By: Lilly Darling

A fresh start to the springtime can come in many ways. A great way to blow off some pent-up winter steam and save money in the summer time is to start your own garden. By starting your own garden, big or small, you can relieve stress. The Squire is here to give you some advice on how to start the perfect garden for you.

Spending money is hard, but by starting your own garden, you can better yourself and save money in the long run. When you buy seeds, they cost very little money, so once you grow your food, you can just eat it. This will save you from having to buy fruits and vegetables from the store. They can often be over-priced and unreasonable amounts that are not enjoyable to spend. Some vegetables good for this area are cucumbers, beans, corn, and peppers, because of their applicable growth period in the spring and summer time.

To start your own garden, you will need a plot of land that is free to use. Finding someone, maybe a parent or neighbor, who owns a tractor or something that can rototill the land will help a lot. Once the soil is ready to hold and grow plants, you need seeds. This is where the fun part comes in! You can pick and choose to grow whatever you wish, but just be sure to pay attention to the directions, because some plants may need more attention than others. Seeds can be found at many of your local grocery stores, or even fresh produce markets in your area.

There will be some few items needed to maintain your garden. On their website, www.Bhg.com , Better Homes and Gardens encourages you to take care of the soil by making sure that weeds are not growing there. Your soil may also need some extra nutrients to make it more viable for the plants. Organic materials such as dry leaves and old manure, will work its way into the soil and help a lot. Along with these things, you will need gardening tools, such as a rake and a shovel, to dig your soil if needed.

If you are not interested in growing fruits and vegetables, there are many different kinds of flowers out there available. Flowers can brighten your mood and may be a good way to brighten up the front of your house. Certain flowers may need different special needs, so you might have to grow them differently. Fellow classmate, Eva Turner, loves to grow flowers with her mom in the springtime. She says it is a great way to bond with her mom, and they love their end product. Many neighbors have complimented their beautiful looking flowers in their lawn, which makes them feel really good. Certain flowers that are good to grow in the northwestern Pennsylvania ore purple coneflowers, salvias, and coral bells.

The Squire wants you to know it is okay if you don’t have a green thumb, we accept you for who you are. If you’ve never gardened before, this might be the perfect opportunity to get a fresh start for your springtime. Having fun and relieving stress is a great way to start off your summer! To read about more spring action going on, you can tune into the W-IKE News show or read the www.squirenews.com .