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GLADRIDGE
BACK TO BASICS SOIL PREP
In establishing our home garden, the toughest part of the work was clearing and preparing the the land. We had to dig up stubbornly deep-rooted clumps of grass and a number of large rocks. It requred several weekends of hard labor, but was a great "workout".
Later we learned about lasagna gardening - the no dig method - which we will try in expanding our planting area next year. Soil prep would best be done in the Fall, since Spring weather can be so unpredictable.
In choosing the location of our garden plot, we made certain that the area would receive plenty of sunlight. Without an adequate amount of sun, we've found that crops, like tomatoes, may not ripen. FYI, green tomatoes make great salsa and even better piccalilly.
To get a fine quality of soil, we did a lot of sifting to separate out the dirt from the roots and to remove large rocks. Our sifter is a screen set into a large frame (see photo). We place it over our wheelbarrow with a dowel laid across the barrel edges beneath the frame of the screen, so that the frame can be rolled and jiggled back and forth to work out the soil from the larger debris.
In order to get a nice consistency of soil, we mixed together a variety of components - dirt, loam, cow manure, and lime.
We sifted dirt that we dug out from the bottom of our yard compost pile in the woods. This pile is made of decaying grass clippings, fall leaves, pulled weeds, downed twigs and tree limbs, and old Christmas trees. Loam which contains a lot of oak leaves tends to be acidic, so we mixed in four scoops of lime to every barrel of yard compost soil to even out the pH. Admittedly, we have not been scientific in measuring our soil for pH, but have been relying somewhat on instinct. Soil testing kits are available.
For an even better soil mix next year we will add in our organic kitchen compost. Over the past year we have been accumulating our organic kitchen waste in a composter bin that sits behind our shed. We plan to add this to the soil mix this coming Fall.
Fencing is crtitcal to keep out deer and rabbits. We built raised beds in what used to be a chainlink fence dog kennel. The chainlink fencing is perfect for supporting pole beens and climbing tomato vines. We surrounded our larger plot outside the pen with rolls of 3' wire fencing, attached to metal corner posts. Before we got the fencing in place, rabbits had nibbled the tops off our sprouting bean plants, and we had to replant.
In establishing our home garden, the toughest part of the work was clearing and preparing the the land. We had to dig up stubbornly deep-rooted clumps of grass and a number of large rocks. It requred several weekends of hard labor, but was a great "workout".
Later we learned about lasagna gardening - the no dig method - which we will try in expanding our planting area next year. Soil prep would best be done in the Fall, since Spring weather can be so unpredictable.
In choosing the location of our garden plot, we made certain that the area would receive plenty of sunlight. Without an adequate amount of sun, we've found that crops, like tomatoes, may not ripen. FYI, green tomatoes make great salsa and even better piccalilly.
To get a fine quality of soil, we did a lot of sifting to separate out the dirt from the roots and to remove large rocks. Our sifter is a screen set into a large frame (see photo). We place it over our wheelbarrow with a dowel laid across the barrel edges beneath the frame of the screen, so that the frame can be rolled and jiggled back and forth to work out the soil from the larger debris.
In order to get a nice consistency of soil, we mixed together a variety of components - dirt, loam, cow manure, and lime.
We sifted dirt that we dug out from the bottom of our yard compost pile in the woods. This pile is made of decaying grass clippings, fall leaves, pulled weeds, downed twigs and tree limbs, and old Christmas trees. Loam which contains a lot of oak leaves tends to be acidic, so we mixed in four scoops of lime to every barrel of yard compost soil to even out the pH. Admittedly, we have not been scientific in measuring our soil for pH, but have been relying somewhat on instinct. Soil testing kits are available.
For an even better soil mix next year we will add in our organic kitchen compost. Over the past year we have been accumulating our organic kitchen waste in a composter bin that sits behind our shed. We plan to add this to the soil mix this coming Fall.
Fencing is crtitcal to keep out deer and rabbits. We built raised beds in what used to be a chainlink fence dog kennel. The chainlink fencing is perfect for supporting pole beens and climbing tomato vines. We surrounded our larger plot outside the pen with rolls of 3' wire fencing, attached to metal corner posts. Before we got the fencing in place, rabbits had nibbled the tops off our sprouting bean plants, and we had to replant.
Our home gardening project on Gladridge Acre began with preparing a plot of land for planting. The most essential tools are a strong shovel and a strong back. The proper preparation of the soil has been a trial and error learning process, and our early evidence of abundant crops indicate that our efforts have been successful.
TOOLS
SOIL SIFTER
COMPOSTER
TOOLS
SOIL SIFTER COMPOSTER