It's Spring! Last Minute Tips to Get Your Garden Ready

Welcome to Spring, the official beginning of terrific weather, sunshine and refreshing showers. The southeast has had an abnormally crappy winter (not that the midwest or northeast had it any better) and Spring couldn't come fast enough.

Some of you lost track of the calendar as one bleak, gray day blurred into another. Spring has caught you by surprise--you've got nothing done in your garden but it's not too late! If you start now, you've got plenty of time to get your garden ready for late spring and summer harvests.


It's not too late to start your seeds indoors. Several plants, especially peppers and tomatoes, do well if you start the seeds indoors in a controlled environment . Ideally, you should start 8-10 weeks before the last frost date. (The last frost date for Atlanta/ Zone 7 is listed anywhere between the end of March to the middle of April.) But there is still time! The southeast has a long growing season so you can still get an ample harvest even if you're falling a bit behind schedule.

You can buy a starter kit, which I did this year. I still recommend DIY seed starters to conserve resources. Recycle small plastic containers like yogurt cups, strawberry pints, or the little black containers that plants come in at home supply stores. Just be sure to select a plastic that is easy to cut through when it's time to transplant the seedlings. Also be sure that there is a hole in the bottom for drainage.

Next, fill your container with Fox Farms Light Warrior Seed Starter. It's the best seed starter that I've used, hands down. It's ultra light, making it easy for little sprouts to push through. The material holds the right amount of moisture so you don't have to water  it every day and risk water-logging your seeds. Lastly, it's got good nutrients to give your plants a healthy head start.

I started my seeds in recycled containers filled with Light Warrior and a Bio Dome by Park Seed Co. Both are on top of a heating pad. I put the dome from Park over the seeds in the recycled containers since I started those later and they need  the warmth for a little boost :)

Once your seeds are sown according to their instructions, find a sunny spot near a window and be patient. Lacking sunlight or patience? Put your seed starters over a heating pad or heating blanket. Set the temperature between 65-80 degrees, depending on what you're growing and how much light is available to naturally heat the soil. The additional heat will jump start germination. Even if you have a sunny spot, you can use the pad in the early morning and late evening to prolong the soil's warmth.

Prepare your outdoor soil for direct sowing. Ideally, you'd have your native soil tested in the winter so that you know exactly what your soil needs. Soil testing through a local university extension takes several weeks. Oops. Too late for that. There are ways to work around it.

You can buy a home testing kit for your native soil at a garden supply store or online (expedite the shipping). Those tests can be completed in a day. I recommend working with native soil (at least in part) for gardeners who are working with large spaces since this method can be most cost effective.

The second option is to start a raised bed or container garden. Fill your bed with store-bought garden soil and fertilizers. Bagged soil has its nutrient composition on the outside of the bag so that you know what you're dealing with already. I recommend this for smaller garden spaces simply because store-brought soil can be quite costly.

A few of my pots, cleaned and ready to go!
My faves are the rustic cauldrons, a gift from my mom.

Are your tools ready for use? Do a walk-through of your garden and gear:

• Check hoses and nozzles for drips, gaps, and other damage that could have occurred during the winter. 
• Sharpen your metal tools--it makes weeding and digging so much easier. 
• Buy your plant supports now since you'll want those in place soon after you transplant the seedlings; if you wait until the plants need the supports, you run the risk of damaging the root system when you shove the support into the ground. 
• If you let soil sit in your planters and pots over winter, dump it out and sterilize the vessel. (A simple clean with warm soapy water will do. Rinse well and let it dry.) Some diseases, bacteria, and harmful pests can overwinter in containers. It's best to start fresh when you can.

Full of Crap: Manure Types for Organic Gardening

This post is all about poop! Using manure as fertilizer is simply a part of composting and organic gardening. Below is a bit that I've learned on different manure options and their benefits/disadvantages. Hopefully this little guide will be helpful!

Please note: Never scoop anything out of an animal's butt and toss it on your edible plants. Ever. All manures should be properly aged and composted, or at least heat treated before use. These methods will prevent the passing of harmful pathogens and parasites. Farm on!

Via Forest Edge

Earthworm Castings Worm castings are one of my absolute favorite soil amendments. It's great for novice gardeners because it's idiot proof: castings don't burn plants in high quantities so there is no need to measure carefully before applying. They don't need to be composted or heat treated. Worm castings are high in macro and micro-nutrients and they stimulate good microbial growth. The only downside is that it's hard to get worms to generate enough poo to fuel a large garden or farm! 

There are low cost castings, like Wiggle Worm, which are created by mixing castings from various sources. Some say this leads to inconsistency in the product but, at the end of the day, it's a decent quality for the price. 

Higher quality castings like Worm Power and Sungro Horticulture Black Gold can be very expensive. You'll get more for your buck by making casting "tea." It's a good way to distribute the dense nutrients over a larger space. 

It's also a good idea to buy your own earthworms and let them do their thing. You have precise control over what they're fed and thus the quality of castings they produce. Earthworms multiple like crazy, making them a worthwhile investment. These critters are all around a good, long-term solution for improving your soil.

Via Chicken Lover Life

Chicken Manure This is arguably the second best option to worm castings. It can be stellar for Georgia clay since many chickens are juiced-up on calcium to make their stronger eggs; this calcium is then passed through their manure and into the clay, helping to break it up.

The downside is that bird manures tend to have relatively high nitrogen content, which can burn seedlings. If using fresh manure, compost it with other organic matter, give it at least three months to mellow, and ration the mixture to mature plants. Or buy prepackaged products like Chickity Doo Doo Organic Fertilizer.

Via Happy Cow Caramels

Cow Manure This is a popular option, readily available at most home and garden supply stores or anywhere within 30  miles of a farm. It's plentiful and therefore quite cost effective. 

Downside: it's relatively low in nutrients. Cows do some serious digestion work on everything that they put in their mouths, so there are fewer nutrients remaining in their manure. Thus fewer nutrients get to your soil. It's still a good option, though, and it won't burn plants. 

Fresh cow manure can be dangerous, not just because of its smell. It can hold a cesspool of nastiness (especially if you aren't familiar with the cows' livelihood) so be sure to heat treat or compost cow manure before applying it to your edible garden.

I couldn't find a widely revered cow manure to suggest; so many gardeners and farmers recommend buying local. We've used Moo-nure in the past and were quite satisfied.

Via iStock

Horse Manure Of all pooping animals, horses are probably my favorite BUT their manure isn't the best option. I daresay it's not even a good option. 

Horse dung can be full of weeds, since seeds aren't broken down in a horse's digestive tract. Many horses are given dewormers. Remnants of the drug are passed through the excrement, which will kill earthworms that are beneficial for your garden and compost bin. Grazing fields are also treated with herbicides to prevent the growth of thistle; this herbicide lingers in the soil after the manure has been applied, damaging a variety of plants including garden favorites like tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, many herbs and flowers, and legumes. Lastly, horse manure is rich with magnesium, which is great for short term applications but over time, a build up of magnesium can cause stunted growth in plants. 

So basically, love the horses and leave their poop alone. At least for edible gardens, anyway...

 Got questions about manure for gardening? Let me know and I'll do my best to find an answer for you!

Spring Garden 2014: Bring it.

Spring is near! The chilly, gray weather outside of my window isn't too promising but unless the globe comes screeching to a halt, spring is indeed on its way. Time to revamp the vegetable gardens!

There are a few things that we're doing differently this year.

• Wooden raised beds in the old garden and adding a new raised bed near our garage
• Improving soil composition
• Focusing on the health and strength of seedlings
• Adding fruit to garden
 

 

So...we've got some work to do.

Raised Bed Plans, Phase I and II

Our 4' x 16' bed frames, on their sides

Last year, we started raised beds made of compacted clay. Fail. This season, we're building proper raised beds out of wood. These won't get washed away and they look prettier. We're also hoping that raised beds and better soil composition will promote better drainage and root health.

We will have two main raised beds that are 4'x16'. Those two will be 1' deep. We're also adding an L-shaped raised bed near the garage that has 8' and 10' legs, each 2' wide. One leg of the L is 1.5 feet deep and the other leg is 1', just for aesthetic purposes.

Though the frames could fit through our basement door, we had to cut the 4'x16's in half so that I could help carry them out. (All the working out in the world hasn't enabled me to lift something like that!) It turned out to be a great decision; they were easier to carry and my husband had the splendid idea to terrace two levels of one bed. That bed fits into the natural landscape better that way.

Original garden during winter, 3 rows. The plastic garden trim prevented the garden soil from washing away during our rough fall and winter storms. That plastic will be repurposed for the flower gardens (mostly buried as a border). We will reposition the deer fencing later.

We created two large rows instead of three small ones. The row closest to the house barely got any sun, anyway. This design also allows for 3 large walking aisles. In this photo, we added the first raised bed, moved the compost bin closer, and added a compost mixing box.

Two beds installed, along with supports for tomatos.

Almost done! Just need to add sisal rope for Florida Weave tomato support system.

This used to be a flat grassy area near the garage. It gets tons of sun so we added two raised beds for growing space.

Filling the Garden Beds

The native clay sucks. The first problem is that it is acidic, hard, clumpy clay. The second problem is that there are TONS of rocks in it, even after the hand sorting that we did last year. My husband made two sifters that we will use to get the rocks out and break up the clay. This will help us to evenly integrate the soil amendments.

The sifted clay will be mixed with homemade organic compost, cow and chicken manure, lime, Fox Farm Happy Frog Soil Conditioner and a bit of Ocean Forest Garden Soil, and Miracle Grow Organic Choice garden soil. To estimate, the soil will be 40% clay and 60% good stuff. We will leave 1"-2" at the top of each bed for light mulch.

Starting the Seeds

Last year, I did it all wrong. I started the seeds in native clay, blended with a smidgen of potting mix. Most seedlings developed but they were weak. Between flash floods, weeks of drought and scorching temperatures most plants struggled to survive. Only my bell peppers and tomatoes produced anything worth talking about.

This year, I brought a Bio Dome to start the seeds. There are a few cheaper styles out there but since I'm starting seeds in full view of my kitchenette, I wanted something that looked nice. Once the seedlings can be hardened off, transporting the Bio Dome outside will be a lot easier that moving all the tiny recycled plastic cups that I had last year. (I didn't have a rolling table.) I loved the idea of using recycled materials but the convenience and aesthetics of the dome won.

Giving the seeds a good start in the BioDome sponges should help strengthen them until I learn to master my own seedling starter mix.

Garden Layout

I don't have much diversity. This season, I'm aiming to master a few things, especially peppers. For one, I love them. Secondly, organic peppers are expensive so growing our own makes sense ($3-$4 each at Kroger. Ew!) The spring/summer garden will contain:

• Marketmore Organic Cucumbers
• Mater Sandwich Organic Tomatoes
• Moneymaker Organic Tomatoes
• Sweet N' Neat Hybrid Cherry Tomatoes
• Carmen Hybrid Red Pepper
• Cayenne Blend Organic Peppers
• Sweet Rainbow Blend Peppers
• Strawberry Rainbow Treasure 
• Hull Blackberry Shrub
• Sunshine Blueberry Bush
• Organic Chives
• Organic Basil
• Organic Cilantro
• Organic Parlsey
• Organic Dill
• Organic Garlic
• Spinach and lettuce

Most will be grown in the raised beds, though the leafy greens, herbs, and strawberries will be grown in containers on the patio.

Our ROI

This year, I'm keeping track of how much we spend on the garden updates. I'm going to compare that against this year's yields, pricing out each harvest as if I'd brought it at Kroger. This will give me an idea of how quickly the garden will pay for itself.

So far, we've already saved money by DIYing the garden. We created 164 square feet of garden space, a compost mixing box, and two sifters. We spent $550 on building materials. We spent $165 on soil, seeds, and fertilizer. DIY Total is $715.

Home Depot sells a 80sq. ft raised garden frame for $285. Buying our square footage in garden space would be $570. Add 4 coated galvanized steel tomato and that's $28. (Not exactly comparable.) Buying our raised beds and cages would be $598. 4'x4' wooden frame for compost mixing would be $40. Two metal sifters would cost $302! (Ridiculous.) Add $165 for soil, fertilizer, and seeds. Store-bought Total: $1,105

On the surface, we saved $390. That's enough to make me happy. But upon closer look, I think we got an even bigger value. Our tomato cages will last longer than the flimsy wire ones from the store. Our sifters are larger, of higher quality, and attach to our wheelbarrow. (They will get plenty of use--going to do flower gardens in the front and back yards.) We got to customize the style and dimensions of our beds. Lastly and most importantly, my husband had a great time playing with his toys :) I couldn't be prouder.

And...we're ready for spring!