Building A Garden – The 3 Steps To Take Before You Even Think Of Beginning
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By Jonathan Yaakobi
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If you’re buying a plot on which a house and garden are to be built, or are planning serious renovations to an existing one, then there are three steps that have to be considered before the construction work and even the design process for the garden itself actually commence. Two of these steps are entirely simple and straightforward, yet some building contractors and even some architects ignore them to the detriment of the garden to be, while the third step is admittedly somewhat more involved.
As a gardening contractor myself in a hot dry country, I’ve witnessed on too many occasions how customers incur unnecessary expenses and how major defects in the garden take root, as result of failure to deal with one or more of these issues. They are as follows:
*Preparing adequate sleeves that are placed under construction areas like paths, paving, decking and garden sheds, through which future pipes for irrigation and electricity can be easily passed through. Failure to do so can make it impossible to lay pipes between one area of the plot and another.
*Ensuring that all building rubble and refuse is removed entirely from the site and that refuse is not buried under the earth.
*Ensuring that the garden top soil that is imported into the site, is of an approved quality, is not of agricultural origin, and that water drains away at a reasonable rate from the soil.
Sleeves for pipes
It’s important to make sure that the total diameter of the sleeves is more than enough for any possible eventuality. For instance, let’s say your total garden area amounts to 400 meters square, of which on 100 meters, a lawn is to be laid. A future irrigation design may require two separate feeder pipes of 25mm each, which will supply water to the lawn sprinklers. In addition, three separate pipes, each of 16mm, will be needed for drip irrigation to different plant groups in the garden. Add to that a 20mm pipe for electrical purposes; a total sleeve diameter of over 120 mm will be required. Just make sure you have plenty of sleeve space to spare.
Removing building refuse
While the building codes in most countries require the builder to remove all waste, some unscrupulous contractors have been known to use the customer’s plot as a landfill, where they dump the refuse before spreading a layer of “garden soil” on top. The trouble is that the problems often come to light a few years after the garden has been set up. The whole garden is liable to sink some 20 -30 cm, and tree roots that come in contact with the building residues have difficulty absorbing nutrients from the soil. Plants decline to an unacceptable level, and many will die. You will not have a garden to speak of in a few years if building waste is not removed.
Imported soil and drainage
Inappropriate soil can be a disaster for the new garden. For a discussion on this topic click on the link below and then the Articles page which is arraigned alphabetically. Scroll down to “Importing soil into the garden – what you should never do.”
Another problem is soil that has inadequate drainage. Ideally, a laboratory soil analysis should be carried out by a professional company, to ascertain the quality of the soil, including its drainage potential. Make sure that the building contractor is held responsible for the way water drains out of it, as chronic compaction often occurs due to the impact of heavy machinery. If puddles of water are still standing a day or two after a rainfall, then the sign is that the drainage is insufficient to support a viable garden.
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Author Bio Box: Jonathan Yaakobi
 My name is Jonathan Ya'akobi.
I've been gardening in a professional capacity since 1984.
I am the former head gardener of the Jerusalem Botanical Garden, but now concentrate on building gardens for private home owners.
I also teach horticulture to students on training courses.
I'd love to help you get the very best from your garden,
so you're welcome to visit me on http://www.dryclimategardening.com
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