Have you been thinking about swapping some of your grass for a garden instead? Maybe a beautiful display of flowers or a functional vegetable and fruit garden. Gardens can transform a boring landscape into an adventure for your eyes to enjoy.
Once you commit to your garden project, there are a few items you should have like a soil test kit to see what your soil is lacking nutrient-wise. You will need tools to remove your grass. It also helps to supplement your soil. This will help grow the biggest and strongest plants.
Let’s look in detail at the 4 items you need to successfully turn your patch of grass into the lush garden of your dreams!
1) Pick Your Tools to Remove the Grass
Sod cutter, digging out with a shovel, solarizing
Before you can set up your garden you will need to remove your grass! Depending on the time you have before you want to start planting, there are a couple removal processes.
• Solarizing: If you are still in the winter season, or have at least several weeks before planting, solarizing is a great option. This is where you place plastic sheeting over the target area. The heat from the sun will eventually cook the roots of your grass and kill it.
• Sheet Mulching: If you have less time, but want a less manual removal method, sheet mulching is a great option. This is where you put a thick layer of cardboard or newspaper on top of your grass. Then you add a good healthy layer of soil on top of this. Once your new soil is set in place, you can start planting.
• Shovel Digging: If you want to remove the grass completely, it’s best to dig it out with its roots. This can be done with a common shovel you may already have around your house. Although a bit time-consuming, shovel digging is a great workout!
• Sod Cutter: The fastest way to remove your grass completely is to get a sod cutter. It cuts below the roots of your grass and into a nice strip. You can usually rent a sod cutter from your local hardware store.
2) Find Accurate Levels with a Soil Test Kit
Did you know the soil needs nutrients just like the human body does? Just like we do, soil can become depleted of its nutrients. Once this happens, it affects plant growth. Here are a few common nutrients a soil test kit will test for:
• Calcium
• Nitrogen
• Magnesium
• Potassium
• Copper
• Boron
• Sulfur
3) PH Control and Nutrients For Healthy Soil
Once you’ve used a soil test kit, you will know what your soil is lacking nutrient-wise. There are organic and natural nutrient supplements if you’re planting a vegetable and fruit garden. Giving your soil what it lacks will in turn give you hearty plants.
You can also get PH up or PH down if you find the PH level of your soil is off. Most plants like to stay around a 7 PH level, but a quick internet search will confirm what level you should have for the type of plants you want.
Here are some of the issues that can arise from an unbalanced PH level in your soil:
• Plants may struggle to gain access to certain nutrients and may also struggle to absorb nutrients
• Microorganisms in the soil can be disrupted which can lead to slower growth and less flower and vegetable yields
• Soil structure can become compacted with poor water filtration which can stress root growth
4) Garden Safe Pesticides and Herbicides
If you want to control pests in your garden you should have a pesticide and herbicide that are garden safe. Look for some that are organic and natural if you are planting a garden for food production. This way you know your food is safe.
In Conclusion
If you’re ready to pull the trigger on your garden, now you have the details of four items that will help you. You must have some sort of way to remove or kill the grass in the area for your garden. A soil test kit is also very helpful to learn what your soil is lacking. Then you can supplement with nutrients and balance out your soil’s PH levels. Now you’re ready for your plants!
