How to Start a New Garden Bed
A new bed succeeds or fails on its site and soil. Spend most of your effort there, and planting becomes the easy part.
1. Choose the site
Watch the light before you dig. Vegetables, herbs and most flowers need six to eight hours of direct sun. See light levels explained for how to measure it.
Also look for:
- Drainage. Avoid spots where puddles remain a day after rain.
- Water. A bed within reach of a hose gets watered. One at the far end of the yard often does not.
- Distance from large trees, whose roots compete for water and nutrients.
2. Decide the size and shape
Keep beds no more than 4 ft (1.2 m) wide so you can reach the middle from either side without stepping on the soil. A bed 4 × 8 ft is a good first size. A small, well-kept bed produces more than a large, neglected one.
3. Clear the ground
The no-dig method is the easiest, and it is best started in fall for spring planting. Mow the grass short. Cover it with overlapping sheets of plain cardboard, soak them, and spread 4 to 6 in (10–15 cm) of compost on top. The grass dies underneath, worms pull the organic matter down, and you plant directly into the compost.
The digging method is for planting right away. Slice off the turf with a flat spade, shake the soil from the roots, and compost the turf upside down. Loosen the soil to a spade's depth with a garden fork and remove roots and stones.
4. Improve the soil
Almost every soil benefits from organic matter. Spread 2 to 3 in (5–8 cm) of compost over the bed and work it into the top 6 to 8 in (15–20 cm). On a no-dig bed, leave it on the surface.
- Clay soil drains slowly and compacts. Compost opens it up. Never work clay when it is wet.
- Sandy soil drains fast and holds few nutrients. Compost helps it retain both.
A soil test tells you the pH. Most garden plants grow best between 6.0 and 7.0. Add lime to raise the pH or sulfur to lower it, following the test recommendations.
Our soil and mulch calculator works out how many bags or cubic yards you need.
5. Plan before you plant
- Put tall plants on the north side so they do not shade shorter ones.
- Check the mature spread of each plant and space accordingly. Crowded plants compete and suffer more disease.
- Group plants with similar water needs.
- Check each plant's hardiness zone before buying perennials and shrubs.
6. Plant
Plant on a cloudy day or in the evening. Dig a hole as deep as the root ball and twice as wide. Loosen circling roots, set the plant at the same depth as it grew in the pot, firm the soil and water well. Tomatoes are the exception and are planted deeper. For seeds, follow the depth on the packet. A common guide is two to three times the width of the seed.
7. Mulch
Spread 2 to 3 in (5–8 cm) of shredded bark, straw or leaf mold between the plants, keeping it off the stems. Mulch suppresses weeds, holds moisture and feeds the soil as it breaks down.
8. Water and maintain
New plants need regular water for their first season. Aim for about 1 in (2.5 cm) a week from rain and watering combined. One or two deep soakings are better than a daily sprinkle. Pull weeds while they are small, and top up the compost and mulch each year.