Mulching your garden
June 8, 2010
As some readers may know, I work full-time in addition to running my herb business. I grow my herbs on a back acre of a commercial property, so it is not just a quick walk out my back door to pluck or weed herbs. As a result I have carefully prepared the soil in my 3/4 acre herb garden so that weeding is a task, not a chore. I maintain this unattended garden by mulching. Since I cannot water this garden with anything other than mother nature's rain, I also use the mulch to hold moisture.
For me mulching is part of the annual ritual, but when I started I spent a couple years augmenting the soil by tilling in compost and sand. I worked these down into the soil before any planting was done, and did so even around the perennials afterward. This created a very loamy and soft soil, so pulling the weeds that sprout is not difficult. Just doing this cuts weeding time by half. If you don't have to struggle to get the weeds out, you can linger over the plants instead.
You should mulch your garden even if it is right outside your back door because m
ulching...
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Tags:
backyard patch, compost, gardening, herbs, mulching, sand
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Soil Structure -- Part 2
February 26, 2009
Nutrient levels and pH in soil are also something you should try to know about your soil. The local Agricultural Extension service with offer information on soil testing to determine basic nutrients. There are also some over the counter tests available from high-end garden supply stores.
pH is the condition of acidity or alkalinity in units. Some plants thrive only when the pH is optimum for the plant. A 7 pH is neutral, higher numbers are more alkaline lower are more acidic. To neutralize acid one can add agricultural lime. The optimal pH for most herbs is 5.5 to 6.8 pH.
Tags:
clay, gardening, herbs, loam, ph, sand, silt, soil
Posted at: 08:43 PM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
Soil Structure
February 25, 2009
Creating a good soil should be an important task in any garden. The next step in planning your garden is to examine your soil structure and determine the needed amendments to create your good soil. You may have to wait until the ground thaws, but if you can get a handful of soil you can get a look at its structure.
If it crumbles easily and runs through your hand it is sandy. If it holds tighter firmly it is clay.
Ideal garden soil is loam which is about ½ sand (medium particles) and ½ silt or clay (fine particles) with some organic matter mixed in. If the hand test doesn’t work or your soil is too wet. Place a hand shovel full in a quart jar and fill up to the top with water. Shake the jar and set it to rest. The larger particles will settle out first, the smaller last with the organic material floating on the top. You can then easily determine the ratio of silt to sand.
The good news is the solution to too much clay not enough sand or the opposite is to add...
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Tags:
clay, gardening, herbs, loam, sand, silt, soil
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