How To Create A Low Cost Summer Garden

Many of us look forward to the summer months for a variety of different reasons. Perhaps it's the time you take a good, long vacation or the kids look ahead to lazy days playing in the sun and, still, others look forward to digging in the dirt and starting a summer garden. Whatever the reason, it is a time to enjoy and have fun.
Maybe this summer you are thinking about starting a vegetable or flower garden. Gardening, in many respects, can be very rewarding. However, it can also become an expensive hobby without proper planning and preparation. When you get your garden plan together, it should also include a budget. Decide on the type of garden you want, the kinds of vegetables or flowers you want to plant, what type of products you'll use to enhance your soil, any other garden products, and how much you will spend on these items.
Without understanding and planning for these things, you might find yourself spending more money than you anticipated. This, sometimes may take out the joy and fun of creating the beautiful garden you envisioned. There are, however, things you can do to cut back on the cost of a garden without sacrificing the beauty and design of your garden.
1. Check out local native plants. Buy plants that are cultivated for your area and your climate. These will cut costs to your overall budget. Non-native plants can incur extra costs due to specialized maintenance and care. Of course, if you absolutely must have one or two non-native plants, by all means add them to your garden. Just remember the more native plants you incorporate into your garden, the more lush, green, and dense your garden will look for a longer period of time.
2. Try out second hand garden tools. Classified ads are a good source for locating garden tools that are in good condition. Many people wanting to replace their tools and wanting to upgrade find it convenient to dispose of them through the classifieds. Whatever the reason, a bargain allways makes good sense. Afterall, you'll use them to play in the dirt, so why not save yourself some money.
3. Mulching is a time and money saver. Mulch holds moisture in better than soil alone. Your need for watering is less. Using mulch also eliminates bothersome weeds, therefore, less time spent pulling weeds. The exception might be that there are some people who enjoy pulling weeds!
4. Search the classifieds for free plants. Classified ads can sometimes be a good source for finding free plants. Families moving out of town or out of state may not have the space for extras like plants and will place an ad give away these plants. Another good source is your neighborhood news boards. Families in neighborhoods that are may be moving will utilize this method to find good homes for their plants.

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Landscaping Your Summer Garden

As you plan your summer vegetable or flower garden, it is important to keep in mind to work with the natural flow of your landscape or terrain rather than against it. Many a novice gardener will painstakingly try to change the natural landscape of their lawn or planting area only to be dissapointed. Plan your vegetable, flower, or fruit gardens to flow with the natural landscape.

To find the natural flow of your garden area or lawn, it will take a few steps to accomplish this. First thing to do is to survey your lawn, not just visually, but to walk the enire terrain. Study the slopes and inclines, measure the area, and make notes of your findings. Be sure to makes notes on the condition of the soil, any drainage problems, direct or indirect sunlight, and any other information that will help youdecide which area of your lawn would be best for your summer garden. If you find areas that may not be hospitable to plants or a vegetable or flower garden, you might consider turning this area into a water feature or any other creative, decorative addition to your lawn.

When you have decided on the area for your summer garden, determine whether it gets direct or indirect sunlight. For direct sunlight, you may need to create shade for those plants. Try planting these in the shade of shrubs, taller growing vegetables, or even using rocks to create some shade. Using artificial shade works well too such as climbing vines on trellises or planting in the shade provided by your privacy fence.

Once you become familiar with the flow of your lawn, you can begin to plan for the type of vegetables, flowers, fruits, or other greenery you desire in your garden. Vegetables are probably the easiest to landscape, because they're planted for their harvest rather than their beauty. Flower gardens, on the other hand, are planted to achieve beauty and add color to your landscape. During this planning stage, it is a good idea to decide if you want a certain color scheme, certain types of flowers, or a combination. This is a personal decision, but it will have a huge impact on the overall appearance of your garden and lawn.
Another point to consider in landscaping your summer garden, is how much time and effort you're willing to spend on taking care of your garden. Some plants require more maintenance and care than others, sodo your homework on the types of plants you want to use in your garden.Vegetable gardens require more constant attention than the flower or plant garden. They will not flourish or survive long without regular care.

If you feel that you don't have the time needed to maintain your gardens or lawn or you simply don't know how to landscape your summer gardens, consider hiring a professional landscaping company. They can provide almost any service you need for your lawn. Before you hire outside help, check into their maintenance program and find out the details of their maintenance services. You could also ask to see if they provide a low maintenance landscaping service that you could duplicate on your own.

Landscaping, for many gardeners, is what they most look forward to when the planning stage of their summer gardens begin. But for others, it may be the step they would rather skip and move on to the planting phase of the growing season. Which ever the case, the hope is that the tips and recommendations provided here will be useful and help you get started landscaping your summer gardens.

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