If you're grossed out about getting wrist-deep in manure, earth worms and dirt, you might want to try a different hobby. I hear knitting is also relaxing....
But if you're not freaked out about mud stains, flecks of dirt in your hair and the wonderful smell of manure in the early morning, then welcome!!
First, you need to choose what plants you want to grow. Many of them need full sun, some can get by in the shade of the house or of a fence. You do not want them to grow under trees or other large shrubs, as they will compete for water and nutrients.
Once you decide on which plants and researched what conditions they need, you need to figure out if you have the right spot to put the garden in. Usually, a nice, open and flat area is best. You can buy or make shade cloth or use lattice, so not having a shady spot available isn't really much of a worry.
Next, you need to decide on what kind of containment you'll be going with. Directly in the ground, in raised beds or in containers lifted off the ground.
In ground and raised beds are sort of the same, except with beds, you add some cardboard, then the dirt and plant your seedlings in that. In the ground, you mix up your dirt and soil, then plant.
With containers, there are no weeds. But you need to make enough drainage holes so it won't flood and drown all your plants. You can also make a drainage layer. It's simply 2-3 inches of course rock on the bottom, then a layer of weed fabric to keep the soil from clogging up the rocks. This will allow heavy rain to quickly drain out away from the plants and then take it's time dripping out of the drainage holes. It's also possible for the dirt and roots to get too warm, killing the plants, since they are in a relatively small container and being heated by the sun.
After that, you either buy premade soil mix or buy the additives to make your own. In my roughly 4x5 foot beds, I add in one to two 5gal buckets of rabbit poop, one 25 pound bag of sand, half a bag of peat moss and one bag of nice topsoil. I also have to add some other fertilizers as well, usually P2O5 & K2O.
Once you've decided on your containment, buy the supplies and bring them home. Next, set them out in your garden area, rearrange them until you find a nice system or certain pattern to have them in. I only keep about a foot of space between beds. I don't need much more room to stand than that. But if you like to sit and take your time, then at least three feet of space in between beds should be your goal.
It might also be a good idea to put down weed barrier fabric in between the beds, then add some mulch. This is something I still need to get done!
After your ground is tilled, beds or containers are set, add your soil mix and turn everything in.
If you are using peat moss, soak the beds, a lot! And then mix, a lot! While your at it, soak some more! Peat moss has an annoying habit of soaking up the top layer or even having water skim over it and seem wet, when it's actually bone dry underneath. So you will have to do a good bit of soaking and mixing to thoroughly saturate it the first go around. When you're satisfied that every bit is wet, level out the plots and let them sit for 2-4 days, so the excess water drains or evaporates away. If you are planting seeds directly, you can stick them in right away. You won't have to water them for a little while.
On the 2nd or 4th day, it's time to plant! But I'll save that for the next post!
This bed is only partly done. It has 5 gallons worth of fresh rabbit manure and a thick layer of cardboard on bottom to keep weeds away. (This only works for the first year, as cardboard will compost.) I still need to add the rest of my soil mix to this bed and mix it up.
Here is how I added another foot of length to this bed. First, I scraped things up neatly and then pulled up the weeds.
After that, I placed the thick layer of cardboard down, making sure some sticks out the bed as well.
Lastly, I spread out the manure and soil. Done! (Note, I also added a foot to the back side, too.)
Here are two finished beds from last year, two more last year beds that still need to be weeded and mixed and then the two brand new beds for this year!
Four in the front are done! One half done and the other still needs the cardboard and soil mix added.
If you're wondering why I don't have four walls to my beds, it's a simple matter of not enough mullah (money). And then if you're wondering, "Hey, don't they spill out the open sides?" Well, no, they don't. I thought that would happen, too, but it simply never did!
