The Task at Hand

One of the biggest obstacles of starting a garden is clearing the grounds where the garden is going to be.

If there is already an area designated on your property where recent gardens have been, then you are at an advantage. Most likely the grounds require minimal preparation as far as clearing the property.

On the other hand, say your chosen gardening is overgrown with brush, vines, and weeds with thorns as the major by product. Toss several years accumulation of broken tree branches, leaves, and trash into the equation.

As Oliver Hardy would say to Stan Laurel of the famous comedy team of Laurel and Hardy,

”Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into."

Still the work in clearing the chosen garden area has to be accomplished.

Keep in mind, hiring groundskeepers to clear the property can be costly.

If you expect to save money with your garden, you have to clear the property yourself or use people who won’t charge you for helping.

Self- Preservation

You have decided to take on the task of clearing the future garden site yourself.

You already have the tools on hand you need to clear the property.

Now, let’s protect ourselves.

Starting from the head and going down:

• Wear a hat.

• Sunscreen

• Use eye protection.

• Long sleeve shirt

• Gloves

• Long pants or coveralls

• Shoes or Boots

• Insect repellant

Even after protecting yourself from all the possible dangers there is still a good chance you will get a cut, scrape and scratch. If an injury occurs, apply the necessary first aid. Wash and treat the wound. If you think the wound is serious enough, see your doctor.

After clearing the property examine yourself or have someone examine you for insects that may have attached themselves to your body. Parasitic insects such as mites, fleas or ticks live in brushy and overgrown areas and are waiting for a host to feed on.

If you should find a tick on your person, follow tick removal instructions using the advice from your doctor or from a reputable first-aid website.

Enjoying the Fruits of Your Labor.

Clearing the future garden site is just one small but important phase of the overall gardening platform.

Staying healthy throughout all the phases of the plant growing process is the real key for any successful garden.

Part of gardening is wearing clothing which will protect you from minor injuries, just as use of the right tools will help you in growing the garden.

Planning a garden, planting a garden, growing a garden and harvesting a garden are all rewarding in their own respect.

Of course, the most rewarding part will be enjoying the fruits and vegetables harvested from your garden.

Happy gardening, everyone!