Best Vegetable Garden Ever C Compost will improve your soil C Calendar to plan your garden C Consistency in your care
Gardening Is All About The Soil
The Soil is the Stomach of the Plant
Adding Amendments After soil in the bed is loosened add amendments according to soil test. Till or spade to mix all amendments together with soil. Know how many square feet you have per bed because most recommendations are given in pounds per square feet. Length X width = Square feet Organic amendments are either minerals like rock powders or derived from living things like plants or animals. Example: Lime is from limestone and Kelp Meal is from a plant that grows in the sea. Feather Meal is ground chicken feathers.
Mike s Mix Here are the amounts you will need to mix up approximately 10 cubic feet (enough to fill a 4 4 bed that is 7 inches deep) 2 Bags of Sunshine Organic Potting Soil. Each bag is 2.8 cubic feet 2 bags of black Kow Cow Manure Compost 40 pounds approximately 1 cubic foot each 2 bags of Black Kow Mushroom Compost 40 pounds approximately 1 cubic foot each 3 Pounds of Organic Fertilizer 3-2-3 1 pound of Azomite 4 Quarts of Worm Castings
Calendar For Planting Zone 8 sometimes Zone 7b Cool Season Plants March-May and Aug-Nov Warm Season Plants April September Winter Cool season plants with protection Oct-Feb
Spring cool weather Vegetables Broccoli Cabbage Cauliflower Kale Lettuce Mustard greens Spinach Pok Choy Swiss Chard Arugula Collards Sugar snap peas Kohlrabi These can go into the garden as plants in late February to early April. They can withstand some cold weather but be prepared to cover them when the temperatures dip below freezing. Remay (a woven fabric for plant protection) or old bed sheets are better to cover plants with than plastic. Back up 4 to 6 weeks if you are starting these plants from seed.
Root Vegetables From Seed Direct Seed Into The Garden Carrots Soil temp needs to be 55 Radishes Soil temp needs to be 55 Potatoes (A potato-not a seed. You are planting the potato eyes) can be planted late February to early March. Prepare your soil in the fall because it will usually be too wet when it time to plant potatoes.
Summer Vegetables From Transplants Tomatoes Peppers Squash Cucumbers Melons Okra Herbs Flowers Warm weather vegetables will not tolerate frost and need to have warm soils 65 or better to perform well. Wait at least until mid-april or make plans to protect plants from cold.
Summer Vegetables To Direct Seed Into The Garden Beans Squash Melons Black eyed peas Okra Corn Cucumbers Look on your seed packs or seed catalogs for germination temperatures and depth. Check the soil temperature with a thermometer. Some seeds like okra will sprout better if soaked overnight.
Fall Vegetables Broccoli Cabbage Cauliflower Kale Brussel sprouts Kohlrabi Lettuce (Direct seed or plants) Mustard Greens (Direct Seed) Collards Greens Turnip Greens (Direct seed) Swiss Chard Pok choy Spinach ( Direct seed or plants. Soak) Arugula (Direct Seed ) Radish (Direct Seed ) Carrots ( Direct Seed ) Fall vegetables mature in the fall but need to be planted in late summer so they will mature in cool weather. Look on seed packets and catalogs to see days to maturity to determine when to plant seed or buy plants in late August or early September. Have your Bt spray ready because fall is caterpillar time and they love all these fall veggies. Because it s usually dry and hot when you plant fall vegetables have your irrigation ready. You can devote some or all of your garden in the fall to cover crops like clover, vetch and rye. These will grow through the winter and improve the soil for next spring s planting.
Consistent in your Care Gardens are like pets. They don t like to be ignored. Consistent care weekly is the key. Not plant it and leave it. Water according to soil moisture not a time table. Scout for insects and diseases.
First Line of Defense Grow healthy Plants. Provide enough sunlight which is 6 to 8 hours of full sun for most vegetables. Plant in soil that is rich in organic matter and provides all the minerals necessary for optimum growth. Provide plants with adequate water and mulch to conserve moisture and smother out weeds.
Exclude Insects & Other Critters
Plants That Don t Need Pollination
Double Fence for Deer
Second Line of Defense Some herbs and flowers we plant on our farm to attract beneficial insects and bees. Basil Dill Vetch Cosmos Yarrow Clover Buckwheat Coreopsis Comfrey Elderberry Milk Weed Jerusalem Artichoke Bronze Fennel Sweet Fennel Mexican Sunflower Buckwheat Zinnias Daisies
Scout For Insects And Disease Always be on the lookout for insects and disease. The earlier you find a problem the easer it is to fix. Know what weakness each plant has and be prepared to take action when a problem starts. Learn to identify insects so you know the good from the bad. 90 % of all insects are not harmful to plants or they eat bad insects. Plant flowers that have lots of nectar in the blooms so you can attract beneficial insects. Dill, fennel, daisies, buckwheat and zinnias are just a few of the plants that will attract beneficial insects and pollinators.
Ladybug
Aphids and a Lady Bug Larvae
Third Line of Defense Organic sprays and dust Insecticidal Soap Diatomaceous Earth Spinosad BT Organic Pyrethrum Neem Oil
Diseases Serenade Copper Soap Milk Potassium Bicarbonate Sulfur Neem Oil