Starting your garden

It is that time of the year again when the weather starts getting warm and thoughts turn to planting their gardens. You make all sorts of plans to grow all kinds of vegetables and flowers. Before you start though their are still a few questions that must be answered. Which Flowers and vegetables are best to grow grow in the area that I live in? This is always a good question since many people will just go out and start buying seeds or plants without considering if those will survive. There are several books, such as, Sunset that are a good start or websites, such as, that will tell you the planting zone and the best types of plants. Ok, now I know what plants for the zone I live but what is the best location in my garden? If your buying plants that have already been started they will often have the optimal growing conditions listed on their tags but if they aren't listed then you might try a gardening book since many of them will break down plants by growing conditions, such as, shade, sunlight, dry areas and what time of day the sun hits that area. Now that I have what I am going to plant and where to plant but how much space will I need? These are both great questions to consider. How much space you will need depends on how big the plant will get when it is fully grow. If you are buying plants that have already been started or seed packets they will usually give you a range on how big a plant will get and how far apart you should plant them. So, using that information you should be able to determine just how much space you will need in your garden. How should I arrange my plants in the garden? It is always a good rule to arrange your plants by their height putting tall plants in the back or in the center if you have a garden that can be reached on all sides. An example would be that if your garden area is in an open area that gives you access to all sides and you are growing a tomato plant and some marigolds you would put the tomato in the center and the marigolds around the edges of the garden.