Good Soil = Healthy Plants
Wintertime . There I said it . I always detest thinking about that time of twelvemonth – especially justly now when the fall weather has turned beautiful here in Ohio . So … alternatively of thinking about the stale wintertime months forward , I pick out to stay positivistic and think instead of next springiness and summertime ’s garden . Actually , much like a great lawn – what you do now and in the coming months can make a huge deviation in the success of next yr ’s garden . Here are four thing you’re able to do NOW to really jump - start your 2013 garden .
1 . DON’T COMPOST YOUR TOMATO AND PEPPER PLANTS
Good Soil = Healthy Plants
Although contrary to what we unremarkably do – which is compost everything we can – we do n’t compost our pepper and tomato plant plants from the garden . We actually throw them on our burn pile and burn them with fallen stick , etc . Why ? Just too much chance for any works disease to get passed through to the soil for next class . In addition – the singular green or damaged fruit still on the plant , along with their thousand of seeds , are something we favor to keep away from our compost muckle .
2 . CLEAN OUT THE WEEDS FROM THIS class ’S GARDEN
Do n’t countenance those widow’s weeds winter in your garden . Clean them out now and prevent weed from going to semen , dig deep roots – and doubling your weed efforts next year .
Make sure you clean your raised beds and garden rows of all weeds – don’t let them overwinter and go to seed
3 . sum up ORGANIC MATTER NOW
Chopped leaves and compost are the stars here . excavate in generous amounts of compost to your raised beds or garden . And begin collecting those falling leaves now ! If you do n’t have access to your own – make a trip around local neighborhoods and collect the bags or piles of foliage that amass at the bridle . We use our push lawn mower to tear up the leaves . Then , we stab in generous amounts to our raised bed to decompose . Even intimately , use the leave-taking as a mulch on your beds over the wintertime – helping to keep valuable soil from eroding . Just jab into the bed ’s filth in the spring . For an even better mulch – adjudicate # 4 .
Make certain you scavenge your call forth beds and garden row of all Mary Jane – do n’t let them overwinter and go to seed
4 . works A COVER craw
Just like the “ big sodbuster ” do – our garden and raised beds benefit greatly from a covering crop . We have already start to plant our cover crop in the quarrel we have cleaned out . We use annual rye – a majuscule choice to help tote up lots of constitutional matter and nutrients to your soil – and also protect it over the winter calendar month from leaching all of the food out of your stripped dirt .
A good cover craw will dig deeply into your soil with their roots . This bestow valuable organic stuff to your territory , along with adding flora loving nitrogen to the soil as the industrial plant break down . Then you may turn under your cover charge harvest in the spring before planting . We get a lot of head on the cover crop – peculiarly – “ Wo n’t they become weeds ? ” As long as you expend an yearly rye – and ensure to not lease the grass go to come , and turn over in the early spring – you should have no headache .
All four of these steps are great ways to guarantee a healthy , fat garden next year , and without get to utilise harsh chemical substance and fertilizers .
If you would care to follow along through the come year and receive our weekly DIY and Gardening Posts , be sure to signalise up to come after our blog via email , Twitter or Facebook in the side column of our blog . – Jim and Mary , Old World Garden Farms
