With summer just around the corner, many are turning their attention to their gardens.

Keri Fox, the founder of Green Sister Gardens, offered some tips on how to get your garden started.

For those starting from scratch, Fox recommended using a dark-coloured tarp to kill any grass where you want to put your garden.

“That way the sun beats down on the dark plastic tarp and it’ll just fry the grass underneath. Then you are starting fresh and you don’t have all those stray lawn pieces that will grow in between,” she said.

Her first priority when it comes to starting a garden is location.

“It’s really important to have at least six hours of sunlight to grow most edible plants,” Fox said. “Picking the right location in the yard is the top priority.”

Fox’s next tip is to know frost dates. She said you need to wait until the risk of frost is low before starting your garden.

She said next you want to focus on soil and then plant selection. Fox went on to say that, when selection plants, pay attention to the growing conditions and, if it is edible plants, make sure you are planting things you will eat.

Finally, Fox recommended using mulch to save time. She said grass clipping work well between the row of plants to keep weeds down.