How do you prepare a flower bed?

I don't know whether itis a bit late in the year but me and my family are planting flowers outside does anyone have any tips on preparing and maintaining the flower bed.

How do you prepare a flower bed?
No.
Reply:Very bright idea. Congratulations for entertaining a tedious chore. Nevertheless, it is worth all the trouble. But one thing I suggest never let children pluck the flowers at will. We do raise piggery (pen) for slaughtering the yield, but it should not be the case with flowerbeds in home fronts. These flowers are not for plucking and selling. So please put an armchair amidst the flowers and enjoy your creation, simultaneously keeping at arms length any mischievous predators who are on the prowl and I am telling you the same from experience.. Wish you all the best.
Reply:Rebel's answer is the simplest and most to the point of what I've seen so far.





It's not too late to start a garden! Go for it!





For gardens, you typically need to prepare the soil by tilling or spading and getting rid of any weeds or grass in the bed.





Then, mix in some organics.. compost, manure, etc. I like to recommend potting soil. Usually a layer 3 inches deep over the tilled soil Mix the potting mix in to the earth soil. Then level and plant your plants. Make sure you pick out plants that will do well in your garden. if the bed is in the sun, get sun loving plants.. if it's in the shade, choose shade varieties. they are marked on the plant ID tag as to what conditions they prefer.





Once you plant, it's a good idea to fertilize. I recommend for beginning gardeners that you use controlled release plant food like Osmocote.. you can buy it at wal-mart, even. sprinkle some around each plant.





After you plant, apply a layer of mulch 3" deep over the bare ground. Be sure you don't cover up the plants. Water it all in and watch it grow.





You'll need to water if it's dry and pull weeds if they come up.





Enjoy your flower bed.
Reply:Take all of the advice mentioned then make sure the plants you are planting are adapted for your area. some plants will not grow in certain ares due to climate . I would check with your local Agricultural department on that part . Also laying topsoil may not be the solution as some plants need to put their roots down deeper into the ground to thrive. some may not need topsoil but a sand mixture as well(such as Cacti)
Reply:first you have 2 check the ground temp. You don't want 2 plant n e thing b 4 the ground stays consistently above 50 degrees F (18 degrees C)





Then you want 2 losen the ground up a bit. It gets really compact during the winter.





After that, grab your seeds/pre grown plants %26amp; plant 'em up. Make sure u mix some potting soil in with the normal dirt when u put them in the ground though. It makes the transition a lot easier %26amp; gives them x-tra nutrients! U'll also want 2 water the hole u plant the stuff in before u put the plants in. it helps them get the water faster.





BEST OF LUCK! :-)
Reply:dig it,weed it,feed it,plant flowers,water them feed them,keep weed free voila.
Reply:Some flowers need a higher acid soil to have perfect color during their blooming period.
Reply:it is simple....sleep in a garden full of flowers...thats it!!
Reply:buy some flower blankets/duvets, some flower pillows, a nice headboard and bobs ya uncle
Reply:I am from the Northeast so, no, it is not too late up here, maybe a little tooo early. I have 5 flower beds. I mix in a few evergreens so the beds look good all year round. I mixed in nice top soil, with peet moss and a little manure (the kind you buy at a home supply store does not smell as bad) ALWAYS WEAR GLOVES WHEN MIXING SOIL... A little tip I put in some potting soil also as it makes things grow bigger and feeds a little better. Read all the packages of the flowers or bulbs you buy, the package will tell you when to plant and when to expect blooms. To help with the weed control, before planting spread the black plastic weed control landscaping fabric. It does not cost a lot and it is SOOO time saving rather than picking weeds all the time. Then cut a large x where you want to plant the flowers/schrubs and plant then put mulch all around the plants and water, water, water and feed with fertilizer. It sounds like a lot, but it really does not take that long, and the rewards are SOOO worth it. Also, a great family project. My 11 year old son loves to help and my daughter is only 8 months old and I have had her out in things already. Good luck and happy growing :-)
Reply:Dig it over and sprikel some generail ferlilzer on the top then hoe it in and you have a new flower bed
Reply:hi did the earth over get rid of any weeds and use manure feed or malch good luck
Reply:WHAT THEY SAID
Reply:first you need to measure the area you will be planting.





then you need to find out what type of bed you choose. do you wish a monotone color (all one color) or a variety of colors.


next is do you wish for a spring bloom, summer or a few blooms all thru the seasons.





after you have decided those answers you need to find out how you want the bed displayed.





is it against a fence or side of a building. if so you would generally place the tallest reaching plants in back and layer them to the shortest ones in the front.





if you have a circular bed that can be seen from all sides you would seed the inside tallest to the outside shortest.
Reply:dig some holes and put some seeds in depends on how u are going to plant them.
Reply:well if you live in minnesota right now, buy a space heater, for some reason we are having 30 degree weather
Reply:I just planted one myself. Maybe this will help. Pick location. I put up brick borders. I laid landscaping mesh down and put the brick borders on top of it around the edges to hold it down in the ground. This will help with the weeding. Then I filled it in with top soil, manure, and Miracle grow fertilizer. Then you plant your flowers about as deep as the roots spread out. Then water it. Also, a very great fertilizer is Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt). It tells you how much to use on the back of the bag. If you want them to come back, get annuals, do not buy perennials, they die and you'll have to buy more and replant. Ask them where ever you buy your flowers, which ones grow the best in full sunlight, partial sunlight, etc. If you try to plant a partial in full, it will die. Tulips, for example, only live about 3 weeks out of the year, so don't rely on them to give you season round colors. Do your research on how long they live, where they are best to plant, and if they will come back or not.





Hope this helps.
Reply:The first and formost thing is weed control,you dig and dig and dig you put out potting soil and fertilizer and then this polaurethane plastic and you cover that up then you cut holes in the plastic where you are going to put the plants then you put mulch over the plastic and you pray and pray and you pray.
Reply:The only tip I have is to buy those ready, just to water, roll out flower gardens. No mess, no fuss. Wahlah a garden.


GramSam


I see these in the magazines I receive. But you can probably find them any place where there is gardening envolved. You can buy these roll out gardens w/ a variety of flowers. All colors and species.
Reply:maybe try mulching with wood chips to keep weeds down and to keep moisture in.
Reply:Hi there. You can rent a rototiller to turn the soil and remove weeds and grass. Work in steer manure 3 inches worth. Pick a spot that gets at least 6 hours of sun a day. Space your plants as directed and keep the soil moist until they have taken hold. Watering will vary depending upon where you live. Consult your local nurseries. Someone there usually knows what's going on. Have a great garden. Pull weeds as needed.
Reply:Rototill the soil, add peat moss (plenty of it--it keeps the soil airy and the water gets to the plants more quickly--add fertilizer (hyponex is great and they have fertilizers for almost every project). Plant the flowers, sprinkle a granular weed control and mulch about 2 inches. You won't see a weed all summer. Make sure you get plants forsun gardens and plants for shade gardens, keep watered, but not too much. When the leaves look a little wilted, water. Feed with Miracle Gro every 10 days to 2 weeks. Your garden will be the envy of the neighborhood.
Reply:hey


plant flowers and veggies aroung april no it is not to late thais year get you some top soil and mix it with miricle grow or liquid miricle grow make you a mound of dirt and flaten the top out you might want to clear out all the grass around so that you dont have to many weeds next year and dig little holes and plant what ever you want to
Reply:Aerate the soil first by tilling, or any other manual method works. Generally to about 8 inches deep depending on how compact the soil already is. Some go as far as 1 1/2 feet in hard light colored nutrient deplete soil.


Look to see how dark the soil is. Darker indicates richness. Light and sandy soil needs sprucing up with manure or an aged compost (small amounts) of some sort.


Thick, hard, clayish soil first needs vermiculite or perlite to loosen and aid in water retention and aeration, then needs to be fed with manure or compost (small amounts).


Give the new soil a week or so to burn down its nutrient production process then plant the flowers of choice.


All that's left is weeding and watching for evidence (yellowing, wilting, rot) of some disease or crisis the plants are experiencing, adjusting light feedings of fertilizer and watering and pest control. Always use caution when tending your plants, it's better to under feed them than over feed. If you experience evidence they are lacking nutrition, you can always add a bit more next feeding, if you experience symptoms of over doing anything its usually too late for the average hobbyist.


Good Luck
Reply:Yeah! As a general rule you should dig it over first. If it hasn't been planted and fertilised lately then it s a good idea to use some fertiliser. Keep it watered during the dry spells and ask your local garden centre for help; and advice
Reply:Hello Dreamer!!


I do not know your age or if you have any equipment, but the first thing to do is TURN over the soil, mayber a neighbor has a rototiller!!) and remove large stones and weeds etc. Then, if you have any, turn in (shovel) animal manure. If possible you may want to check the PH. Kits are available from local garden shops and a very cheap, OR if you are a student, ask the science teacher for some advice and get some PH papers or a PH checking wand. Read books!! Good Luck


Respectfully,


Mr. Lindy
Reply:hi


mixture of top soil, manure and peat moss


about a pail of each
Reply:I have over 20 separate beds containing over 80 different perennials. The first thing is always soil preparation. You first need to dig it up and remove all the sod. You can not just put dirt on top of the sod as all the weeds will just grow through it. You need to cultivate the soil at least to a depth of 18 inches so that the roots have no problem reaching out with their tap roots. Then you take a good look at what you have for soil. You must decide what kind of soil you have and make amends for it. ex. If you have soil heavy with clay you will need to add a lot of organic material like peat, lawn clippings, compost, whatever you have or can find. I always buy the large bales of potting soil from the nursery and mix it with composted cow manure and peat and fill the dug out beds with that. Then you can begin the fun part of picking out what you are going to grow there. That should be carefully researched as some plants must have at least some shade and some like no shade. Some like all shade (hosta) and some like all sun. After you have made those decisions and have got them planted you then need to decide upon a mulch and put it all around but not touching your plants. I use bark mulch. It needs to be at least 5 or 6 inches deep if it is going to do it's job which is keeping the soil beneath moist and blocking out weeds. Without mulch you will be doing a whole lot of weeding. Remember to deadhead regularly and enjoy. Do not plant too close together as they will expand every year. You should have at least 18 inches or more between plantings and even then you will have to either keep them within the bounds you want them or transplant some to another area as they get older. You may find you need to move some which don't seem to be doing as well to another spot sometimes. You must feed preferably with an organic water soluble fertilizer as directed. Please do not use insecticide on your plants. Most of the insects are beneficial and you don't want to be filling your yard full of chemicals. Water when needed, mine need it every other day and some need it everyday. If you water too often it will encourage shallow roots and thus you will have to water more often as their roots will not reach down where they can find it on their own. Especially important with perennials as you want them to be able to mostly fend for themselves except for weeding and deadheading.The woman above has it wrong. Annuals need planting annually and perennials come back every year.
Reply:#1-Destroy every weed in sight


#2-Turn your dirt over


#3-Destroy every weed in sight


#4-Insert proper fertilizer into soil, mix it up


#5-Destroy every weed in sight


#6-Read instructions for the plants you are planting


#7-Destroy every weed in sight


#8-Smooth your planting bed out


#9-Destroy every weed in sight, pull the weed root out of the


ground, burn them


#10-Now put your seeds or baby plants in the ground


#11-Lock up your cats and dogs untill the summer is over
Reply:Break up the ground. Keep at this "Till" it's done.





Work day and night until you are just besod yourself.
Reply:First off, make certain you work a lot of cow manure or other mulch into the soil for maximum preparation. Plant flowers according to the direction re: your area of the country. Always plant flowers of the same kind/color in a triangular form, with several groupings of the same in the area for maximum beauty. It is also fun to put certain vegetable plants such as tomatoes in with your flower gardens for added dimension and interest. Fertilize with miracle-gro on a regular basis and enjoy!