Lucky man... Bought a hous with a well composted plase to plant.

Turn the soil over very will, by hand or tiller, how doesn't matter as much
as getting the soil loosened up

there are several plants that grow wonderfully in shade. Some bloom ,
several don't.

Hosta's , Astilbe, ferns and many woodland wildflowers will do well there.
As well as impatiens , woodruff and several goundcovering plants

What you wil want to consider above all else, is matching your plants to
your winter hardiness zone... I belive Baltimore is zone 6, or possible
zone 7. this means that the average winter lowe is 10 deg F to 0 deg F with
occasional hard winter temps -10 deg.

you may also want to have your soil tested for any nutrient deficiencies.
you can do this by either purchasing a soil test kit any any home/garden
shop or nursery OR you can send a sample to your local USDA county extinsion
office. The first method is quicker and less expensive and generalized, the
second method will be slower, more expensive and detailed. I will guess
that the soil will probably be lacking in nitrogen (Due to the decompisition
of the wood mulch/chips).

the internet is great for digging up 'dirt' on garden supplies and such, but
the public library and booksellers are wonderful sources of garden research
materials

Have fun and don't forget to mulch!


"Ike Porter" wrote in message
...
I've lived at my current address for some time, and it's had a small
mulching setup that I've just torn down because it's turned into an
eyesore after being used for anything but mulching. I spred the dirt and
it's a nice dark brown and it strikes me that it'd be a good place for a
garden. It's situated under a deck, but there's plenty of room to move
around in there. I'm interested in finding out information on how to get
started. Do I have to do anything to treat the soil before I do anything?
Is it too late in the year to plant anything? What sorts of things can I
plant that will do well in low light? I live in Maryland just south of
Baltimore. What will I want to concider in planning the garden that I
won't know to think of? I'm not afraid of making mistakes, but I'd like to
get advice rather than just jumping into it. Thanks for any help! I've
done some web searching but can't seem to narrow it down enough to get
good information.

--Ike
--
brother ike
unix sysadmin
my thoughts alone