"Newt" wrote in message ...

Laura J Wrote:
"Newt" wrote in message
...-

Laura J Wrote:-
Hi all,

I have a small (15 sqft) raised bed garden which I planted for the
first
time this past summer. I've pulled up most of what was in there
except
for
a perennial lavender I have in one corner. Can anyone recommend some
kind
of ground cover to plant for the winter? Or should I just mulch it?
Just
don't want to lose that precious soil I've got in there.

I'm in Boston, zone 6A.

Thanks for any advice you can give!

Laura-




Hi Laura,

If you are going to plant flowers and/or shrubs in the spring, I'd
put
on a 3" layer of compost and cover with shredded mulch. You're soil
will love you and so will your plants in the spring.

Newt


--
Newt-

Thanks, Newt. I am actually going to be planting vegetables
(tomatoes,
peppers, basil, greens, beans, etc). Is the advice the same? I had
planned
to work some compost in to the soil come spring--is it better to do it
now?

LauraJ



If you are going to plant veggies, it would have been great to have
planted a cover crop (sometimes called green manure) that you could
turn back into the soil in the spring. I'll give you some links on
that.

Since it's too late for that, you could do the compost now and it will
have time to improve the tilth (consistency/texture) and add microbes
to your soil. Another option would be to build a lasagna bed there.
It depends on how much work you want to do. I would do one or the
other now so that mother nature has time to improve the soil over the
winter. The healthier your soil the healthier your veggies will be and
better able to fight off pests and diseases. Here's a bunch of links
you can read over the winter.


Understanding your soil:
http://tinyurl.com/69rfy
http://tinyurl.com/5s8xh
http://www.attra.org/soils.html
http://tinyurl.com/4w24g
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/soil/

Peat moss - to use or not to use:
http://www.ondelmarva.com/peat.html
http://tinyurl.com/6odtz
http://tinyurl.com/3sjhn

Compost:
http://tinyurl.com/5kv9p
http://www.oldgrowth.org/compost/
http://tinyurl.com/4opdo
http://tinyurl.com/4a5w7

Lasagna gardening:
http://tinyurl.com/22hp5
http://tinyurl.com/37rht
http://www.farm-garden.com/primers/26/

Cover crops:
http://tinyurl.com/62ho9

Companion planting:
http://tinyurl.com/56bs8
http://tinyurl.com/3ov5r
http://tinyurl.com/5h9ut

I realize that I've given you quite a bit of reading, but I think it
will all be helpful. Don't hesitate to ask more questions.

Newt


--
Newt


Wow, that is a ton of info! Thank you! I would have liked to plant cover
crops--actually that is what I was originally asking about but I see that I
worded my question poorly. But you are right, it is definitely too late for
that (next year, no going away in September/October--too much to get done in
the garden!), especially since the garden is under 5 inches of snow right
now It shouldn't stay that way for too long, though, so I think I will
take your recommendation to work some compost in to the soil and cover it
with mulch.

Thanks again for taking the time to answer my question and for all that
info!

LauraJ