Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard

The UNH Extension has a great resource for homeowners on controlling crabgrass, including a nice summation of the corn gluten situation:

Now that our growing season is winding down, this is a great time to brainstorm and plan for a new flower garden next spring.

First, let me pass along a couple of nice resources for you to read as you get started. Design things to keep in mind as you peruse them are the colors you want, whether you want annuals or perennials, varying heights and textures of plants to create a more diverse view, how much time you plan on spending on the plants through the season, and picking a variety of plants that will consecutively bloom throughout the season.

Cornell Univ Extension “Flower Garden Design Basics” (a good primer for elements to consider in the new garden)

UMaine Cooperative Extension “Plants for the Maine Landscape” (a clearinghouse page for native Maine plants and recommended species, including curated lists for various conditions toward the bottom)

For a new flower garden, the first things to consider are practical matters. Will you be doing the work yourself or hiring a landscaping company? If the former, we typically recommend starting small and expanding over time–it’s easy to plant widely as a new gardener and wind up overwhelmed. In fact, you can simply start with one small bed or section of your property. Before you decide on the spot, do a sun map of your yard, where you check various spots under consideration every hour through a day to see what the direct/indirect sunlight vs shade situation is–this is critical in selecting plants and will save you many headaches later on. If you’re doing this when foliage is off the trees, remember to keep in mind that there will be leaves there during the growing season.

1. Soil. If the area you choose is an existing garden bed, you will want to work the soil to a depth of a foot or so with a garden fork. Don’t overdo it, as working too much can destroy the texture of the soil (important for plant roots), but loosen it up and remove any weeds, rocks, old roots, etc. that you find. If the proposed area is grassy, you’ll need to smother and remove the grass there. In either case, you’ll want to get the soil tested through the UMaine Analytical Soil Lab, which will tell you what you’re starting with nutritionally and which will give advice for specific amendments needed for optimal plant health.

2. Planting. Once you’ve selected your plants based on the information in the two links above, you can either purchase seeds and start them at home or pick up seedlings at club sales, nurseries, garden stores, etc. If this is your first garden, I recommend the latter as you’ll have better success right out of the gate with older, healthier plants. You can expand into seed starting later, if it interests you.

3. Irrigation. If you are planning on relying on rainfall, you’ll want to pick plants that tolerate drier soils/drought conditions, just in case. If you will be adding supplemental irrigation as needed, think about how close the water source is when you site the new garden. Is there a faucet nearby? Does the hose reach? When you water, it’s important to remember that we water the soil, not the plants. Irrigation should be focused on the soil below the plants (overhead watering can cause fungal problems for the plants, as their leaves stay wet). Less frequent, deeper watering is better than frequent, quick watering, as the former encourages plants to form deeper, stronger root systems.

4. Mulching. You can read up on the benefits of mulching in this previous Ask an Expert response. I highly recommend it.

If you have questions on specific plants as you proceed with the project, please reach back out and we’re happy to help. If you’re new, remember that gardening is a marathon, not a sprint. You’ll learn over time as you have successes and shortfalls.

Happy gardening.