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Preparing for next year?
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Posted by kerrygw 6 (My Page) on Sun, Oct 11, 09 at 13:53
| Hi,
I'm very new to vegetable gardening - we did a small plot this year (about 10x10) and it didn't do too poorly for a first try. It included tomatoes, peppers, cukes, zucchini, carrots, and herbs. The area is staked out with a crude fence, and we'll probably expand it by a foot or 2 next year. My question is - what do I do now? Do I pull up all the plants or let them die down naturally? How do I prep it for next season? Though a couple plants are still producing small peppers and cukes, the season is really over here (outside NYC).
Sorry if this is a duplicate question - I didn't see similar postings.
Thanks! |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Preparing for next year?
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| I have raised beds, but since your garden is small, you can do the same thing: Pull your plants up, or cut them off at the ground. Throw them in the compost pile if you have one. Then, get your hands on some organic matter, like leaves, livestock manure, kitchen scraps, fresh compost, etc. and spread it over your garden. Put a layer of mulch over that. In the spring, you can dig the organic matter into the soil if needed, but it will probably be incorporated enough that digging won't be necessary. If you are going to expand the garden, go ahead and do it now, so that you can start improving the soil in the new area to get it ready for spring planting. You can also do a search for "cover crops" if you want to plant something to overwinter, though it's getting a bit late for that, at least here. |
RE: Preparing for next year?
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| I would suggest that you apply some manure on the beds now and then just let it compost itself over the winter. if you place an ad on craigslist asking for free manure you will get more offers than you will need. Good luck and welcome to the crazy world of gardening! |
Here is a link that might be useful: Win a free web site
RE: Preparing for next year?
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| Thank you for your help - sorry it took me so long to respond. I appreciate the help!! |
RE: Preparing for next year?
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To add to what has been already said, check your soil PH before doing any thing. Most soils, when you keep adding organic matter, tend to get sour. Lime/gypsum/wood ash are the things to reduce acidity(raise PH). Now is the best time to add lime. If burn wood,dump the ashes in your garden or compost pile.
Controlling/adding nutrients is simple and easy but changing soil PH take time and cannot be done right away.
The time is now. |
RE: Preparing for next year?
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| Thanks - I'll check that as well! |
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