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EVERY gardener dreams of a garden bursting with yummy vegetables and oodles of pest free plants. Reduce your workload by planning ahead, watering and feeding when necessary to make that dream a reality.
1. When creating a brand new garden spend a few days breaking up all heavy soil to a depth of at least 18 inches. If the soil is clay, it will need compost or peat moss (two thirds) and sand (one third) to become a crumbly consistency, able to hold water. Note: Wear a mask and gloves when working with peat moss.
2. When the soil is crumbly, add compost or manure. There are a variety of manures to choose from: Sheep, cow, chicken, mushroom, cottonseed meal, kelp meal, leather meal and worm castings, as well as many synthetic fertilizers.
3. All manures should be composted before being used on the vegetable garden. It is best to add the manure in the fall, after harvest, or in the spring, before planting. Put down a layer of one to two inches of manure; work it into the top six to nine inches of soil.
4. Test soil. Have you ever been disappointed with the performance of your vegetables or flowers, even though you gave them the best care you could? The pH level may be the problem, test soil at home using a do-it-yourself kit or with a portable soil probe/pH meter. Or send a sample to a lab for a more in-depth analysis.
5. Soil can be brought back to the ideal pH range of 6.5 to 7.0. You can make adjustments by applying soil amendments such as dolomite limestone or gypsum. The best way to make pH adjustments is to incorporate compost and mulch. Adjust pH gradually, over several seasons.
6. Healthy soil with plenty of organic matter promotes healthy plant growth. One of the best sources of organic matter is Canadian sphagnum peat moss. Canadian sphagnum peat moss is a natural, organic soil conditioner. It's unique cell structure helps regulate moisture and air around plant roots, adds body to sandy soil and reduces runoff of nutrients present in or added to the soil.
7. The most widely available seed-starting medium is vermiculite. Seedlings cannot be grown in vermiculite for long, because it contains no nutrients. Seedlings must be given a water-soluble fertilizer regularly or transplanted to sterile soil when the second pair of true leaves form. In special cases, coarse sand, pumice and perlite are added to heavy clays to help improve soil texture or structure. Compost, manures and other amendments are less expensive and just as effective.
8. Good drainage is important for healthy soil. Soggy soil prevents root growth and nutrient absorption by the plants. If soil drains too quickly, this will cause the leaching of nutrients and require plants to be watered more frequently. Test the soil by digging a hole six inches across by one foot deep. Fill the hole with water and let drain. After the water is drained, fill it again. Time how long it takes for the water to drain. If it takes more than 8 hours, drainage is a problem and will affect plant growth. To determine if the soil drains too quickly, water a small portion of the garden. Check the area after two days; dig a hole 6 inches deep. If the soil is dry to the bottom of the hole, your soil drains to quickly to promote good plant growth.
9. Nitrogen increases green growth of plants. You need to increase nitrogen if older leaves are yellow and spindly at the bottom of the plant and the remaining foliage is light green. To increase nitrogen, add grass clippings and green vegetables, blood meal, cottonseed meal, alfalfa meal, fish meal or fish emulsion.
10. Phosphorus stimulates root growth and promotes seed and fruit maturation. Your plants are lacking phosphorus if the leaves have brittle roots, skinny stems and late fruit. Increase phosphorus to plants by adding bone meal to the garden.
11. Potassium is helpful at reducing plant disease. If you notice irregular yellowing of low growing leaves and poor root growth, consider adding grass clippings, sulphate of potash and wood ashes.
12. Calcium is important for root and leaf development. If you notice deformed leaves, weak stems and roots, add gypsum to the garden this will lower alkalinity in the soil. 13. All vegetables need some sunlight. The garden should receive at least six hours of direct sunlight each day (eight to 10 hours each day is ideal). Vegetables should therefore be planted away from the shade of buildings, trees, and shrubs. Some leafy vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, and lettuce tolerate shadier conditions than other vegetables; if the garden does not receive at least six hours of sunlight daily, consider a new location.
14. Do not plant related vegetables in the same location in the garden more often than once in three years. Rotation prevents the build-up of insects and disease. Use old plans as a guide for rotating crops.
15. Sow some seeds directly in the ground as they grow best that way: beans, beets, carrots, chard, corn, lettuce, melons, peas, pumpkins, squash and turnips. Starting seeds is much less expensive than planting seedlings. Tip: Over watering is the No. 1 cause of death in most landscape plants. Water carefully, the surface of the soil should feel dry to the touch before you add water to your new garden.
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