Hello. Long post sorry. Well the background is I am a teenager almost 18
now you know the age . I know little of what I have read so far since I
know nothing about planting. Still I don't know much at all. I have a
little area in the back of my house, a yard. I want to garden do something
with that yard. It is a yard covered in grass in weeds we just cut it when
it gets high. So its not a nice grass lawn but just a common grassy spot
hehe. Regular crud. Problem is I don't know where to start. I know I have to
remove some grass I don't want to remove the whole thing I would get in
trouble with the folks. So I have to start with a small section.

I absolutely know nothing of terms I have read example mulch, spading, etc.
I just want to see if maybe some nice people may help me get started in a
small project in my yard. My budget is really small lol. Maybe some veggies
might be too tough. so there it is I do not know what to do and need
help.
AREA DESCRIPTION:
Its a small yard.
Seperated by a wooden fence but connected to the neighbors yard. Fence runs
above the dirt. So its like a big lawn that was constructed then divided by
a fence. But I have my share. Dont know if that matters.
Gets good sun out there. I am in South Florida. The dirt in the yard is
black.

If anyone can help a complete beginner I would really appreciate it because
I would like to grow something and feel proud about it.

On 3/29/04 11:49 PM, in article
, "noone"
wrote:

Hello. Long post sorry. Well the background is I am a teenager almost 18
now you know the age . I know little of what I have read so far since I
know nothing about planting. Still I don't know much at all. I have a
little area in the back of my house, a yard. I want to garden do something
with that yard. It is a yard covered in grass in weeds we just cut it when
it gets high. So its not a nice grass lawn but just a common grassy spot
hehe. Regular crud. Problem is I don't know where to start. I know I have to
remove some grass I don't want to remove the whole thing I would get in
trouble with the folks. So I have to start with a small section.

I absolutely know nothing of terms I have read example mulch, spading, etc.
I just want to see if maybe some nice people may help me get started in a
small project in my yard. My budget is really small lol. Maybe some veggies
might be too tough. so there it is I do not know what to do and need
help.
AREA DESCRIPTION:
Its a small yard.
Seperated by a wooden fence but connected to the neighbors yard. Fence runs
above the dirt. So its like a big lawn that was constructed then divided by
a fence. But I have my share. Dont know if that matters.
Gets good sun out there. I am in South Florida. The dirt in the yard is
black.

If anyone can help a complete beginner I would really appreciate it because
I would like to grow something and feel proud about it.


First, find the local extension service and get the soil tested. They can
tell you what your soil needs and may be able to tell you what will grown
there.
Second, go to your local library and look at the books to see what you like
for styles - lush and tropical, cottage gardens, austere and Zen.
Third, for some instant gratification, go to the local nursery, find a large
pot, a bag or two of potting mix and something that attracts your eye in the
plant section.

Go home, fill the pot with the soil, transplant your plant into it, water
well. Settle back with the books and start reading and dreaming.

Let me know how it goes,
Cheryl

"noone" wrote in
:

Hello. Long post sorry. Well the background is I am a teenager almost
18 now you know the age . I know little of what I have read so far
since I know nothing about planting. Still I don't know much at all.
I have a little area in the back of my house, a yard. I want to
garden do something with that yard. It is a yard covered in grass in
weeds we just cut it when it gets high. So its not a nice grass lawn
but just a common grassy spot hehe. Regular crud. Problem is I don't
know where to start. I know I have to remove some grass I don't want
to remove the whole thing I would get in trouble with the folks. So I
have to start with a small section.

I absolutely know nothing of terms I have read example mulch, spading,
etc. I just want to see if maybe some nice people may help me get
started in a small project in my yard. My budget is really small lol.
Maybe some veggies
might be too tough. so there it is I do not know what to do and need
help.
AREA DESCRIPTION:
Its a small yard.
Seperated by a wooden fence but connected to the neighbors yard. Fence
runs above the dirt. So its like a big lawn that was constructed then
divided by a fence. But I have my share. Dont know if that matters.
Gets good sun out there. I am in South Florida. The dirt in the yard
is black.

If anyone can help a complete beginner I would really appreciate it
because I would like to grow something and feel proud about it.



To start on the cheap, buy a bag of topsoil (40lbs for $1) and a couple
of pots or just use any container with holes in the bottom. You might
want to mix in some sand or something for drainage. Grow something easy
like beans or peas. Have fun. Later, when you figure out what you are
doing, you can either grow more potted stuff (but this time use potting
mix that drains well) or tackle the small plot you have. Getting the soil
tested is probably a good idea, but personally I think you should enjoy
what you are doing first, learn from your mistakes, and if you want to be
serious later, you've have some fond memories to look back on.

If your bean and peas die on you, let that be a lesson, never take
gardening advice from someone named Salty Thumb.

"Salty Thumb" wrote in message
...
"noone" wrote in
:

Thanks for your help guys. I will go to the library on Saturday on grab some
books. Also I will look in my White Pages to see if I can find this local
"nursery" didn't know these things existed.
Thanks for your help a bunch. I will keep you guys posted over time to see
if my endeavor pays off. Thanks alot

"noone" wrote:

If anyone can help a complete beginner I would really appreciate it because
I would like to grow something and feel proud about it.

A real good resouce is put out by the Boy Scouts. It is the Gardening
Merit Badge Book. If you have a Scout shop in your area, they would
have it.

The cheapest and fastest way to get started is with seeds. However you
will have to prepare the soil. That involves digging it up, and pulling
out anything that has roots. It is a lot of work so think small. You
might get someone to help you. If you have a neighbor that has a nice
garden, ask them your questions. They may even give you some plants to
use, but they will certainly give you some good advice.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhody.html
Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhodybooks.html
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman

In article ,
"noone" wrote:

"Salty Thumb" wrote in message
...
"noone" wrote in
:

Thanks for your help guys. I will go to the library on Saturday on grab some
books. Also I will look in my White Pages to see if I can find this local
"nursery" didn't know these things existed.
Thanks for your help a bunch. I will keep you guys posted over time to see
if my endeavor pays off. Thanks alot

Don't forget to check with your neighbor's and extended family. I got
into gardening via my dad. Go to places like Longwood Gardens (Formal
gardens) with pen and paper in your area during early Spring, Spring
Early Summer ( You get the idea) ask questions . Good chance for a
picnic. Try to grow something that should not make it in your zone.
I'm trying to leave a Bay plant out on south side without protection.
Zone 5 Looks bad at the moment but the plant came from Washington
D.C. Worth a try.

Have fun!!

Bill

"Stephen M. Henning" wrote in message
news
"noone" wrote:

Thanks for that advice I was wondering on how to prepare the yard outside. I
cant believe I have to dig and just grab every root. hehe. I think I will
start small like in a pot and then pot it in the dirt. But I am gonna tear
up my yard so I can learn. I gotta pull a whole lot of a weeds and grass if
you wanna call it grass.
Thanks guys a bunch.

noone wrote:

start small like in a pot and then pot it in the dirt. But I am gonna tear
up my yard so I can learn. I gotta pull a whole lot of a weeds and grass if
you wanna call it grass.

Not so fast. When you're young and invincible, you can go around
tearing stuff up and double digging. As you get older, you'll learn
that you didn't really have to go to so much trouble.

What you want to do is start small. Mark off a small section of the
lawn using chalk powder, flour, a garden hose, etc. Pick a shape that
you find attractive. Unless you are doing something really formal, or a
vegetable garden, don't do straight lines - they tend to look artificial
- so go for curves.

Put down a bunch of newspaper (5-6 sheets thick) where you want your bed
to go in. Pile mulch on top of this, at least a couple of inches thick.
Mulch is nothing but shredded branches, and the county you live in
might give that stuff away for free as long as you are willing to haul
it. You can also find it at any garden center or places like Home Depot
and Lowes.

Wait a few months for the grass and weeds that have been smothered to
die back. Generally, what I do is to start next spring's bed this year,
and spend the time in between planning what I want to put in it, and
gathering ideas for arranging the plants so that they look good. Once
you are reasonably certain of having killed the lawn and weeds, poke
around in there to see what kind of soil you have. It can vary from
sandy to pure clay. You might even have good loam, which is every
gardener's dream.

Hopefully, by the time your bed is ready to be planted, you would've
gathered enough information to figure out what you want to put in the
bed. While you are waiting, read as many gardening books as you can.
Look through gardening magazines and collect ideas. You might find out
what sort of "look" you want, what color combinations you like, etc.
Also talk to the people at your local nursery to get their input on what
some good beginner plants are. Observe the spot where you want to
plant, and see how much sun/shade it gets during the day, how long it
takes the soil to dry after a good rain, etc. All these will help you
decide what you want to plant. When you've made up your mind on what
you want to plant, you can always come back and

If you want instant gratification, go with pots, as others have
suggested. You can develop your eye for combining different shapes,
textures and colors without a whole lot of investment. You can arrange
the pots on top of your future planting area, to give yourself an idea
of what would look good/work well there.

No matter how your initial experiments go, don't give up. I'm sure that
all of us have killed quite a few plants by not giving them adequate
care, chooshing the wrong plant for the location, etc. You will have
some successes and some failures. That's all part of the learning
process.

Good luck and don't forget to have fun.
Suja

Thank YOU Thank You Thank you so much very informative I did not know
what mulch was but now I know, I thought it as some expenisive soil. hehe
This is really fun and I have not even grown anything yet so I am excited
for this and thank you all for your help. I can't wait to see what I can
grow.
"Suja" wrote in message
news:HBjac.26256$oH2.19820@lakeread01...
noone wrote:

start small like in a pot and then pot it in the dirt. But I am gonna
tear
up my yard so I can learn. I gotta pull a whole lot of a weeds and grass
if
you wanna call it grass.

Not so fast. When you're young and invincible, you can go around
tearing stuff up and double digging. As you get older, you'll learn
that you didn't really have to go to so much trouble.

What you want to do is start small. Mark off a small section of the
lawn using chalk powder, flour, a garden hose, etc. Pick a shape that
you find attractive. Unless you are doing something really formal, or a
vegetable garden, don't do straight lines - they tend to look artificial
- so go for curves.

Put down a bunch of newspaper (5-6 sheets thick) where you want your bed
to go in. Pile mulch on top of this, at least a couple of inches thick.
Mulch is nothing but shredded branches, and the county you live in
might give that stuff away for free as long as you are willing to haul
it. You can also find it at any garden center or places like Home Depot
and Lowes.

Wait a few months for the grass and weeds that have been smothered to
die back. Generally, what I do is to start next spring's bed this year,
and spend the time in between planning what I want to put in it, and
gathering ideas for arranging the plants so that they look good. Once
you are reasonably certain of having killed the lawn and weeds, poke
around in there to see what kind of soil you have. It can vary from
sandy to pure clay. You might even have good loam, which is every
gardener's dream.

Hopefully, by the time your bed is ready to be planted, you would've
gathered enough information to figure out what you want to put in the
bed. While you are waiting, read as many gardening books as you can.
Look through gardening magazines and collect ideas. You might find out
what sort of "look" you want, what color combinations you like, etc.
Also talk to the people at your local nursery to get their input on what
some good beginner plants are. Observe the spot where you want to
plant, and see how much sun/shade it gets during the day, how long it
takes the soil to dry after a good rain, etc. All these will help you
decide what you want to plant. When you've made up your mind on what
you want to plant, you can always come back and

If you want instant gratification, go with pots, as others have
suggested. You can develop your eye for combining different shapes,
textures and colors without a whole lot of investment. You can arrange
the pots on top of your future planting area, to give yourself an idea
of what would look good/work well there.

No matter how your initial experiments go, don't give up. I'm sure that
all of us have killed quite a few plants by not giving them adequate
care, chooshing the wrong plant for the location, etc. You will have
some successes and some failures. That's all part of the learning
process.

Good luck and don't forget to have fun.
Suja

Thank YOU Thank You Thank you so much very informative I did not know
what mulch was but now I know, I thought it as some expenisive soil. hehe
This is really fun and I have not even grown anything yet so I am excited
for this and thank you all for your help. I can't wait to see what I can
grow.
"Suja" wrote in message
news:HBjac.26256$oH2.19820@lakeread01...
noone wrote:

start small like in a pot and then pot it in the dirt. But I am gonna
tear
up my yard so I can learn. I gotta pull a whole lot of a weeds and grass
if
you wanna call it grass.

Not so fast. When you're young and invincible, you can go around
tearing stuff up and double digging. As you get older, you'll learn
that you didn't really have to go to so much trouble.

What you want to do is start small. Mark off a small section of the
lawn using chalk powder, flour, a garden hose, etc. Pick a shape that
you find attractive. Unless you are doing something really formal, or a
vegetable garden, don't do straight lines - they tend to look artificial
- so go for curves.

Put down a bunch of newspaper (5-6 sheets thick) where you want your bed
to go in. Pile mulch on top of this, at least a couple of inches thick.
Mulch is nothing but shredded branches, and the county you live in
might give that stuff away for free as long as you are willing to haul
it. You can also find it at any garden center or places like Home Depot
and Lowes.

Wait a few months for the grass and weeds that have been smothered to
die back. Generally, what I do is to start next spring's bed this year,
and spend the time in between planning what I want to put in it, and
gathering ideas for arranging the plants so that they look good. Once
you are reasonably certain of having killed the lawn and weeds, poke
around in there to see what kind of soil you have. It can vary from
sandy to pure clay. You might even have good loam, which is every
gardener's dream.

Hopefully, by the time your bed is ready to be planted, you would've
gathered enough information to figure out what you want to put in the
bed. While you are waiting, read as many gardening books as you can.
Look through gardening magazines and collect ideas. You might find out
what sort of "look" you want, what color combinations you like, etc.
Also talk to the people at your local nursery to get their input on what
some good beginner plants are. Observe the spot where you want to
plant, and see how much sun/shade it gets during the day, how long it
takes the soil to dry after a good rain, etc. All these will help you
decide what you want to plant. When you've made up your mind on what
you want to plant, you can always come back and

If you want instant gratification, go with pots, as others have
suggested. You can develop your eye for combining different shapes,
textures and colors without a whole lot of investment. You can arrange
the pots on top of your future planting area, to give yourself an idea
of what would look good/work well there.

No matter how your initial experiments go, don't give up. I'm sure that
all of us have killed quite a few plants by not giving them adequate
care, chooshing the wrong plant for the location, etc. You will have
some successes and some failures. That's all part of the learning
process.

Good luck and don't forget to have fun.
Suja

noone wrote:
Thank YOU Thank You Thank you so much very informative I did not know
what mulch was but now I know, I thought it as some expenisive soil. hehe

I need to clarify a bit. Technically, mulch is whatever you use on top
of your bed to keep the weeds down and conserve soil moisture.
Wood/Bark mulch is shredded trees. People sometimes use other material
like cocoa hull and even gravel and stones for the same purpose.

Suja

noone wrote:
Thank YOU Thank You Thank you so much very informative I did not know
what mulch was but now I know, I thought it as some expenisive soil. hehe

I need to clarify a bit. Technically, mulch is whatever you use on top
of your bed to keep the weeds down and conserve soil moisture.
Wood/Bark mulch is shredded trees. People sometimes use other material
like cocoa hull and even gravel and stones for the same purpose.

Suja

On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 23:49:13 -0500, "noone" wrote:

Hello. Long post sorry. Well the background is I am a teenager almost 18
now you know the age . I know little of what I have read so far since I
know nothing about planting. Still I don't know much at all. I have a
little area in the back of my house, a yard. I want to garden do something
with that yard. It is a yard covered in grass in weeds we just cut it when
it gets high. So its not a nice grass lawn but just a common grassy spot
hehe. Regular crud. Problem is I don't know where to start. I know I have to
remove some grass I don't want to remove the whole thing I would get in
trouble with the folks. So I have to start with a small section.

I absolutely know nothing of terms I have read example mulch, spading, etc.
I just want to see if maybe some nice people may help me get started in a
small project in my yard. My budget is really small lol. Maybe some veggies
might be too tough. so there it is I do not know what to do and need
help.
AREA DESCRIPTION:
Its a small yard.
Seperated by a wooden fence but connected to the neighbors yard. Fence runs
above the dirt. So its like a big lawn that was constructed then divided by
a fence. But I have my share. Dont know if that matters.
Gets good sun out there. I am in South Florida. The dirt in the yard is
black.

If anyone can help a complete beginner I would really appreciate it because
I would like to grow something and feel proud about it.


Are there gardens of the type you'd like to grow that you've seen
around? One thing about gardeners, we're talking the people who do
the gardening themselves.. not someone who hires a landscape company,
they're usually willing to talk with folks about their garden and
gardening experience. So, if you have seen some gardens around that
you like, talk to the folks. If they're outside stop by and say I've
admired your yard for some time now, and I want to learn how to do
these things, have you any pointers?

If you talk with several people, you'll likely get some good advice
that applies to your situation, because they live and garden where you
live and want to garden.

I've seen most of the general suggestions I'd have .. but I haven't
seen you mention the *size* of the area you have to work with. That
makes a great deal of difference in what I'd recommend as what I'd
suggest for a 10 x 10 or 5 x 20 garden is much different than what I'd
suggest for a 60 x 100 foot garden.

So, measure the area you want to work with. Keep track of the sun
patterns on that area when you can, what time does the sun hit it,
what time does it leave it? If there is shade, where and how much?

What do you want to grow? Food, or ornamentals? Herbs? etc?

I started working on our yard when I was 14 because I was bored, and I
asked if I could plant a vegetable garden, and my dad not only said
yes, he thought it was a good idea, and he started digging and
actually kind of took it over, but we had a large garden that year,
and we grew a lot of food, which we needed as we were pretty much
broke. Mom and dad canned a lot of green beans, mom made pickles,
pickled beets, froze corn, peas, canned tomatoes, made relish, chili
sauce.. like the stuff you've perhaps tasted..it's sold near catsup,
red like catsup, but a little different seasoning. Not "hot".

Dad pretty much had a garden everywhere he lived after that except for
2 or so years we lived in a large city and didn't have a place to
garden. But after we left there he had a garden every year up to his
death at 94. He made raised beds part of the time, part of the time
just slightly mounded beds. He mowed lawns in the summer .. all this
after he was 62 .. and he hauled home literally TONS of grass
clippings and put them on the garden beds as mulch, and turned them
under at the end of the year. Put the overflow into compost bins.

So, get your tape measure, some scraps of wood to use for stakes.
Even tree trimmings, anything you can use to pound into the ground,
pieces of angle iron.. but make sure you can SEE any metal well..
spray paint it orange! If you have some string or twine take that
with you. Determine what your family will allow you to use, measure
it out, write it down and pound a stake at the starting point, to the
next corner, or edge, and then to the next and so on. Take the string
and wrap that around all the stakes around the edges. That makes it
easier to visualize, as well as a guide to where to start digging.

If you have a lot of long grass.. you could either mow it very very
short.. or.. leave it long, and take a shovel or better if you have
one, a spading fork .. sink the digging implement of you choice into
the ground and tip it bad a bit to loosed the soil enough to be able
to take hold of the long grass.. and pull it out of the loosened soil.
The spading fork really works best for this, but experiment with it,
figure out how deep to dig and how far to rock back on the shovel/fork
handle that it will just loosen the soil enough to let you get that
grass out without it breaking off in your hand too much.. as that
won't get the roots out and it'll just come up again right away.

If all this is just way too daunting for you, and you aren't averse
to it .. you could mow the area like usual, around 3" long, then do
your measuring and staking, water the ground well if needs be .. if it
doesn't rain enough, and then get some roundup, spray the grass &
weeds within the area you can garden in, and it's supposed to let you
see where you've sprayed in 24 hours time, and it should kill most of
it within a week or 10 days. You can spot spray or dig what's left.

After that, just keep the area cleaned of weeds by hand weeding means,
hoeing, mulching. You can use the trimmings from the rest of the
yard, ..cutting it more often will keep weed seeds out of it.. to
mulch and/or use to make compost for next year too.

You can lay down newspapers on newly dug ground to keep seedlings from
sprouting and taking over. If you are going to put out started
plants, just cover the area with several thicknesses of newspaper, wet
down, and then cut an X through it to put your plants out and then
cover around . If you're wanting to seed, do so, then put the paper
on ether side of the areas you seed. I'd recommend a 2 or 3 foot wide
bed to plant in rather than rows...if growing veggies. Starting a few
lettuce seeds every week and setting them out as transplants is MUCH
better than seeding it into a row where it will just attract slugs.

Half whiskey barrel planters are good too for other areas to spread
out. Drill a hole or several .. in the bottoms before filling with a
potting mix you buy or make with dirt/peatmoss/bag composted
manure/sand mixed to make a light mix.

I'll shaddup now. ;-) Walk around, look for gardens, talk to
gardeners in your area.. you'll gather a wealth of knowledge, and
perhaps some starts of plants for your garden! And could be some new
good friends that could last for many years to come!

Janice

noone wrote:

Hello. Long post sorry. Well the background is I am a teenager almost 18
now you know the age . I know little of what I have read so far since I
know nothing about planting. Still I don't know much at all. I have a
little area in the back of my house, a yard. I want to garden do something
with that yard. It is a yard covered in grass in weeds we just cut it when
it gets high. So its not a nice grass lawn but just a common grassy spot
hehe. Regular crud. Problem is I don't know where to start. I know I have to
remove some grass I don't want to remove the whole thing I would get in
trouble with the folks. So I have to start with a small section.

I absolutely know nothing of terms I have read example mulch, spading, etc.
I just want to see if maybe some nice people may help me get started in a
small project in my yard. My budget is really small lol. Maybe some veggies
might be too tough. so there it is I do not know what to do and need
help.
AREA DESCRIPTION:
Its a small yard.
Seperated by a wooden fence but connected to the neighbors yard. Fence runs
above the dirt. So its like a big lawn that was constructed then divided by
a fence. But I have my share. Dont know if that matters.
Gets good sun out there. I am in South Florida. The dirt in the yard is
black.

If anyone can help a complete beginner I would really appreciate it because
I would like to grow something and feel proud about it.

Good advice from people here and never too young to start... There are
some of us young uns about (I'm only in my 20's

Note what people say.. Start small, read a lot,.. TALK to other people.
Don't be put of by what is 'seen' (a lot of the time) a pursuit of the
older generation. (It isn't but some people erceive it that way)
Gardening or ' Horticulture' to give it its technical title is for
everyone

Look at other peoples gardens /Yards (Note: US/UK term.. Yard = 'Garden'
in UK, more or less) We ususally use 'Yard' to refer to industrial
settings as in 'Builders Yard' )

Gardeners are ususally, pretty friendly and will give you tips, advice,
experience, as well as plants (if they have excess)..

Look about at your neighbours gardens and see what is DOING well.. if
there is something that appears to do well in your local area, then give
it a go and use it to learn with.. Chances are if it does well ya won;t
kill easily it by ignorance

Personally I like to grow stuff that is both ornamental AND USEFUL so I
grow things like cherry tomatoes, chillies, courgettes (zuchini) and
bits of more exotic stuff like tomatilloes.. However I also like
wildlife so plant stuff to attract birds, insects (the nice ones) etc
which benefit everyone. Herbs are fun, AND save ya money on buying
them..

Get to know your weeds. A plant is only a weed when *you* don't want
it there

Have fun, and remember.. There are NO Stupid questions

Jim
North London, England, UK

This is what I would do ....

Mark off the area you are thinking of planting in - take a hose or something
like that and get an idea of the outline of the plant bed. Feel free to
start small. Then, after you know where you want your plants, take a shovel
and mark out what you outlined w/the hose, know what I mean? Basically, dig
out an edge for your new flower bed. Then, dig out everything in the middle
of that, down about 6 or 8 inches, save the soil (in a wheel barrow or
something) and mix some other soil in w/it that you can get at a garden
center, maybe some top soil or soil w/some nutrients in it, like miracle gro
stuff. Also, you'll want some inexpensive edging to keep the grass from
growing back into your flower bed. You can buy rolls of it at Walmart and
the like, it's simple to use, stick it around the edge of your bed, and put
the dirt back in that you dug out. Voila, plant bed. Magazines, books,
etc., all have very useful plans and ideas and tips for starting from
scratch.

Now you have to figure out what to plant. This is where your local nursery,
a neighbor, parent, sibling, etc., can help. Are your mom or dad into
gardening? If you have a neighbor w/a flower garden, even if they are a few
streets over, go talk to them, introduce yourself, there's almost nothing a
gardener likes better than to talk plants and show some tricks to, and even
share plants that they've run out of room for. mmmmm, free plants! :-)
Also, lots of times there are local gardening clubs that have plant swaps,
etc.

Try to find plants that you like, put tall ones toward the back, shorter
ones toward the front. Look at the ID tags that come w/plants to see how
tall they grow, how far apart to plant, etc., if they need full or part or
no sun, that way they don't just fry or shrivel. Also, seeds may be the
less expensive way to start, but I like faster results myself ... buying
small plants at nurseries yields instant results and nowadays they're
inexpensive. Also, try to ask about pests that attack plants, if they're
easy to care for or require more work, etc., and if you're ever talking to
someone at a garden center that doesn't seem to know their butt from their
elbow, then go somewhere else.

Don't worry about doing anything wrong - my mantra is "If it grows, it
grows".

Best of luck and welcome to the wonderful world of gardening - if you're
like most of us, you'll be running out of room for plants you buy or
inherit, lol.

LeeAnne


"noone" wrote in message
. ..
Hello. Long post sorry. Well the background is I am a teenager almost 18
now you know the age . I know little of what I have read so far since I
know nothing about planting. Still I don't know much at all. I have a
little area in the back of my house, a yard. I want to garden do
something
with that yard. It is a yard covered in grass in weeds we just cut it
when
it gets high. So its not a nice grass lawn but just a common grassy spot
hehe. Regular crud. Problem is I don't know where to start. I know I have
to
remove some grass I don't want to remove the whole thing I would get in
trouble with the folks. So I have to start with a small section.

I absolutely know nothing of terms I have read example mulch, spading,
etc.
I just want to see if maybe some nice people may help me get started in a
small project in my yard. My budget is really small lol. Maybe some
veggies
might be too tough. so there it is I do not know what to do and need
help.
AREA DESCRIPTION:
Its a small yard.
Seperated by a wooden fence but connected to the neighbors yard. Fence
runs
above the dirt. So its like a big lawn that was constructed then divided
by
a fence. But I have my share. Dont know if that matters.
Gets good sun out there. I am in South Florida. The dirt in the yard is
black.

If anyone can help a complete beginner I would really appreciate it
because
I would like to grow something and feel proud about it.