Digging In Preparing the Soil Before planting it’s important to prepare your soil If your soil is muddy give it a few days to dry out If it’s hard or dusty water it thoroughly and then wait a few days until it’s damp throughout Next pull out the weeds and cover your bed of soil with a layer of about 2 3 in 5 8 cm of finished finely sifted compost You can buy compost from your local garden nursery Use a fork or trowel to mix in the compost loosen the soil and break up dirt clods Finally use a rake to mound up the soil and even out the top Planting Seeds and Seedlings Seed packets seedling labels and gardening guides will tell you how to space plant and care for different seeds and seedlings Some seeds such as carrot seeds prefer to be planted directly in the soil Place them on top of the soil press them in to the depth they like and cover them gently with soil Other seeds such as tomato seeds prefer being planted indoors first Plant these seeds in containers filled with seed starting mix Transplant them into the garden once they’re about 4 in 10 cm tall and have some leaves growing To transplant a seedling dig a hole in your garden bed Gently remove the seedling from its container and place it in the hole with its roots below the ground and its stems and leaves above Fill the hole with soil and pat down lightly Watering Plants drink water through their roots Water each plant gently near the base Stop frequently to give the water time to soak in
Protecting the Harvest Here are some tips for protecting your plants from pests and diseases Add finished finely sifted compost to your soil By keeping our plants healthy and well fed we are preparing them to defend against pests and disease Create pest barriers such as wire mesh underneath the beds or row cover cloth or mesh over the beds Grow plant varieties that thrive in your area Ask local gardeners or garden nurseries for suggestions Handpick pests off plants If you see a plant that is full of pests remove the whole plant Water only when and where the garden needs it Fungus bacteria slugs and other pests love soggy areas Slugs and snails can be very harmful to seedlings Spray your plants with Homemade Insect Spray Rotate your crops If you planted tomatoes in a bed this year plant something else there next year This will keep the soil healthy and discourage the build up of pests and diseases Encourage beneficial insects to help control your pests with a Garden Helpers Bed Encourage beneficial wildlife by placing owl boxes and the like in your garden Planning for a Year Round Harvest By balancing fruit trees cool season annuals warm season annuals and perennials in your garden you can have thriving crops and flowers to enjoy for most of the year Annual plants grow produce seeds and die within a year e.g. broccoli lettuce sweet corn and tomatoes Perennial plants can live for two or more years e.g. herbs and berries such as rosemary and blackberries
Hiking on an Ant Trail It’s time to imagine you’re a tiny ant What would a garden look like to you In this activity you will choose one spot in the garden and get to know every nook and cranny of it just as an ant might 30 minutes Any Season Outdoor EXPLORING THE GARDEN
Hiking on an Ant Trail LET’S GATHER piece of string about 3 ft 1 m long magnifying glass optional paper and pencil optional LET’S GET STARTED 1 Have a look around the garden for a place you really love and want to explore 2 Use your string to create a small trail something a tiny ant might follow You can place your string over changing terrain going up and over plants under fallen leaves or even in a patch of grass 3 Stand back and look down at your Ant Trail to see what it looks like through human eyes Search for plants animals shadows and so on 4 Now lie down on your belly next to one end of your string and imagine yourself shrinking to the size of an ant 5 Look at your Ant Trail again but this time look at it through an ant’s eyes It should seem enormous You probably can’t even see the end of it 6 Start following the trail through the eyes of an ant using a magnifying glass to help if you want What do you see and feel Is anything in the way Are there cold or warm spots Damp or dry spots What animals do you see What are they doing Do you see any animal homes Do you see any food Where might you make your own ant home 7 Gently lift stones and twigs that you come across What do you find under them Tip When you’ve finished you can write a story or draw a picture of your journey along the Ant Trail
