Back to basics

Get a handle on the fundamentals and you can ensure your garden will flourish and be easier to maintain

- KAREN BOOTH

Gardening success starts from the ground up. It’s about how well you prepare and condition the soil. The fertiliser you apply and the layer of mulch you spread. And it’s about how you water your plants, prevent and deal with pests, and a whole lot more. There are books, blogs, online guides and workshops galore that will take you through every aspect in great detail, but to give you an idea of what’s involved in preparing and then maintaining a healthy, flourishing garden, we take you through some of the basics.

KNOW YOUR SOIL

Understanding your soil and good soil preparation is the first step towards successful gardening. For a garden to thrive it requires fertile soil with adequate organic matter. Organic matter (sometimes referred to as humus) is decayed plant or animal remains.

While clay or heavy soils may have plenty of plant nutrients, they may have drainage and aeration problems in wet areas and are difficult to cultivate because they are sticky when wet and cake when dry. Lighter, sandy soils are easier to cultivate but they hold water and nutrients very badly. The ideal soil is “loam”, which falls between the two.

If you are on a new house site, it is likely the soil has been excavated to the subsoil and perhaps some of the topsoil has been removed. This means you will have to buy some fresh topsoil. Also consider buying topsoil if you have moved to a house where the garden has been neglected and the soil is in need of rejuvenation. You may have to remove a little of the old soil and you will have to incorporate the new soil carefully so as not to disturb the roots of existing plants.