Monday, September 13, 2010

Fall is the Best Time To Start A Garden?




I know it sounds like I've gone crazy, but hear me out. Last year I talked about how I fertilize just before putting the garden beds to bed for the winter. The same principles apply. The best time to create a garden, ammend the soil, etc. is the season before you plant. Since the ground freezes here in Ohio over the winter, that leaves the fall season to prepare ahead of time.


I decided to share my nutty theory in multiple posts. The first is about selecting a site in your yard for a garden.


The thought for the first time gardener is to start small....at least at first. A small garden will take less work and materials and frankly, if done well a 4X4 foot garden will provide enough vegetables and fruit for a family of 3 to enjoy during the standard growing season.


Once you get the hang of gardening and get hooked (and you will!) you can expand your garden to incorporate more crops, varieties and to experiment.


The first consideration in locating your garden is light. A vegetable garden needs anywhere from 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day, so select a site that has that amount of exposure to center your garden.


If you will be using native ground only, you will need to test the soil and ammend it appropriately for nutrients and drainage (adding compost, peat, sand, etc.)


We will continue the series talking about other methods of creating a garden...until then, let the thoughts of your garden perculate!


Happy Gardening!

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