Creating A Garden From Scratch: 5 Steps To Success

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When moving home, most of us will move to a property where the garden is already fully-formed – it may not be to our tastes, but the space is at least clearly designed, with greenery and landscaping features evident.

However, in some cases, new homeowners may find themselves moving into a property that has an outdoor space, but not necessarily an outdoor area that could be considered a garden. If the previous owners of the house were not particularly green-thumbed, then you could find that the garden is – at best – overgrown with weeds; at worst, you may be confronted with entirely bare earth.

If you find yourself in such a scenario, then you may find the idea of creating a recognizable garden from scratch overwhelming; however, by following the steps below, you can simplify the project and then begin to work towards your overall goals.

Step 1: Clear the area

Even if there is absolutely nothing but bare earth in the space where a garden should be, it’s still worth checking that the ground is in decent condition. Clear away trash, debris, old paving slabs, and anything else you may find, apply weed killer to any weeds you find, and generally tidy the area, so you have a decent starting point.

Step 2: Set your overall goal

Your first goal is to consider the entire design of the area, focusing primarily on landscaping and the features – such as a swing set, shed, or greenhouse – that you want to include. Considerations over decorative touches should be set aside for now; the goal is to essentially establish a blueprint for the entire space.

Step 3: Divide the space 

Most modern gardens will have different “rooms” – essentially, areas that are designed for a specific purpose; for example, an eating area, a play area, and so on. Each area will have very different requirements, so working on them individually helps to reduce confusion and allows you to streamline the entire process.

Step 4: Decide which area to work on first

It’s usually best to first focus on the area that requires the most work in order to reach its intended usage. For example, you would build a patio before starting a vegetable garden.

Step 5: Choose your first project for your chosen area

Essentially, work from the ground up, starting with the basic structure of the area – for example, if you are creating an eating space, then building a patio would be a sensible first goal. 

Step 6: Complete the first step in your chosen area, then move onto the second

In the example above, your first goal would be to hire a reputable company to lay the patio. When that is complete, you can then decide the next step, remembering to stay in the same area – so, in our example, that might mean installing a shade sail over the patio, or buying lounge furniture.

The critical point is to keep your focus just on that single area of garden, ignoring everything else as you focus on moving from task to task until each area is completed in turn.

Step 7: Rinse and repeat

You can then simply repeat the same process: picking an area, deciding the first task, working to achieve it, and then moving on to the next until the entire garden is complete.

In conclusion

When facing the considerable task of creating a garden from scratch, breaking the process up into individual goals can help to ensure the process feels far more manageable. By doing this, and slowly working down your list of priorities, you’ll be able to create a fully-customised garden space – that suits both your requirements and your budget – in no time at all.