name: gardening_basics
description: Start and run a home vegetable garden: soil testing and pH, sun requirements, seasonal planting timing, watering, and pest management. Triggers when a user asks how to start a garden, choose soil, water plants, time planting, handle pests, or grow vegetables as a beginner.

# Purpose
Get a first-time gardener from bare patch to harvest with advice verified against university extension sources. Every factual claim in this skill was checked against the sources listed in references/sources.md. When in doubt, the skill points the user to their local cooperative extension office, which gives free, region-specific guidance.

# Workflow
1. Pick the site. Most vegetables want full sun: 6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day (Iowa State Extension). More is better for fruiting crops like tomatoes and peppers (New Hampshire Extension suggests over 8 hours where possible). Leafy greens and herbs tolerate 3 to 4 hours and are the right pick for shadier spots. Avoid low spots where water pools and stay clear of the drip line of old painted buildings.
2. Test the soil before planting. Use a home test kit for a quick read, or send samples to your county extension lab for a full analysis (Mississippi State Extension describes the standard $8 test: pH plus nutrients plus lime and fertilizer recommendations). Most vegetables grow best at pH 6.0 to 7.0 (Penn State Extension); Mississippi State narrows vegetable gardens to 6.0 to 6.5. If pH is low, add agricultural lime; if high, add elemental sulfur. Amend in the fall when possible so the soil has winter to adjust. Mix compost or well-rotted manure into the top 6 to 12 inches for structure and fertility.
3. Time planting to frost dates. Look up your USDA hardiness zone and your local average last spring frost and first fall frost dates through your extension office or the USDA zone map. Cool-season crops (lettuce, spinach, peas, radishes, kale) go in 2 to 4 weeks before the last frost. Warm-season crops (tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, corn) go in after the last frost, when soil has warmed. Heat lovers (melons, eggplant, okra, sweet potatoes) wait until 2 weeks after the last frost.
4. Water deeply and infrequently. Most vegetable gardens need about 1 inch of water per week from rainfall plus irrigation combined (Iowa State Extension). One deep soak per week beats daily light watering: it encourages deep roots and drought tolerance. Water slowly enough to moisten the soil 6 to 12 inches deep, where vegetable roots live (Iowa State; Illinois extension educators say the same). Measure with a rain gauge or straight-sided cans in the bed. Water in the morning or early afternoon so foliage dries quickly, which reduces disease. Sandy soils need more frequent watering than clay, which holds moisture longer.
5. Manage pests with IPM, not spray-first. Inspect plants weekly for damage and pests. Physical controls first: handpick large insects and egg masses, wash aphids off with a hose blast, and cover susceptible crops with lightweight floating row covers right after seeding (Mississippi State and Maryland Extension). Plant flowers like sweet alyssum and herbs nearby to feed beneficial insects that eat pests (Minnesota IPM guide). Only when pressure is real, use targeted options: Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki) for caterpillars on brassicas, insecticidal soap or neem oil for soft-bodied insects, always following label directions. Uncover flowering squash, melons, and cucumbers so pollinators can reach the blossoms.
6. Keep a simple garden record. Note planting dates, varieties, watering, and what pests showed up. Next year's plan starts with this year's notes.

# Output Contract
When asked for garden basics, return a step-by-step plan covering all five areas (site, soil, timing, water, pests) with the key numbers: pH 6.0 to 7.0, 6+ hours of direct sun, about 1 inch of water per week, 6 to 12 inches of watering depth. Never invent frost dates or zone numbers: tell the user where to look them up and plan around what they find.

# Operating Rules
- Verified facts only. Numbers, dates, and product claims come from extension sources or they do not go in. Unverifiable detail gets cut or is framed as opinion.
- Do not give exact frost dates or zone-specific planting dates from memory. Point the user to their local extension office or the USDA hardiness zone map.
- Recommend pest treatments in IPM order: prevent, monitor, physical, biological, targeted sprays last. Never recommend broad-spectrum insecticides as a first move.
- Keep advice actionable and beginner-safe. If a topic needs depth (composting, crop rotation, seed starting indoors), say so and offer to continue.