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I grew up in NYC and never even had a patch of grass to be responsible for and last fall we bought a house in the burbs. Now that spring is here i'm getting the itch to make the outside of our house look presentable but I have absolutely no idea where to begin.
The house is in Northern NJ, it's zone 6A. The area is semi-rural so we have a lot of wild animals and it's heavily wooded so i don't get too much sun light. The previous owners took great care of the house itself but never paid any attention to the landscaping so I've pretty much got a blank (overgrown wilderness) slate. In the front of the house we have ivy growing which I plan on removing (I'd love some tips on how). We have some grass which is very patchy that i have no idea how to care for at all.
Basically here's what I'm looking for:
1) Any good beginer books I should pick up? Really really basic step by step hold my hand kind of books.
2) What should I be doing this time of year? I really don't want to wait until May only to realize there was a bunch of prep work i missed the boat on
3) How do I care of my grass and make it grown in evenly? I can't afford a service this year.
4) Good plants for my zone that like the shade are easy to care for and don't taste good to deer?
I am not an expert so will not give you any advice. But, I do love Better Homes and Gardens' website. They also have gardening plans with plant suggestions for the sunny or shady areas of your yard based on the zone you are in.
This link also suggests deer resistant plants for your area, but I do have experience with deer and they learn to like whatever is planted in my experience.
Mjmama, thank you so much that website is awesome! I've spent the better part of my day reading it and I not feel like I can at least begin the basic clean up
First a warning: Gardening can become addictive. I started with a single little coreopsis in a tiny patch of dirt back in 1990. Now I've got 28 acres and I'm working on planting more trees.
I'd recommend The Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch. The library and used book stores are good sources for free or cheap info. Avoid wasting too much money on those glossy magazines with perfect gardens on the cover at the check out counter of the grocery store.
Second: start working on making compost asap. You won't regret it.
Be sure to look at other gardens in your area. Often, you can get great ideas from seeing what other gardeners have planted. If you are lucky enough to see someone outside working in their garden, complement them on their handiwork and you might find a kindred spirit more than willing to share a few tips...
Also, a local nursery might have some helpful employees who would love to share their experience with you.
I moved from CA to NC 17 months ago, and am having so much fun learning to garden here! I have had a garden for years, but I spent the first year in NC just learning how to garden in a state that has 4 seasons! It's a whole different world!
Jersey's state cooperative extension has once a year one and two day seminars usually. I don't think they had them yet, but there are a series of classes you can take which range in complexity.
Google 'cooperative extension' get their phone number and ask to be put on their mailing list and when their next seminar is.
There is lots of literature there and home owners from all over the state go there. You can talk to the experts. It's fun. Bring a friend.
My advice to you, especially as a new gardener, is START SMALL!! I know it is so tempting to get all your information together and want to fix everything at once, but resist! You'll end up frustrated and over-extended and will want to quit before you begin. Take one step at a time, and you'll be amazed at how quickly it will go.
I would work on your yard and lawn first. I would start by cleaning up. Tear out the weeds and eliminate the ivy, (this stuff is nasty! It will actually destroy the mortar between bricks and ruin siding and window frames. Why people plant it is beyond me.) Also get rid of the sapling trees (small trees that have sprouted on their own) and rake the whole lawn really well. Not hard enough to tear out the growing grass, but hard enough to get rid of the old brown grass. This aerates the soil and wakes up the roots of the grass and gets rid of the old growth and lets the new growth take off. You'll be amazed at how this will really jump start your lawn. After raking, you'll want to fertilize. I would talk to your garden store about what type of fertilizer to use and the best way to apply. Then comes the grass seed planting. You say you have alot of trees. How many hours of sun would you say your yard gets? This will determine they type of grass you need to plant. If you get very little sun, go with a grass seed that is expressly for shade. This works really well under trees and on the shady sides of houses. I would do all of these things around the beginning of April (unless it is still snowing...) if you are planting flowers, I would leave off planting until the nights there get steadily above about 35-40 degrees. Tender plants can die after just one hard freeze.
Don't be sad if your yard has alot of shade. Use it to your advantage by picking flowers and plants that thrive in the shade. Then you'll have plants that grow well that are completely different from the average gardener. The Lowe's home improvement store website rocks for finding plants to match your USDA zone and your light needs. Then when you're ready, you can plan small beds, like around the perimeter of the house, along sidewalks, against a fence, under a tree, climbing plants over your mailbox, wherever you want! I would start digging beds around early April and planting about late April. I would suggest that when you do decide to plant a flower or vegerable bed, go to the home improvement store and grab some brick or stone edging. Place these stones around your flower bed to keep flowers and precious dirt in, and grass out!!
Count yourself lucky to have such a wonderful blank slate! And good luck!
Make sure prepare the ground for anything you plant. When you plant, water well, when you think it has enough water (the first time) give it some more. when setting a plant in the ground you need to give it enough water to settle the dirt around its roots.
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