| name | build-a-garden |
| description | Complete home gardening workflow from planning and site assessment through soil preparation, planting, ongoing maintenance, and harvesting for a productive and enjoyable garden in any space.
Use when the user wants to build a garden or needs a structured multi-step process for this goal.
Do NOT use when the request is a single-step task or requires professional advice beyond educational guidance. |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
| type | workflow |
| skills | garden-advisor diy-planner habit-tracker |
| trigger_phrases | I want to start a garden help me build a garden home vegetable garden how to start gardening backyard garden plan container gardening guide |
| metadata | {"author":"foundry-skills","version":"1.0.0","tags":"gardening hiking home-maintenance step-by-step planning","category":"life-event","depends":"garden-advisor diy-planner habit-tracker","disclaimer":"none","difficulty":"beginner"} |
Build A Garden
Estimated time: 4-8 weeks setup, ongoing seasonal
This workflow takes you from an empty space to a thriving garden, whether you
have a large backyard, a small patio, or just a sunny windowsill. Gardening
fails most often not from lack of green thumbs but from lack of planning:
wrong plants for the conditions, poor soil preparation, and inconsistent care.
The five phases build a garden that works with your space, climate, and
available time: plan first, then prepare the site, plant strategically,
maintain consistently, and harvest your rewards.
By the end of this workflow you will have: a garden plan matched to your
space and goals, prepared soil and infrastructure, planted crops or
ornamentals, a maintenance routine, and the knowledge to harvest and plan
the next season.
When to Use
- User wants to build a garden
- User needs a structured, step-by-step process for build a garden
- User wants to start a garden
- User wants to build a garden
- home vegetable garden
- Do NOT use when: the request is outside the scope of build a garden or requires professional advice beyond educational guidance
- Do NOT use for single-step tasks that one atomic skill can handle independently
Prerequisites
Before starting this workflow, ensure:
- Access to outdoor or indoor space with sunlight (minimum 6 hours for most vegetables)
- Basic tools or willingness to acquire them (trowel, watering can, gloves at minimum)
- Commitment of 2-5 hours per week for garden maintenance
- Patience (gardens grow on nature's timeline, not yours)
- Landlord permission if renting (for in-ground or raised bed gardens)
Steps
Step 1: Plan Your Garden (uses: garden-advisor)
design a garden plan before any digging
begins. Planning prevents the most common gardening failures.
- Input: Available space (backyard, patio, balcony, windowsill, community plot), Sunlight analysis (hours of direct sun by area), Climate zone (USDA hardiness zone or local equivalent)
- Output: Layout design with plant placement and spacing, Selected plants with planting dates, spacing, and care needs, Month-by-month planting and harvesting schedule
- Key focus: Site assessment: sun exposure mapping throughout the day
Step 2: Prepare Your Growing Space (uses: diy-planner)
build the physical garden infrastructure and
prepare the growing medium. Good soil is the single biggest factor in garden
success.
- Input:
garden-plan from Step 1 (what to build and where), from Step 1 (cost constraints), Current state of the garden space (grass, concrete, existing beds)
