(I) always remember no free meals by this i mean do not expect poor soil to produce good crops,
start off by giving the soil and good airing by digging it and then add food to the soil (well rotted manure)
(2) Only think of growing what you are going to eat,
(3) The likes & needs of what you are thinking of growing such as shade or full sun, different plants have different needs
some will soon shrivel up & die if in full sun,
(4) As well as feeding your crop as it grows the watering is important "when to water" if you water during a heat wave you must water when the plants will get the benefit of the watering in my area early morn or late evening a really good soaking works best,
(5) Save rain water it's as good to the gardener as pure gold, Get water collection points around your garden,
I myself bought an electric pump that fits into each 1000 Ltr container & the hose pipe leads from the container for up to
about 40 feet and i can spray all the crops with ease,
(6) ensure the crops are protected from wild life and Insects Read read and read again whats the best way to protect my crops, such as netting / covering the plants using plastic large water bottles with the side poked out for air circulation "but" remember the heat problems you do not want to make a heated plastic oven ?
(7) Secure those plants that grow high, The wind can also be a pest and do a lot of damage,
(8) Get "if you do not have one" one of the best tools a gardener can have And use it daily THE HOE,
Keep the weeds down, very few plants "And weeds are plants" just plant we do not want, Will stand constant hoeing
But if left to recover by not hoeing on a regular basis will recover, So be happy and HOE HOE HOE.
Before you do any growing "Now not to morrow but today" make a good compost area, you can do this with metal corrugated sheets held in place with metal or wooden stakes & if you really want a good compost bin area ensure you have it made not to high and you have it sectioned so some parts can be covered with plastic to help speed up the rotting method and the next section can be being filled , Also make an entrance large enough to get the barrow through, Again READ read & read again the subject of complete compost making (what you can & cannot use to make safe compost,
The victorian folk would empty the chamber pots of urine onto the compost heap and this is still excepted today as a good compost way to speed up the rotting,
Final bit of very good advice, go to the animal rescue shops/red cross etc and build up your gardening book collection
You"ll get books once owned by very keen gardeners who may well be gardening in heaven now "But when they bought these very thick garden books they were written by the very best gardening authors who had to be good to get published, Unlike a lot of modern gardening books (an inch thick with A4 size picture of a cabbage "you do not know what a cabbage looks like then you should not be gardening in the first place at this level !!!
Build up your own Gardening book library and spend the winters evening reading up on the art of gardening ,
You'll be glad you did, and buying books from such places as rescue shops/charity shops you know your helping them grow their funds to do good and you'll also help yourself grow all the garden can offer you,
Gardening is not easy "But boy" you'll taste true fresh food the way nature intended it to be, (grown with the use of deification from the animals and if used urine from ????
