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Originally Posted by xkatx
Hi!
Last year, I had made an attempt at a small garden under my kitchen window with a few random flowers and veggies. I had very little luck, but I tried. As far as the flowers went, I had just bought some small, random potted ones and stuck them in the dirt. For veggies, I had some carrots and peas, as well as a few small strawberry plants. I had no carrots, as they didn't grow and were just a waste, about 10 edible strawberries between 5 plants and about a handful of good peas.
The dirt under the window is not the greatest. It was full of leaves and pine needles from a big tree right above the little garden area, and there was little sun due to this huge tree. The dirt was really bad as well. It was rock solid, dry and full of roots, weeds and other debris that I spent hours cleaning out before planting. I also put in 2 big bags of peat moss, when a friend suggested that to help the soil become a bit less dry.
A few days ago, the city came and cut down the mentioned big tree, due to a new city bylaw. I rent, so I didn't care, and now it's nothing but sunlight on this small garden area. I had been outside earlier today trying to work the soil up a bit and make it into more garden friendly soil than what it was - rock solid dirt.
Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do to have a better chance of a normal, decent garden this year? My son and I are home all day and we'd like to start and successfully maintain a small little garden, similar to what we tried last year.
I don't want to make silly mistakes, and I have been working on clearing out all the dead leaves, pine needles and garbage (paper, grass, cigarette butts, whatever else is found in there) Earlier today, the ground was so solid I couldn't even dig it up, so I ran the hose over it for a while and turned it to mud, which allowed me to dig a bit easier.
Any help, suggestions, recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you so much.
~Kathryn
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Hi Kathryn,
You've given a great description of what you've done and what has happened, and this is most helpful. It will be helpful to you to know your plant hardiness zone. To find your zone, here's a zip code zone finder.
http://www.garden.org/zipzone/
Here's one that shows a map.
http://www.growit.com/Zones/
Some other things that are handy for new gardeners to know, some of which may be a repeat for you:
An annual grows from seed, flowers and sets seed and dies in one year.
A perennial will sprout from seed, by runners, offshoots, bulbs or by propagating itself by rooting along the stems. It will usually only form green growth the first year while developing a strong root system (for some plants it might do this for 2 or more years) and will live for many years, even after setting seed it will resprout from the root system.
A biennial will grow from seed the first year and grow only green growth while developing roots. The second year it will flower, set seed and die.
As a new gardener (often called a newbie), the most important advise I always give is to pay attention to the soil. Healthy soil will lead to healthier plants that will more easily be able to deal with drought and pests. To do this you need to add lots of organic matter to the soil and mix in. The best organic matter is compost. You can make your own or purchase it in bulk or by the bag. A 3" or 4" layer on top of a new bed is a good place to start. You then mix it in. Always mulch the beds after planting, and once a year, with organic mulch that will retain moisture, help keep soil temps even, keep weeds at bay and help to enrich the soil. Organic mulches like shredded wood mulch, leaf mold (shredded and rotted leaves), pine straw (just pine needles) are good ones. Compost can also be used as a mulch and the worms will bring it down and mix it for you over time. As already suggested, you could take all the organic material that you have been clearing out of the area and start a compost pile with the leaves, paper, pine needles, weeds that don't have seed heads, etc. You can add veggie scraps from your kitchen too. One of the major problems I think you are having is the addition of the peat moss. It forms a crust and once dry, is difficult to rewet. It doesn't have any real nutritional value either, so use compost instead. Also try not to work the soil when it's wet as it turns to mud like you said and can only get harder and more solid. Soil needs to be friable so that there is oxygen in it for your plants. You can water and wait overnight to work the soil. Take a look here for info on soil, peat moss and compost.
Peat info:
http://www.ondelmarva.com/peat.html
http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ksheets/peat.html#help
Compost/soil info:
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/soil/
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/data/so...647001285.html
http://www.cce.cornell.edu/programs/...ter/index.html
http://www.marquisproject.com/compos...1/howcomp.html
Bugs are necessary to pollinate and even clean plants (ex: peonies always have ants on them and keep other bad bugs away). Don't get out the pesticides when you see a bug. Usually there is a good bug predator for most bad bugs. Know thine enemy. There are sites where you can look up which bug is which.
The right plant for the right place is also very important. You don't want to put a plant that needs good drainage and wants full sun in a moist or wet shady place. Remember that full sun is 6 hours or more, part shade is 4 to 6 hours and shade is 2 hours or less. When in doubt and you can't get an answer, contact your local extension service for answers.
http://ceinfo.unh.edu/state_sites.html
Go to the library and look at books on gardening. Many have a plant encyclopedia in the back to help you identify plants and learn their growing needs. There's lots on the web too. Read through lots of posts on forums and try and learn from other gardeners.
For info on growing veggies, their needs and when to harvest take a look at these sites.
http://www.explore.cornell.edu/scene...0a%20Vegetable
http://www.gardenersnet.com/veggies.htm
http://www.savvygardener.com/Feature...egetables.html
You can research plants at
www.google.com It's best to use the Latin or botanical name, but if you don't have it you can search with the common name and when you find the botanical name you can use that to get more info. You can even click on 'Images' at google and often get photos as well. Another way to search is with quotes and a plus sign like this:
Georgia + "invasive plant"
There are many sites with info on pruning and how to plant trees and shrubs. There are also sites about native plants and their value, especially for a new gardener. Native plants tend to be more resistant to pests and diseases and are usually more carefree.
If you would like more sites for any of the topics I've mentioned or need more specific info, feel free to ask.
Regards,
Newt