January Gardening For Beginners

I have been fascinated by flowers and gardening since I was little. My great grandmother used to have enormous flowerbeds and vegetable gardens; some of my fondest memories are of helping her with them. Now that I’m all grown up (24!) I want to reconnect with this lost love of mine. I am a designer and normally stay indoors and within 25ft of a computer at all times. I plan to break that bad habit and really give gardening my all this summer. Each month I will be writing a new installment of happenings in my garden. Hopefully it will inspire you as well, because if I can do it.. you can too!

While researching the various plants, flowers, and vegetables to see what I wanted to plant, I saw the interesting and creative uses for herbs. I fell in love with the idea of making my own potpourri, face masks and skin care creams, and herbal teas. Not to mention the vast culinary uses!

My plan is to grow mostly herbs in my garden and use them to make many fun crafts and foods. I will be posting all of the recipes that I find/use. (as well as the not-so-successful stories that I’m sure will happen) I will also be posting video and pictures along the way! I would LOVE it if our subscribers joined in the fun with their own garden images and stories. Leave us a comment (below) and let us know what you think! This is a little bit different than our normal posts here at the Bloomin’ Blog but we think it will be a lot of fun! Subscribe to our RSS or bookmark us for later by hitting CTRL+D. I can’t wait to see the garden in all it’s glory!

The winter weather in Northeast Arkansas, where I live, is still too cold to start any major changes to my garden just yet. Here is what’s going on so far:

Quick and Easy Cardboard Mulch

I have read a lot about cardboard mulching and began the process in late October. It is a great way to begin gardening with very little effort. Laying a layer of cardboard and mulch down before winter helps in many ways. (1) Kills all grass and weeds (2)Keeps the ground from freezing worms tend to migrate to the area (3) Enriches the soil

1. Lay down large sheets of cardboard over the area you plan to garden. Make sure the layers overlap to block out the sun and keep weeds from germinating.

2. Water the cardboard thoroughly.

3. Lay down a layer of mulch.

That’s it! At least I hope. It’s a bit of an experiment. I began this in October of last year and I am planning to test the soil regularly to see how this process works for me. I’ve read several positive articles on this process so I think it will have good results. I have also put old flowers on top of my mulch for extra nutrients.

Testing The Soil

Planning early can be a (plant) life saver! Most plants can grow in a variety of pH levels, however it’s a good idea to test your soil to know exactly what you’re working with. Test your soil now to see if it is ready to grow plants. The soil in our area contains a lot of clay which tends to be towards the acidic side. Clay is the most nutritious of the soil types (Sand, Silt, and Clay) but binds the roots of the plant with its density and keeps them from expanding their roots. By finding out your soil composition now you have time to correct this before its time to plant.

To test the soil, contact your local gardening center to find out where to get a soil testing kit in your area. Most of the time you can get one from them. Follow the instructions and send it in to your Cooperative Extension Service which will test your soil and send you a reading. The reading can be tricky so take it to your local garden center and let them help you. Because they are local gardeners too, they will know exactly what you need to correct your soil and have it ready for planting!

Garden Calendar

Now is a great time to fill out a garden calendar. It doesn’t have to be incredibly detailed but have all of your major events planned out. Our state extension service’s department of agriculture website has a wonderful monthly gardening calendar that lets you generally know what to do each month. Google can help find the something similar in your area. Use broad planning for now. Mark your calendar to buy your plants in March and plant early April or the appropriate dates for your zone. Just use a highlighter to remind yourself.

If you know what plants you are going to grow, look for instructions on when to plant and jot those down on your calendar. I plan on having my (mostly) detailed calendar done by next update. Stay tuned!

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What to expect next month

Soil test results and explanation

Video how-to on backyard compost creation

Detailed garden calendar example