PREPARE & AMEND YOUR SOIL
Your plants are going to need room for their roots and proper nutrition, so you'll need to dig your garden well. Even if you use a rototiller, the area with plant roots will be much more successful if you dig deeply. Rototillers are good for initial preparation and weed control, but unless you have bottom land with a light, loamy soil you'll still have to dig. For most plants and soils you need to rotate the soil to at least 12". With heavy soils you'll have better results if you go more deeply.
Start by turning the soil once as it is. Then add whatever amendments you can find --- compost, finished manures, crushed leaves, wood ashes, bone meal, whatever --- then turn again. All of the Big Five are heavy feeders. You can dig in plenty of composted manures and balanced fertilizers as long as the bulk of it is deep in the soil. That way young roots won't be damaged by nitrogen and can reach down for what they need later. Repeatedly dig up the area until your soil can be worked easily.
Sources of amendments will vary depending on where you live. If you're in or near rural areas you can find loads of compost and manure. If you're mainly in a city, you'll likely depend on large garden supply stores. I've grown perfectly good gardens with the cheap bags from Lowes or Home Depot, so don't despair if you don't have a pickup truck and a friend with a loader.
A note about mulching:
Mulching is great to keep moisture around perennial plants and flower annuals. If you live in an arid region it's great for vegetables. Otherwise in vegetable gardens mulch tends to be a haven for munching bugs. I've tried wood, leaves, straw --- all produce generous amounts of insect damage. While it doesn't hurt much to mulch between rows, I'd suggest keeping cleared dirt around your plants. You'll pull a few more weeds but you won't lose your vegetables to bugs.
Start by turning the soil once as it is. Then add whatever amendments you can find --- compost, finished manures, crushed leaves, wood ashes, bone meal, whatever --- then turn again. All of the Big Five are heavy feeders. You can dig in plenty of composted manures and balanced fertilizers as long as the bulk of it is deep in the soil. That way young roots won't be damaged by nitrogen and can reach down for what they need later. Repeatedly dig up the area until your soil can be worked easily.
Sources of amendments will vary depending on where you live. If you're in or near rural areas you can find loads of compost and manure. If you're mainly in a city, you'll likely depend on large garden supply stores. I've grown perfectly good gardens with the cheap bags from Lowes or Home Depot, so don't despair if you don't have a pickup truck and a friend with a loader.
A note about mulching:
Mulching is great to keep moisture around perennial plants and flower annuals. If you live in an arid region it's great for vegetables. Otherwise in vegetable gardens mulch tends to be a haven for munching bugs. I've tried wood, leaves, straw --- all produce generous amounts of insect damage. While it doesn't hurt much to mulch between rows, I'd suggest keeping cleared dirt around your plants. You'll pull a few more weeds but you won't lose your vegetables to bugs.
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