Spring garden prep

[Lowdown3]

It's that time again.

Have had the goats in the two main garden areas all winter and most of fall.

That puts a little fertilizer right where we need and helps keep the weeds down a bit.

We hauled in rabbit manure yesterday. Spread it and raked it.

It's been a few years since we've limed so we will add a small amount of lime. It's not just for PH but lime also helps unlock some other nutrients as well.

I've noticed that wet pieces of firewood attract earthworms. Some pieces that were beginning to rot were placed around the periphery of various garden areas. A little experiment to see if that will help with earthworms. Wood rotting tends to use up nitrogen, so putting the pieces on the periphery may not equal a minus to nutrients.

We have found that the goats, rabbits and chickens produce enough manure to supply one of the smaller garden areas that is roughly 50x50. It's also the most convenient to these animals for the manure that has to be hauled in. We could "share the wealth" of this manure in the larger areas and get a really small increase but I've chosen to keep it principally in an area that we can keep fertile with all the manure. That area is also closest to several water sources including a dedicated hand pump deep well. It's also closest to the house for keeping an eye on things.

We don't have a lot of deciduous trees in our area but if you did, leaves buried in the garden area is another cheap way to slowly improve the soil over time. All of your ashes from your wood stove goes in the garden. Animal entrails can be buried in the garden areas for yet another free way to fertilize the soil.

What are you doing for garden prep?

[protus]

Were looking to expand again. Added a small herb section...but looking to add possibly two 8*4 by 12 deep raised beds. This would double our output...and allow more deep root stuff. My 4*4 by 14 deep has done great for taters. Gonna clean out the birds bedding and add to the compost heap...three going so far...also looking at a small fruit grove set up of four to six trees.

[rockriver]

garden has been tilled.
potatoes planted. broc and cabbage.
--
wife wants to wait till easter to plant... I won't be able to wait>

asparagus is coming up!! this is third year... or fourth?

we've had heavy rains... I may have to till again, as there has been heavy washing from the rain

[Rmplstlskn]

We don't have a lot of deciduous trees in our area but if you did, leaves buried in the garden area is another cheap way to slowly improve the soil over time. All of your ashes from your wood stove goes in the garden.

I get a lot of sugar maple & poplar leaves that I mulch up in the fall and let it sit in a big pile all winter and early spring. I use the bottom stuff for compost, digging it in the deep beds, and for mulch to keep weeds at bay. I have been told by some old time VA farmers that pure leaf compost is bad for some vegetables like tomatoes. First I heard that, but that could be why my tomatoes have been lack luster the last few years I have been doing that.

I had always thought firewood ash was not good to add into the garden soil..???

This year I spent a lot of time "flipping the soil" and improving it. Flipping it is how I keep it loose deep down, I dig out about 2 feet from a 2 foot section and put that in my trailer, then I turn over the next 2 feet into the hole next to it, I leap frog the soil until the end and then I dump back in the soil from the trailer. Gets it nice a loose DEEP down...
I also did a home soil test this year and found I was VERY LOW in nitrogen and phosphorus, so also added some nice local horse & veggy matter compost sold here and added blood meal and bone meal to boost the nutrients.
I have to say, the soil looks so rich, if I was an earthworm, I'd be orgasmic... LOL!

So far my spinach, lettuce and carrots are just peeking out, We have only been snow free since last week, so doing well so far. A few peas are pooping up but not a lot yet...

Have the tomatoes under lights in my shop...

Thinking of making a 4x4 raised bed an asparagus patch as my wife and I love it!!!!

Than doing all the other spring chores that have been waiting for winter to FINALLY leave for good...

Rmpl

[mtgrandma]

I can't resist any thread about getting ready to garden. Of course, where I live we can't plant much until May/June, but I'm still excited and can't wait. We've gardened for ages, but continue to learn new things every year. My latest lesson is never plant potatoes in the same place. That was a very important thing for me to learn because we're meat & potatoes people. Got the meat. Gotta have the potatoes.

[Benn Gleck]

We put down powdered lime last year and last weekend added pelletized lime as well. We've been saving coffee grounds and egg shells all winter and added those last weekend too. If you want earthworms add your coffee grounds. We also compost leaves, horse manure and grass clippings and will add those when we till. Just waiting for the garden to dry out so we can till it.

We also sprayed the fruit trees with dormant oil and pruned them.

[WiseOwl]

I took a 4" piece of PVC pipe and cut it about 4 ft tall. I took a whole saw bit 1" and drilled 8 holes on one end about 8 inches up. I buried it in the ground at 10" and I throw all of our organic food waste in it.

They call it a worm house.
They come in through the holes, eat the scraps and then spread the casings under the ground in the circumference of it.


I'll be damned if I dont have a ton of worms in the ground.
Yall ought to try it.

[Rmplstlskn]

I took a 4" piece of PVC pipe and cut it about 4 ft tall. I took a whole saw bit 1" and drilled 8 holes on one end about 8 inches up. I buried it in the ground at 10" and I throw all of our organic food waste in it.

They call it a worm house.
They come in through the holes, eat the scraps and then spread the casings under the ground in the circumference of it.


I'll be damned if I dont have a ton of worms in the ground.
Yall ought to try it.

Sounds like a great idea! I could see doing that in the middle of my garden beds... Post hole digger shouldn't disturb much veggies...

[WiseOwl]

I will post some pics when my phone charges.

[Bama]

Im ahead of most of you. I do my prep around the first if the year. I will be scratching taters in a couple of weeks but the heavy rains have hindered the rest of my planting. I do have english peas blooming carrots and green onions ready to pull.
I have changed my gardening strategy from row cropping to growing in dedicated beds. It has been a blessing. I have cut my work load by 70% using dedicated beds. I would love to share the particulars with you all but I'm still working them out myself. The entire idea was from a book I read and my grand mothers gardens. Ill get the title and edit this post for you. I will also take some pictures to add. The entire primus is based on keeping your beds active year round, either planted or cover cropped. The fact that the beds are dedicated with permanent walkways between means that you never walk in or compact the soil in your planting area. Yes crop rotation, companion planting, and interplanting are all necessary to accomplish it. I also use drip irrigation and row covers. I wanted to post a blog on the subject but as I said im still working out details myself. The title of the book is how to grow more vegetables in less space by John jeavons. I dont believe its the bible on gardening, in fact I disagree with some of it but the general principals are correct. You can grow more in less space and with less time and effort if you plan your garden area correctly.

[Bama]

This is where I am today.

[610Alpha]

The title of the book is how to grow more vegetables in less space by John jeavons.

I have read the book and there is a lot of useful info in it, I believe it is the Biointensive method. It seems very heavy on the intensive part. I ran the numbers on how much time per bed they had as an example and it was way more time than what they allude to imo.

Since I read the book I have learned about Permaculture. I recently read "Gaias Garden" by Toby Hemenway which deals with smaller sized areas, less than 5 acres.

Wood covered by soil is supposed to be awesome stuff, it is said that if you build a wood covered bed roughly 6 ft tall that in a couple of years you won't have to irrigate that bed.

To learn more go here: http://www.richsoil.com/hugelkultur/

[Bama]

I agree, the book is just a guide, a guide to open your mind to different ways of approaching a garden. I am working toward permaculture in other areas of my property. The benefits of planting in permanent beds are sound, if you keep amending the soil regularly.