Post by jdd2035 on Sept 11, 2014 18:24:42 GMT -5
Ok so you want to make a traditional garden that is awesome. With any garden traditional or container you get better tasting food that has more vitamins and minerals per bite than any thing store bought not only that but the food you grow your self has not been placed near other food that might have been contaminated by it's neighboring food, been grown in another country or has been sprayed with herbicides, pesticides or any other unpleasant and potentially toxic materials.
First things first preparing your garden area.
A garden is a failure or a success before one seed is planted. So the first thing to do in your garden area is to clear it of weeds and junk by junk I mean garbage, large branches, car parts, what ever you do not want in your garden.
Once your garden area is cleared of weeds and junk then you have to break the hard pan. You know when you were a kid and you were digging in your parents back yard with a spoon or spade or some such and you did really really good at digging for the first few inches and then the digging got really really hard because the ground got really really hard and packed? Well that's the hard pan.
There a few things you can do to break the hard pan (and it takes repetition to really make it broken) the first is to take a rotor tiller and till it that way. A cheaper way is to take a potato fork and turn the dirt and the long way is to grow root vegetables in the garden area for a few seasons.
The best way though is to do all three. Use a potato fork and turn the dirt over to weaken it so the tiller can dig deeper and break up the soil better and finally grow root vegetables to further break the soil down and enrich it.
And that takes care of the first part of breaking the hard pan.
The next part is to add organic material to the dirt. This does two hing the first thing it does is it prevents the dirt from re-coalescing back into hard pan. The second thing the organic matter does is it enriches the soil and helps your plants grow better.
Organic matter can be the following in no political correct terms....Leaves, grass clippings, egg shells, animal crap, coffee grounds, earth worms, animal piss, hay, straw you get the picture. If earth worms can eat it then it's organic material. Keep that in mind when you look for "organically grown food" Organic means out of a cows but.
As a side not some crap has more acid in it than others and may need to "mellow" for a growing season before it can be used with out harming your plants.
So now you have your garden area all cleaned up and the hard pan broken up with some goat crap mixed in for flavor. It's time to decide what you are going to plant. This is dependent on where you live, what you like to eat how mature your garden is and what side of your property your garden is on.
Me I like Turnips, Carrots, Beats, Potatoes, Okra, Tomatoes, Sweet Peas, Corn, Yellow; Zukini, Acorn; Butternut and Acorn Squash.
Just like any thing else some organization must be done before planting. Taller plants can block the sun so pay attention to where the sun shines. Also plants need room to grow and you need room to maneuver when tending your garden. You need at-least a foot and a half between rows give or take and each plant has its own personal space it needs from 2 to 16 inches depending on the plant....Do Some Research! Organize your garden how you like but keep this all in mind and try to keep your shorter plants in-between the sun and the taller plants.
Ok now you have your seeds planted in the broken hard pan soil mixed with turkey crap. To get them to grow they need water it's a plane and simple idea living things need water. But like all other living things if you give the seeds to much water they will drown. So here is a simple rule of thumb take a clump of dirt in your hand and toss it in the air about an inc and a half to two inches and catch it. If the clump falls apart in a few tosses it's probably got the right amount of water. If the dirt doesn't clump than not enough and if it's runny well way to much water.
And with water comes weeds
The bane of every gardener, farmer and child of a gardener and farmer. And it's all Adams fault! But then if I was offered a piece of fruit by a naked woman built to fit me perfectly then I would probably eat it too but it's still Adams fault!
Any way weeds are as varied as people are. Some have roots that run all the way to ground water others have thorns and others will make you break out in blisters. Weeds also steel water, nutrients and sunlight from your plants and give you nothing in return (insert politically incorrect reference about the Tea Party or Occupy Movement your choice). Best to get rid of them.
Your options are pulling, chopping and poisoning. Poisoning stands a chance to poison and kill your plants and the reason for tending a garden. Chopping don't last very long cause you leave the root in the ground but it is effective and saves you from bending over and kneeling to pull hard to get weeds. And then pulling works incredibly well because it takes out the majority of the root.
Once your garden is growing keep the weeds out and the water in and you'll see your fruits and vegetables come up. Keep you the good work and reap the rewards of a job well done. And Left or Right you will have plenty to share!
Each gardens soil is different I live 2 miles from my parents place and my soil needs different attention than theirs. So fertilizer and rotation requirements are all different so look at what your area needs from season to season.
First things first preparing your garden area.
A garden is a failure or a success before one seed is planted. So the first thing to do in your garden area is to clear it of weeds and junk by junk I mean garbage, large branches, car parts, what ever you do not want in your garden.
Once your garden area is cleared of weeds and junk then you have to break the hard pan. You know when you were a kid and you were digging in your parents back yard with a spoon or spade or some such and you did really really good at digging for the first few inches and then the digging got really really hard because the ground got really really hard and packed? Well that's the hard pan.
There a few things you can do to break the hard pan (and it takes repetition to really make it broken) the first is to take a rotor tiller and till it that way. A cheaper way is to take a potato fork and turn the dirt and the long way is to grow root vegetables in the garden area for a few seasons.
The best way though is to do all three. Use a potato fork and turn the dirt over to weaken it so the tiller can dig deeper and break up the soil better and finally grow root vegetables to further break the soil down and enrich it.
And that takes care of the first part of breaking the hard pan.
The next part is to add organic material to the dirt. This does two hing the first thing it does is it prevents the dirt from re-coalescing back into hard pan. The second thing the organic matter does is it enriches the soil and helps your plants grow better.
Organic matter can be the following in no political correct terms....Leaves, grass clippings, egg shells, animal crap, coffee grounds, earth worms, animal piss, hay, straw you get the picture. If earth worms can eat it then it's organic material. Keep that in mind when you look for "organically grown food" Organic means out of a cows but.
As a side not some crap has more acid in it than others and may need to "mellow" for a growing season before it can be used with out harming your plants.
So now you have your garden area all cleaned up and the hard pan broken up with some goat crap mixed in for flavor. It's time to decide what you are going to plant. This is dependent on where you live, what you like to eat how mature your garden is and what side of your property your garden is on.
Me I like Turnips, Carrots, Beats, Potatoes, Okra, Tomatoes, Sweet Peas, Corn, Yellow; Zukini, Acorn; Butternut and Acorn Squash.
Just like any thing else some organization must be done before planting. Taller plants can block the sun so pay attention to where the sun shines. Also plants need room to grow and you need room to maneuver when tending your garden. You need at-least a foot and a half between rows give or take and each plant has its own personal space it needs from 2 to 16 inches depending on the plant....Do Some Research! Organize your garden how you like but keep this all in mind and try to keep your shorter plants in-between the sun and the taller plants.
Ok now you have your seeds planted in the broken hard pan soil mixed with turkey crap. To get them to grow they need water it's a plane and simple idea living things need water. But like all other living things if you give the seeds to much water they will drown. So here is a simple rule of thumb take a clump of dirt in your hand and toss it in the air about an inc and a half to two inches and catch it. If the clump falls apart in a few tosses it's probably got the right amount of water. If the dirt doesn't clump than not enough and if it's runny well way to much water.
And with water comes weeds
The bane of every gardener, farmer and child of a gardener and farmer. And it's all Adams fault! But then if I was offered a piece of fruit by a naked woman built to fit me perfectly then I would probably eat it too but it's still Adams fault!
Any way weeds are as varied as people are. Some have roots that run all the way to ground water others have thorns and others will make you break out in blisters. Weeds also steel water, nutrients and sunlight from your plants and give you nothing in return (insert politically incorrect reference about the Tea Party or Occupy Movement your choice). Best to get rid of them.
Your options are pulling, chopping and poisoning. Poisoning stands a chance to poison and kill your plants and the reason for tending a garden. Chopping don't last very long cause you leave the root in the ground but it is effective and saves you from bending over and kneeling to pull hard to get weeds. And then pulling works incredibly well because it takes out the majority of the root.
Once your garden is growing keep the weeds out and the water in and you'll see your fruits and vegetables come up. Keep you the good work and reap the rewards of a job well done. And Left or Right you will have plenty to share!
Each gardens soil is different I live 2 miles from my parents place and my soil needs different attention than theirs. So fertilizer and rotation requirements are all different so look at what your area needs from season to season.