Guide to Planting A Garden
Example Gardens You will find example gardens at various locations in Abington Township. They contain robust, drought-tolerant, low-maintenance plants that come back year after year. You can plant these gardens yourself. Your garden will increase the appeal of your home, business or community area. It will also benefit the environment. This note provides recommendations about how to plant a garden. A separate note provides a list of recommended plants. Planning Your Garden In the future we will list plans designed by local experts. Meanwhile here are some sites with garden plans: Bressingham: www.bobna.com/designergardens/index.asp Spring Hill Nursery: www.springhillnursery.com Better Homes and Gardens: www.bhg.com (search for garden plans) Preparing Your Garden The easiest way to prepare a garden bed is using “paper – dirt –mulch” method. This method will give you a garden bed that is raised above the ground. You can make this sort of bed anywhere, even directly over a lawn. 1. Paper: First, outline your garden area with a garden hose or spray paint. Next, cover the area with newspaper or corrugated cardboard. The newspaper should be about 7 layers thick. The paper will kill off any existing grass or weeds. As an optional step, edge your garden. The edge will separate a lawn from the garden. It also will hold mulch inside the garden bed. The edge makes the garden area look neater. You can dig the edging using a flat-bladed shovel. On the outside part of the edge, push the shovel blade straight down about 3 inches. On the inside, where the garden will be, push the shovel blade down at a 45 degree angle to cut out a slice of dirt. Toss the dirt onto the newspaper or cardboard - it will become part of your garden. 2. Dirt: Next, apply about 6 inches of good dirt (topsoil) to the area covered by paper. You can pay to have dirt delivered, or you can sometimes obtain it at no charge from your community. If you are making a small garden, you can buy bags of topsoil at a gardening store.
Abington Township provides free dirt to residents. The dirt is available at Baederwood, Crestmont and Alverthorpe Parks during April and May. Residents can also get dirt anytime during the year at the Public Works yard, located off Edge Hill Road at 2201 Flory Lane. Residents should check in at the office before taking dirt. The township will also load small trucks for a fee of $5. Usual hours are 7 AM - 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. Loading of vehicles is not done after 3 PM. Abington Public Works: 267-536-1034. This dirt is sometimes called “Township mulch” because it comes from composted leaves collected by the Township. It is not the same type of mulch you put on top of your garden to prevent weeds from growing. One 5-gallon bucket of this dirt will cover approximately 3 sq ft to a depth of 6 inches.
3. Mulch: Applying 2-3 inches of mulch (chipped bark or wood, or pine needles) will reduce the growth of weeds and will help retain water in your garden. Some of the short plants we recommend will spread over time and can reduce or eliminate the need for repeated mulching. Some people prefer the look of a mulched garden. You can apply the mulch right
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after you place the soil, or you can wait until you have done your planting. Again, you can pay to have mulch delivered by truck, or you can buy bagged mulch at local stores. If you have a local source of pine needles or chipped bark, you can use that at no cost. Buying Your Plants The recommended plants are common and are available at local garden stores. Meadowbrook Farm and Primex Garden Center have donated plants and expertise to this project. Planting Remove the plant from its container. Remove soil from the garden to allow placement of the plant so the top of the roots are just at the surface. Firmly press dirt around the plant. Water. If the roots are compacted, it will be harder for the plant to become established. So, using your fingers, gently loosen the roots. If they are tightly compacted, using a knife, lightly slice (score) the roots from top to bottom in four places (on each side for a square pot, or evenly spaced for a round pot). This action will stimulate root growth into the soil. If the roots are tightly compacted at the bottom of the pot, cut off the lower ½” of soil and roots. Maintenance During the first season, your plants will not yet have set their roots in the surrounding soil. As a result, you should water your plants about once a week, or when they start to look dry. In future years, you should only need to water your plants during extended periods or drought. Most of the plants we have selected do not need to be cut back or divided. Just let them grow. Weed your garden as needed. Over time your plants will grow larger and there will be less space for weeds. More Information:You’ll find more information about planting and a list of recommended plants at: http://EveryoneCanGarden.googlepages.com Prepared by: Everyone Can Garden™ Association: Planting low-maintenance demonstration gardens in the community to encourage you to plant a garden at your home, in your community, or at your business to improve the environment and make our community look nicer. For more information, or to volunteer, contact: EveryoneCanGarden@gmail.com Sponsors: Abington Industrial Development Association Abington Township Parks and Recreation Department Meadowbrook Farm Primex Garden Center Rohm and Haas Company We appreciate expert advice from: Montgomery County Master Gardeners Association Morris Arboretum
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