Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2011 11:02:53 GMT -5
By Norman Winter • McClatchy Newspapers • January 15, 2011
There is a good chance you are among the multitude considering planting a vegetable garden this year. Somebody on Wall Street may be hitting it big right now, but you and I both can probably count a dozen reasons why a vegetable garden seems like a winning proposition.
You may find yourself wondering where to start. Over the years, I have humorously said that the key to the green thumb is how brown it gets first in soil preparation. To be honest, soil and soil prep is everything, whether you are growing flowers or vegetables.
The winning formula for success, whether it's been the heavy muggy clay to a sandier soil that drains in mere minutes, is to grow the garden on raised beds. Roots of bedding plants have to penetrate soils quickly, anchor plants, and absorb water and nutrients, often under adverse conditions.
What many don't realize is that in addition to water and nutrients the plants also need oxygen for proper growth. Soil texture plays the most important role in determining whether or not those three needs are met sufficiently to allow the plant to become established and perform to expectations.
Desirable soil holds water while allowing for proper drainage. It also provides adequate oxygen for root growth. The raised bed is the best way to meet these needs.
Soil mix
If you are buying into the concept, you may be asking, “Well, OK, what do I put into the raised beds?” The best gardener I know — one whom I have watched for more than a decade — uses one-third topsoil, one-third sand and one-third compost. I have had the luxury of bringing in a truckload of my own prepared mix that was basically the same, although it had a good quantity of fine pine bark (pieces less than ½ inch).
No matter where in the country you live, there are companies that compost either tiny bark pieces mentioned above, mushroom or cotton burr compost, or some other black gold with sand and topsoil to give you an excellent planting medium. They sell this material in bags or bulk to garden centers, which in turn, sell it to landscapers and/or to you. If you are able to buy a sufficient amount, they will sell bulk to you the same way they do garden centers.
The raised beds do not have to be enclosed, but it certainly makes things easier from the standpoint of weed control or turf encroachment. A rock, brick or concrete border is considered the ultimate, but I really like using 2-by-12 lumber for the frames. If you are able, you can build your frames and have the soil mix dumped in the boxes or in close proximity.
I have made large boxes as well as smaller ones. Smaller boxes offer you the opportunity to tend or hoe from each side without walking in and compacting the soil with foot traffic.
Cages help
Another winning trait I have watched over and over is the utilization of cages for both tomatoes and peppers. These two vegetables always rank high in popularity.
The cages made from concrete reinforcing wire allow the tomatoes and peppers to grow up vertically, keeping the plants sturdy and upright. The canopy of foliage protects ripening fruit from sunscald and even small hail.
With the addition of plastic, the cages can also become like small greenhouses should young plants be threatened by late frosts.
It's not planting season yet, but it is awfully fun to start the planning process and decide where to put your raised-bed garden. The best reason of all to grow a vegetable garden is the sheer delight in harvesting and tasting the vine-ripened produce.
There is a good chance you are among the multitude considering planting a vegetable garden this year. Somebody on Wall Street may be hitting it big right now, but you and I both can probably count a dozen reasons why a vegetable garden seems like a winning proposition.
You may find yourself wondering where to start. Over the years, I have humorously said that the key to the green thumb is how brown it gets first in soil preparation. To be honest, soil and soil prep is everything, whether you are growing flowers or vegetables.
The winning formula for success, whether it's been the heavy muggy clay to a sandier soil that drains in mere minutes, is to grow the garden on raised beds. Roots of bedding plants have to penetrate soils quickly, anchor plants, and absorb water and nutrients, often under adverse conditions.
What many don't realize is that in addition to water and nutrients the plants also need oxygen for proper growth. Soil texture plays the most important role in determining whether or not those three needs are met sufficiently to allow the plant to become established and perform to expectations.
Desirable soil holds water while allowing for proper drainage. It also provides adequate oxygen for root growth. The raised bed is the best way to meet these needs.
Soil mix
If you are buying into the concept, you may be asking, “Well, OK, what do I put into the raised beds?” The best gardener I know — one whom I have watched for more than a decade — uses one-third topsoil, one-third sand and one-third compost. I have had the luxury of bringing in a truckload of my own prepared mix that was basically the same, although it had a good quantity of fine pine bark (pieces less than ½ inch).
No matter where in the country you live, there are companies that compost either tiny bark pieces mentioned above, mushroom or cotton burr compost, or some other black gold with sand and topsoil to give you an excellent planting medium. They sell this material in bags or bulk to garden centers, which in turn, sell it to landscapers and/or to you. If you are able to buy a sufficient amount, they will sell bulk to you the same way they do garden centers.
The raised beds do not have to be enclosed, but it certainly makes things easier from the standpoint of weed control or turf encroachment. A rock, brick or concrete border is considered the ultimate, but I really like using 2-by-12 lumber for the frames. If you are able, you can build your frames and have the soil mix dumped in the boxes or in close proximity.
I have made large boxes as well as smaller ones. Smaller boxes offer you the opportunity to tend or hoe from each side without walking in and compacting the soil with foot traffic.
Cages help
Another winning trait I have watched over and over is the utilization of cages for both tomatoes and peppers. These two vegetables always rank high in popularity.
The cages made from concrete reinforcing wire allow the tomatoes and peppers to grow up vertically, keeping the plants sturdy and upright. The canopy of foliage protects ripening fruit from sunscald and even small hail.
With the addition of plastic, the cages can also become like small greenhouses should young plants be threatened by late frosts.
It's not planting season yet, but it is awfully fun to start the planning process and decide where to put your raised-bed garden. The best reason of all to grow a vegetable garden is the sheer delight in harvesting and tasting the vine-ripened produce.