Building and Planning Your Own Garden
Planning and building a new garden is surprisingly easy. You can adapt and change your garden based on the resources available to you. So whether you build a large vegetable garden or start small with a container garden, by following the basic gardening requirements, you'll be able to start your very own garden.
The Gardening Basics
THE BEST PUBLICATION - Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide
No matter which garden you pick, you will always need the following:
Water: Water availability will be absolutely necessary. How will you water your plants and where is the closest water source? Some gardens will need a small irrigation system or ease of access with a hose. Other small gardens can be easily maintained with a watering can. No matter which garden type you pick, think about how you'll get water for your plants.
Sun: Your plants will need a lot of sunlight - about six hours. When planning your garden, think about how the sun moves across the sky. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Additionally, the sun sits lower in the sky during the winter. Choose a location for your garden that will have plenty of sunlight, no matter what time of year.
Soil: Your garden will need strong, healthy soil. Whether you are building your own soil, purchasing soil, or growing in the ground. Always perform a soil test. Soil tests allow us to better understand our soil conditions, so we may fertilize or amend our soils appropriately.
How would you like to grow your food?
Traditional
Traditional in ground vegetable gardening, or convention gardening, is the most traditional garden method if you have lots of space.
Raised
Raised beds are the most common vegetable garden in Florida. The raised beds give gardeners better control over their soil conditions.
Container
Container gardening is perfect for anyone without the space for traditional or raised bed gardens. This is perfect for anybody with a patio or any other small space.
Edible Landscapes
Think differently about vegetable gardening with Edible Landscaping, or Foodscaping. This gardening style interplants edible plants into a traditional ornamental bed. Use the beauty of your edible plants to your advantage!