Need a Gardening Guide

[George Hopson]

Thanks eackley

[eackley]

Hello, Mr. Hopson:
I see that you are In Lancaster, PA, in zip 175XX or 176XX. Depending on where you are, your last frost date is somewhere between April 11-30. So, there is still time to plan your garden.

The first step is to figure out where you want to plant. It needs to have full sun, not too far from your kitchen, and have access to water. Unless you are an experienced gardener, start out small. I started out with a 4x8 plot. The reason to start small is the gardening chores (weeding, watering, checking for bugs) in the summer may overwhelm you if you have a large plot.

Then make a list of what you want to grow and what will grow in Lancaster. No sense in growing radishes if no one will eat them. You can look at online seed catalogs or order printed catalogs online for ideas.

Third, decide what type of garden you want. Figure out if you have a lot of space, if you have a little space, if you live in a second-story apartment and need to use the balcony. I am a fan of square foot gardening, growing a lot of vegetables in small spaces, rather than traditional row gardens. You can also grow in raised beds, or containers.

Let me know when you have worked through this list so far, and we can go on.

--Eric