So yesterday I decided I needed to learn to make soap with these supplies I have. Haven't quite worked up the nerve yet. Maybe tomorrow.
Today I went to the health food store and they had organic tomato plants, lots of herbs and veggies and seeds. Being that there is really nothing in the world that tastes better than a tomato freshly plucked from the garden, I had to buy one. Only thing is that I've never gardened before. Ever. I mow the grass when dh is deployed but I'm not sure that counts. lol! :p
I got one tomato plant, one lady lavendar since I :heart: lavender and have been wanted to grow some for awhile. And I got some carrot seeds and mesclun mix seeds. Trying to save a bit of money on organic produce and this is stuff we use the most. Well, that and broccoli and cauliflower but they didn't have those. Too bad I couldn't buy an organic apple tree for the kids, eh? lol!
Anyway, after nap time we are heading to the garden store to buy some compost (it is soo embarassing to say "buy some compost" on a crunchy board. lol!) and then we're putting these babies in the ground. ;cool: How exactly would I go about that? lol!
My plan is to 1) mark off the area 2) pull up the grass 3) break up any big chunks and remove stones 4) spread out some compost 3) dig holes for seeds and plants 4) stick 'em in the ground 5) hose them down a little 6) take a shower. lol!
sound about right? Any particular fashion I should plant them?

Your plan sounds perfect!

Tomatoes love water...check them often, especially when its hot. Depending on what type of plant it is you will likely need a cage for it in a few weeks. You can make or buy one.

Your lavender should go into a pot, depending on where you live. It's nice to be able to move it into the garage or another cold but sheltered spot over the winter.
It likes to be DRY, and too much water will make your plant 'spindly looking' or kill it. It also worships the sun :) Its a very tough plant and I'm sure you're going to love growing it.

Your carrots and mesclun...
for the mesclun mix, prepare the soil just like you had in mind, then make a long, narrow hill about 4-6" wide and however long your garden spot allows. Now take something like a teaspoon or even a butter knife and make a trough down the middle of the hill...if you have enough seeds then make two troughs side-by-side. Sprinkle your seeds into the trough and very lightly cover with soil. Water in and wait! :) You can start to harvest as soon as the plants are about 4" tall (this is on the small side, so dont take more than 1/3 of the leaves at once to insure you have a good, strong crop all summer.) Don't let it go to seed or it will turn very bitter.
Do your carrots the same way. The only difference is, if you want long and straight carrots then you have to make sure your soil is loosened deep enough for them. How far you need to dig depends on the type of carrot. Carrot seeds are so tiny and can be a pain to work with. You will have to thin them out a little once they get established.

Another thing you should consider is MULCH. It does so many beneficial things for your garden, but most importanly it helps conserve water and keep you soil temp even. Your mulch can be just about anything...pretty bark mulch, hay or straw, even shredded newspapers! You'll want to cover all the bare soil in your garden spot, not just the areas around your plants. Make sure not to pile the much against the stems of any of your plants! It can touch the stems, but if its too deep next to the stems it will kill them. Mulch the area all around the mesclun and carrots, but not on top of the hills until the plants emerge. Then gently put a little around the rows and between them. You will not have to pull many weeds if you mulch, which is another added bonus!

Check the proposed garden spot throughout the day for sun exposure. The enitre spot should get a good deal of sun during all parts of the day. A little shade in the mornig or the evening is good. Don't dig up your plot until you know what the sun exposure is like there!

HAVE FUN!
-Heather

That's exactly what I needed to know!! thanks!! :thumbsup:
Ok one more question though. How do you know when it "goes to seed"? Also, the tomato plant came in a black plastic pot about7 or so inches in diameter...should I just transfer the lavender into that once I remove the tomato plant? It came in a little black plastic thing similar to how flowers come but a bit bigger.

How do you know when it "goes to seed"?
The most obvious way to tell is when the plants start sending up stems for flowers, but you can tell when it is *about* to go to seed by the taste and texture of the leaves. Most of the time they will start getting a little more bitter gradually, and the leaves will usually start to become a little more tough. Once you see it, taste it, feel it...you'll know ;) The good think about it is that you can collect the seeds and use them for next years crop!

I forgot to mention before that you can make 2 seperate plantings, about 3 weeks apart, to extend your harvest time. Your location and length of growing season would be the determining factor for wether you should do that or not. If you have a long growing season (like southern states) then prepare you garden just as you had planned, and make a hill/row for the second planting at that time. Cover with your mulch and even water it about once a week to keep the soil nice. Then in 3 weeks (or so) gently push the mulch off to one side (not too far, you'll want to put it back after they sprout!), plant and water. Easy-peasy.

should I just transfer the lavender into that
Well you certainly could, and it would work just fine. I'd personally go to the garden shop and buy a cutesy little pot for it to live in though. :) If you are going to bring it indoors to overwinter then you'd want it in something other than the plastic pot to contain the mess.

Ok one more question though.
That was two:p Lol, ask away!