Planning is one of the most important parts of gardening. Whether you're planting a flower garden or a vegetable garden. We would all love to have the gardens we see in magazines but one must consider all the planning and work involved with bring those gardens into existence.

When planning any type of garden there are a few things to take into consideration. Space, experience and time are just a few. Perhaps you plan a large garden but you work full time and have a ton of activities on the side, believe me when I tell you the garden will suffer. Thus this may not be the best option.

If you want a garden but live in an area with very little room, maybe a container garden is the answer. When planning a container garden do your research of how to care for the plants you have chosen. Buy containers big enough to allow your plants to grow. Take into account the amount of sun needed for your plants and the best plants for your region. Just because you have very little room doesn't mean you can't have the joy of gardening.

Bigger gardens take a lot of time and work. Be sure to figure in time for preparing the ground. This involves turning over the ground (tilling). Then there is fertilizing. Read the instructions carefully on commercial products. We use natural fertilizer such as horse or rabbit manure. Since we live in town we have to carry then manure from nearby farms. It's a smelly job but the benefits are worth it.

Once the space and ground is figured out turn your attention to the types and number of plants you want to grow. A few questions to ask are:

1. Do you want to grow them from seed? Some plants grow easily from seed while others are easier to grow from established seedlings.

2. What will grow in the type of soil you have available? The acidity of the soil or living in an area that has poor soils maybe a factor in deciding what you decide to grow.

3. How much do you want to grow? Planning what you will do with the excess from your garden such as canning, freezing or sharing your crop is important, as you wouldn't want to waste what you've grown.

4. Are you getting in over your head? Scale back your garden if you think it will be too much to take care of by yourself. Instead of a large amount of plants start with a few of each variety. Enthusiasm is great but the reality is when planting a garden that is too large can be a second job.

Gather your tools you'll need for your gardening.

Tillers:

To prepare a garden

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