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nettleknit

How to prepare a garden the year before

nettleknit
13 years ago

Was told I should repost this here:

We just bought a house in the country and am very excited about gardening - mainly veg, fruit and herbs. However, we aren't moving in for at least a year, and will be using the house only for a few weeks vacation and weekends. We already have a small vegetable garden in the city, so I'm mainly thinking about preparation for next gardening season. What can/should I do to prepare for a garden next year? At this point the land is just grass. I'm imagining this could be a chance to really "do it right" and not skimp on preparation. Should I plow/dig up beds this summer? If so, should I put anything on these beds? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated - I'm keen but not very experienced!

Comments (14)

  • borderbarb
    13 years ago

    Hmmm....so many variables will determine your choices.

    In no particular order:

    [1] Soil type[s]clay,sand,loam,rocky,etc.
    [2] Amount of space/land
    [3] Terrain ... hilly, flat, drainage patterns
    [4] Sun/shade patterns.
    [5] Trees with invasive root systems
    [6] Sewer or septic lach line?
    [7] Your physical/economic limitations
    [8] Local source of animal manure?

    Sorry to not have anything but questions to offer. But as you are doing long-range planning, these kinds of questions may help you decide what must be done and in what order. Sounds like a great opportunity!

    BTW ... my standard advice is to suggest keeping a garden journal. For permanent plants you will see a pattern from year to year ...bloom, fruit, fertilizer, pests, etc.
    For veggies ... ditto.

  • lazy_gardens
    13 years ago

    During the summer, LIVE THERE ... figure out which areas of the yard are best for vegetable gardening, see what grows well for the neighbors. Figure out how the beds will be cared for and watered when you aren't there (dead plants are no fun). Figure out deer control. Locate some sources of compostable materials.

    In other words, plan your gardens. Make drawings, collect plant information.

    In the late summer and fall, make a lasagana compost pile (a shallow compost heap, started with layers of cardboard or newspaper to block weeds) over the proposed vegetable bed areas. If you don't have enough material, make one good small bed instead of a larger bed with skimpy materials.

    In the spring the beds should be ready to plant, very easy to dig in, and reasonably fertile. Plant only what you can adequately care for and leave the rest of the bed fallow. Keep piling on the compostable material in layers for when you actually move there.

    (I am LAZY in a constructive way.)

  • nettleknit
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks for your input. Already with the suggestions I have received I feel better about how to research this and what questions to ask.
    Currently I have a small allotment, where space is very limited, and a backyard with lots of shade (grow in pots) so I am very excited about lots of space and light.
    I'm sort of thinking of this:
    plan out the beds and cover to kill grass
    plant some kind of green manure
    in the fall (or when it's ready) cut it down and allow to decompose on the beds over winter, along with any other compostable stuff I can gather.
    Does this sound like a good start? (have to wait till next weekend for closing, when I can really start planning)

  • nygardener
    13 years ago

    Dig into a corner of your garden plot and find out what's underneath. If it's very stony, you may need to dig up the sod now, fork down into the soil, and remove as many rocks as you can.

    It will take a month or more for the planks, cardboard or whatever you cover the grass with to kill it. At that point, before planting a cover crop, I would fork down into it as deeply as you can to loosen the soil, and overturn the sod if any fibrous roots remain. If they're very persistent, shake the soil lose from the roots and compost the sod separately.

    Depending on the type of cover crop you plant, you may want to mix in some bought compost before you sow the cover crop. Legumes will fix nitrogen, but others consume it.

    Some cover crops can be sown and cut down before frost, while others are sown in early fall. Many people plant a mix of winter-hardy cover crop seeds, such as winter rye and hairy vetch, let them overwinter, and cut them down, chop them up, and turn them in when they are in full flower in spring, when the nitrogen fixed by their roots is at is peak.

  • bob64
    13 years ago

    Food gardening is not really my thing but, in addition to the above advice, I think you might as well get a soil test and also test the drainage while keeping in mind the needs of the types of plants you desire to have there. In just about any kind of garden it's also a good idea to battle with the invasive plants in the immediate area and as far beyond as you can go.

  • gjcore
    13 years ago

    Check for bindweed before tilling. If it's there you might not want to till.

  • Kimmsr
    13 years ago

    Start with a good, reliable soil test. Check with your local AgCanada office to see if they will suggest a good soil test lab to do that. Then dig in your soil and do these simple soil tests,
    1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top.

    1. Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up.

    3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart.

    4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell.

    5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.
    which will help you get to know your soil and what needs to be done to start making that a good, healthy soil. Start to work this year on making the soil better so you do not need to rush into that part of planting a garden next spring.

  • jbest123
    13 years ago

    Living in Canada you should have plenty of NCs unless the soil was contaminated some how. I would let them do the work for you. I built raised beds and filled them with compost rich in HM. My worm population exploded and I have three years of core samples that shows there work.

    Here is a link that might be useful: core samples and soil test

  • nettleknit
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks so much everybody! I was just saying to my husband yesterday how excited I was to find this forum where people are so helpful!

  • oldmainer
    13 years ago

    Hello...you might consider spreading two to four inches of peat moss over your veggie garden area this fall. On top of that spread a nice thick layer of leaves...at least six inches thick. Get some pelletised lime and spread in on top of the leaves via directions on the bag. Also get some 10-10-10-fertilizer and spread it out on top of you leaves according to the bag instructions. In the spring you can pull your leaves and peat moss aside in rows or hills and plant away. Wait till the soil warms up to abt 60 degrees. Don't make things any more complex then you need to...:-) Happy planting and growing...Franklin

  • nygardener
    13 years ago

    jbest123, what are NCs and HM?

  • jbest123
    13 years ago

    Night Crawlers and Horse Manure. John

    Here is a link that might be useful: John's Journal

  • Kimmsr
    13 years ago

    Most places I have been in Canada have a lot of trees growing that supply lots of leaves in the fall so there would be no good reason to spend money on peat moss since those tree leaves are free, except for the cost of getting them from where they are to where you want them, which would be about the same as getting that peat moss from the store to home.
    If one were to pick up those leaves on the way home from work then the cost of transporting them becomes negligable. For those of us that are retired it takes considerably more planning to drop the cost of moving those leaves around.

  • namfon
    13 years ago

    I think I would get some soil and get it tested, then plant some Alfalfa and grow that until next year. If you have sandy soil it will help you retain moiture better after you till it in in 2011, if you have clay it will help improve your structure and drainage, it will also add alot of organic matter to your soil.

    Congradulations on your new place :-)