enough apart for proper room to grow.
Step 8: Watch it grow. Be sure to check that your plants are receiving proper water, sunlight, and nutrients as they grow and weed your garden regularly.
