How do I Prepare Flower Beds for Planting?
- 1). Design the size and shape of the bed to fit your landscape. Outline the area to be planted with paint or a hose. Choose plants that fit the light and soil conditions in your location.
- 2). Remove grass and weeds from the area. Dig or till the soil to loosen it. Remove large rocks and break up clumps of soil.
- 3). Create raised beds in areas with soggy soils or poor drainage.
- 4). Test the soil in your bed to determine the pH and nutrient levels in the soil, recommends the University of Connecticut Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory. Add limestone and fertilizers as recommended by your soil test.
- 5). Amend sandy soils with the addition of organic compost and other organic materials that hold water. Peat moss and leaf compost are the most often used materials to improve sandy soils.
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