GARDENING
"Proper preparation prevents a piss poor performance" a friend of mine used to say. That is very true in gardening. If you do not plan ahead your garden will suffer. The planning of a garden is a continual thing. Take good notes on what you are doing and what the consequences have been. For example one year I planted a ton of beats, they never matured because they were planted too early in the year.
Plant what you like, and if you really like it or use it throughout the year, space your plantings about 2-4 weeks apart so that you can have a continual crop.
Preperation for Spring planting begins in Winter. You should have an outline and timeline written out for your garden. It is good to think about your plan ahead of time.
Preparing the soil - Nice, balanced aerated soil is the goal. Do not work the soil when it is wet, it will be to clumpy. Wait until there has been a few warm dry day's. If it has been an exceptionally wet year, cover your garden area with plastic for several day's before preparing the soil. Rototill or spade the soil until it is nicely mixed, no large clumps. If you grew a cover crop, or put straw, leafs or other organic material on your garden, just mix it all in. It is food for the soil.
Create mounds as a planting surface - being sure to rotate crop plantings (see page on crop rotation) rake off any excess leaf mold or straw from overwintered crops (or any weeds that have grown) then let the soil sit for a day or two before planting. For a planting guide see the right hand side of page.
SPRING
Click here to see my garden before and after soil preparation.
Be sure to check the Links page for seed catalogs and online companies
Late Spring 1999
PESTS - Be sure to treat for slugs before your starts show signs of damage.
TIP - when building a garden, lay chicken wire down before adding the soil. This will keep critters like moles out.
WEEDING - Be sure to get grasses out of your garden early, they take up lots of root space and when pulled up can take quite a bit of soil with them. Great thoroughness and persistence are needed when patrolling the garden for grass.
GROWING METHODS - There are many different types of growing methods: container gardening, raised bed, bare earth, square foot and then there are winter gardening methods, green house, cold cloche, hot beds, and even your windowsill. Experiment and see which methods work best for you.
TIP - Keep a record and diagram of your garden to be sure to rotate your crops and to keep any information you have learned throughout the growing season.
SUMMER
Beware of overwatering or underwatering in the summer months, water early in the morning or late at night to reduce evaporation. If watering by hand use a fan or rose attatched to the hose. Continue weeding, harvesting and planting.
To keep your plants from going to seed pick them often.
Beware of powder mildew and aphids on plants. Check under the leafs and at the base of plants, spray a solution of a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid mixed with three cups of water to the plant to deter aphids. You can also set out ladybugs. These can be purchased at most garden stores.
For leaf mold keeping a clean garden is the key, remove any infected leafs from the ground - they can re contaminate the soil.
AUTUMN
Still constructing :-)