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GARDENING TIPS HOME
MAIN HOME |
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Soil Preparation Tips |
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PREPARING YOUR GARDEN SOIL
Before we plant our garden you need to rotor
till it. If there hasn't been a garden there
before you will need to plow it or rotor
tilling will be a serious pain especially if
you have a substantial sod layer to take
off. If you need to plow it I suggest
finding a friend or neighbor with a tractor
and a plow. I know sometimes this isn't
possible so here's what you will need to do.
Set the rotor tiller depth bar (usually in
the back) so it tills at the shallowest
level. This is going to be allot of work and
the tiller will want to grab into the sod
and take right off on you. The deeper you
attempt to plow the worse it will grab. When
it grabs be prepared to go for a little
ride. Please be careful! |
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What you want to
do is take the sod off gradually. Go over
the entire are with the tiller on the
shallowest setting. Keep tilling the area
over and over until the tiller no longer
grabs on the shallowest setting. Now move
the depth bar to the next setting and
repeat. Once the tiller no longer grabs set
it to the next setting and so on. After a
while you will have the tiller set to the
deepest setting and will have your garden
completely tilled. It's probably going to be
break time when you finish tilling. |
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Now it's time to
fertilize your garden. It's up to you if you
want to use organic fertilizer or chemical
fertilizer. I like to do things as natural
as practically possible. The word practical
will come to play here for many. I have used
chemical garden fertilizer many times. As
long as you don't over do it the veggies
taste just fine. For those die hard organic
gardeners, I have noticed even Wal-Mart now
has organic palletized garden fertilizer. I
suggest getting your organic nutrients early
in the season. The growing popularity of
organic food sees to it that organic
nutrients fly off the shelf fast and don't
usually get replaced. |
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If this is
already the case contact your local farm
supply or elevator as we call it here in the
boonies. You may also have
the opportunity to use some composted
manure. If so make sure it has composted
properly or it could burn up your plants. My
experience is that cow manure works best.
Horse manure makes your garden grow well
also but it seems to produce lots more weeds
than cow manure. I think it has to do with
what horses eat and their digestive system.
This is my observation and I'm not sure
about the digestion thing. Chicken manure
can also be used but you have to use the
stuff very sparingly as it is very potent
and high in nitrogen. It is quite easy to
over do it and burn your garden right up. I
noticed some of the miracle grow organic
fertilizer is chicken manure/feathers. Of
course it is ground up but still quite
stinky. I'm sure if you use it properly
it works great. Chicken manure seems to work
great on sandy soil but probably works fine
anywhere if you use it properly.
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We take all of our non meat table
scraps and kitchen waste to the compost
pile. This stuff works great to mix in with
other fertilizer. You may also have some
nice compost saved up from the winter. If so
now is the time to mix it in. Whatever you
decide to use spread it over the garden and
rotor till it in using the deepest setting
on your tiller. Only go over it one last
time.
In Autumn when the
leaves fall we rake them up and rotor till
them into the garden soil good. It is good
to rotor till your garden in the fall.
Grinding the remains of your garden plants
and leaves adds organic matter which is very
good. Mixing a little nitrogen in with the
leaves helps decompose the organic matter
faster. |
It also prevents certain bugs like cut
worms from overpopulating your soil in the
spring. If you have sandy based soil like we do
these bugs can be a real problem in the spring.
Moths lay eggs on garden vegetation in the fall.
Keeping that vegetation tilled in prevents them
from laying eggs which in turn helps you keep
those nasty pests from demolishing your plants
come spring.
Beneficial nematodes won't harm
earthworms, birds, plants or harm the
environment. They occur naturally, but often not
in high enough concentrations to do enough help
when we as gardeners sometimes need. Spraying
your garden with beneficial nematodes is a
little more expensive then the above methods but
is highly effective if done properly. It is very
practical and allot less work than trying to
save plants that are under attack. Replacing
plants is more too. You can effectively cover
300 square feet for less than $20.00.
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About The Author:
Written By Steve Snyder
Visit my garden seed website. We offer high
quality fresh flower, vegetable and herb seed
for the home gardener.
Millington Seed Co
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