So how do you start a garden?

OK, I've been spinning gardens for a couple of weeks now. But if you've never planted one, how do you start? Here are some beginning gardening how tos:

Start with a simple perennial border. Even if you feel clueless about what that is, the folks at your local garden shop can help you pick out a few rugged (but attractive) plants to get you rolling. Essentially, you want a grouping of hardy plants (they come back every year) that you plant in front of a fence, your house or some other "border." How long and wide you make that border is up to you, although you'll want to be able to get access to the back of the border for planting and maintenance. If you're just starting out, you might want to start small, but do it in an area you can later expand upon in case you really get into it.

Also, check the tags on your plants to see how tall each one ultimately gets. That way, you can plant tall plants at the back of the border and shorter ones in front. A classic beginner's error (which I know from experience when I started out) is to plant plants based on how big they look when you get them, only to find out when they "grow up" that you planted the short ones in the back!

Anyway, to give you an idea what a perennial border is and looks like, the photo is White Flower Farm's Summer Magic Border, which they offer as a collection for people who want a ready-selected border "to go." Theirs is huge, obviously, but it would work on a smaller scale too. Also, although they're collection is already "sold out," you can ask your local garden shop for the same plants to make your own collection. White Flower Farm's description tells you what plants are in this border. (By the way, if you buy plants online at some point, like in the dead of winter when you have cabin fever and are fantasizing about summer, White Flower Farm is a great place to order from. They have very nice sized (for mail order), healthy plants and decent customer service.)

While you're at the garden shop, pick up some good quality compost because, unless you have great soil, you'll want to add compost to it to get your plants off to a good start. The compost gives your soil a boost. (Also, you can get your soil tested but if that sounds daunting, don't worry about it now. Just add the compost.)

Compost is easy to use. Once you've cleared the space you're going to plant (of debris, grass, weeds, etc.) dump your compost right on the soil, spread it evenly over the area you're going to plant and then work it in to the soil--up to about 8 inches deep if you can manage that but if that's pushing the envelope of your enthusiasm, just work it in to the depth you feel you can. You're mixing the compost with your soil to "amend" your soil to something more nourishing to plants.

I don't know how far they distribute their products, but Coast of Maine has excellent composts and mulches to choose from. Check out their website for dealers in your area. If you can't get it locally, there will be some other compost you can use instead. Just ask your garden shop people.

And speaking of mulch (above), you'll want to get some of that too because after your plants are in, it's mulch that helps retain soil moisture and some of the Coast of Maine mulches also nourish the soil. But whatever you do, don't get that orange stuff, please! First of all, it's dyed. Do you really want dye on your plants? In fact, many "pretty" mulches are dyed. Go with the natural stuff, the more decomposed the better (wood chips deplete the soil's nitrogen, which plants need for healthy growth), especially if you are looking to work toward a little (or big) wildlife habitat like I mentioned in Your outdoor view and helping too.

To plant your plants, simply dig a hole twice as wide as the plant and about as deep but loosen the soil at the bottom of the hole so it's not compacted. Throw in a handful of compost and gently remove your plant from its pot. If it's "pot bound" (all roots and little soil where the roots look like they were squished inside the pot), gently try to loosen the roots a bit before putting the plant in the ground. If that sounds too scary and you think you'll ruin the plant (you probably won't), just center the plant in the hole as is and fill in around it with the soil you took out of the hole mixed with some more compost. Make sure you don't bury the plant deeper than where the top of the soil was when it was in the pot. That's your guide. That's where to stop.

I like to build a little wall of soil encircling the plant, like creating a little "dish," to help hold water while the plant is getting established. Water the plant by filling this little dish and re-water a couple more times after the water soaks into the soil. Cover with a couple of inches of mulch but stop short of the stem, leaving a couple of inches or so so the stem has room to breathe and doesn't rot. Water every day (a good soak) for the first week or two, unless it rains, and then two or three times a week for the next couple of weeks and once a week after that unless you feel it needs more. Keep an eye on the soil, making sure things don't get too dry over the summer months but don't water-log your plants either. Let them work a little by sending down roots to get water below the ground surface. If you really get into it, soaker hoses or other drip irrigation systems are a great watering solution. They save time, allow for deeper watering (a good thing) and use less water overall.

Within the ever-expanding Internet, there are zillions of websites dedicated to gardening. Here's a sampling of interesting and/or useful sites, some of which also have forums:

iVillage GardenWeb
BostonGardens.com
GardenLady.com
You Grow Girl

Get digging!