How to Prepare a Vegetable Garden
June 8, 2009 – 10:23 pm by MarinaHanes
Are you a beginner at gardening? Even if you don’t think you’re gifted with a green thumb, laying the groundwork for a vegetable garden can increase the chances of having a rewarding harvest. Preparing the soil requires some time, but the end result (juicy red tomatoes, crisp carrots, etc.) is worth it.
Soil tests are a starting point, especially if you have never planted a garden on your property before. These tests are inexpensive ($20 to $50), and you can test your own soil instead of hiring a private lab. The test will determine your soil’s pH and quality (amount of minerals and nutrients), so you can figure out if you need to add organic materials to enhance your soil. For example, if your soil is low on nutrients, add grass clippings, straw and leaves during the spring or fall. Tilling these materials into the soil will enable these items to break down faster and enrich the soil quicker too. It’s best to till when the ground is dry to reduce lumps.
Other than nutrient quality, you also need to be aware of soil-borne diseases, which can be lurking in your potential garden area. However, you can sterilize the soil through solarizing. This should be done in the early spring, and it involves covering your soil with a black gardening plastic. Use rocks or bricks to create a seal, because you want the plastic to trap the heat from the sun. Within a few weeks, the sun’s heat will sterilize the soil so it can grow healthy plants.
Weeds can pop up without notice, and if you don’t take care of them immediately, they can grow quickly and take over. A thick layer of mulch over the soil is a way to combat them. However, you will need to go in from time to time and pull them out the ones that make it through the mulch.
After you have implemented these steps, you can test the soil again to see if there has been an improvement. Creating a quality foundation for your vegetables might enable you to grow a garden all year long.
Tags: organic materials, prepare a garden, rewarding harvest, soil tests, solarizing, vegetable garden