I've got a new plot which I'm going to work out for a vegetable garden
this spring.

Size: 34' X 50' - 1700 SF

It's currently lawn sod which I will be killing off by mowing it to
ground level and tarping it with black plastic for a month+.

Once it's ready I'm wanting to add at least 3" of material to it.

I'd figured it out to at least 15 cubic yards of material needed.

What I'd like to do is 70% amendment soil, 10% peat, 15% manure and the
rest would be the leaf matter I collected this fall.

Wanting to know what you all think of this, or if I should go about it
in a different manner. Or if you think I should add anything else to
prep it for first season growth before it gets seasoned in.

Thanks in advance!

--
Zone 6b, SW KY - http://www.hildenbrands.com
__________________________________________________ _________
Enjoying the new found space, but secretly wanting more.

"Scott Hildenbrand" wrote in message
...
I've got a new plot which I'm going to work out for a vegetable garden
this spring.

Size: 34' X 50' - 1700 SF

It's currently lawn sod which I will be killing off by mowing it to ground
level and tarping it with black plastic for a month+.


I've done the 'plastic thing' several times to kill off lawn and other stuff
to create a garden plot. I've found that clear plastic works much better
than black. Because of the light things really stick their heads up only to
get really nuked when the sun hits, even on a cold day.

Val

On Fri, 22 Feb 2008 12:25:07 -0600, Scott Hildenbrand
wrote:

I've got a new plot which I'm going to work out for a vegetable garden
this spring.

Size: 34' X 50' - 1700 SF

It's currently lawn sod which I will be killing off by mowing it to
ground level and tarping it with black plastic for a month+.

Once it's ready I'm wanting to add at least 3" of material to it.

I'd figured it out to at least 15 cubic yards of material needed.

What I'd like to do is 70% amendment soil, 10% peat, 15% manure and the
rest would be the leaf matter I collected this fall.

Wanting to know what you all think of this, or if I should go about it
in a different manner. Or if you think I should add anything else to
prep it for first season growth before it gets seasoned in.

Thanks in advance!


Some random thoughts... Get a soil test. Then you will know what to
add, rather than just guessing at it. Also, plants have different
requirements. For example, corn needs a lot of nitrogen, but giving
nitrogen to pepper plants may decrease the yield. Adding rotting
leaves or compost is usually a safe bet. Take a look at drainage.
Removing rocks might turn out to be a larger task than expected. For
a large plot a rototiller will help make quick work of the integration
task. Manure is good, but it may add a lot of weed seeds. Don't work
the soil if it is wet! Rows are easier to maintain. Rotate your
crops. Keep a diary.

"Scott Hildenbrand" wrote in message
...
I've got a new plot which I'm going to work out for a vegetable garden
this spring.

Size: 34' X 50' - 1700 SF

It's currently lawn sod which I will be killing off by mowing it to ground
level and tarping it with black plastic for a month+.

Once it's ready I'm wanting to add at least 3" of material to it.

I'd figured it out to at least 15 cubic yards of material needed.

What I'd like to do is 70% amendment soil, 10% peat, 15% manure and the
rest would be the leaf matter I collected this fall.

Wanting to know what you all think of this, or if I should go about it in
a different manner. Or if you think I should add anything else to prep it
for first season growth before it gets seasoned in.

Thanks in advance!


Like Val said, use clear plastic.

And, wherever you said "I should", change to "the hired teenager should".
You should watch him/her very carefully while sipping a beer.

On Fri, 22 Feb 2008 12:25:07 -0600, Scott Hildenbrand
wrote:

I've got a new plot which I'm going to work out for a vegetable garden
this spring.

Size: 34' X 50' - 1700 SF

It's currently lawn sod which I will be killing off by mowing it to
ground level and tarping it with black plastic for a month+.

Once it's ready I'm wanting to add at least 3" of material to it.

I'd figured it out to at least 15 cubic yards of material needed.

What I'd like to do is 70% amendment soil, 10% peat, 15% manure and the
rest would be the leaf matter I collected this fall.

Wanting to know what you all think of this, or if I should go about it
in a different manner. Or if you think I should add anything else to
prep it for first season growth before it gets seasoned in.

Thanks in advance!


I've always found newly tilled lawn to produce really well even when
the soil wasn't so good. That's why crop rotation works. Each crop
takes different things from the soil. If you've got bad drainage you
might address that with some sand but I doubt if you really need to
add too much right now. It'll be easier to get rocks and stones out
before you add anything too.

In article ,
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:

"Scott Hildenbrand" wrote in message
...
I've got a new plot which I'm going to work out for a vegetable garden
this spring.

Size: 34' X 50' - 1700 SF

It's currently lawn sod which I will be killing off by mowing it to ground
level and tarping it with black plastic for a month+.

Once it's ready I'm wanting to add at least 3" of material to it.

I'd figured it out to at least 15 cubic yards of material needed.

What I'd like to do is 70% amendment soil, 10% peat, 15% manure and the
rest would be the leaf matter I collected this fall.

Wanting to know what you all think of this, or if I should go about it in
a different manner. Or if you think I should add anything else to prep it
for first season growth before it gets seasoned in.

Thanks in advance!


Like Val said, use clear plastic.

And, wherever you said "I should", change to "the hired teenager should".
You should watch him/her very carefully while sipping a beer.

You gotta admire Joe's style with teenagers and beer, although hiring a
teenager sounds a lot like herding cats. Maybe teenagers are different
in New York.

Scott, you may want to look into "lasagna gardening". It is a no till
(no dig) approach to gardening. The point being that after the "shrooms"
and worms have set up house keeping (stretched out their little
myceliums and borrowed their hallways), why come in with urban renewal
and make them start all over again? Your back will probably thank you
too.

With "lasagna gardening" you would put down your fertilizer and maybe
some bone meal and other amendments as you think needed, then layer it
all over with 2 -3 layers of newsprint or a single layer of cardboard,
and top it all off with a thick (3"- 4") of mulch (I like alfalfa). When
planting time comes, just make your holes as usual. If you are going to
lay down plastic to heat the soil, you may want to look into drip
irrigation which would be under the plastic, thus insuring the plants
get their water. This is the method I'm using this year and I do plan to
lay down some black plastic around my tomatoes and peppers. Why black
instead of clear? I dunno. It just seems more reasonable to me. I guess
it's heat absorption vs. greenhouse effect.

Presently, I have a "green manure" growing in the garden, which I seeded
onto the alfalfa. I'm tired of shoveling manure too. When planting time
gets close (yikes, in a month), I'll lay down another layer of newsprint
and mulch, reset the drip lines, and plant.

Let me know what kind of plastic you use and how it works out.
--

Billy

Bush, Cheney & Pelosi, Behind Bars
http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/site/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movemen...George_W._Bush

"Billy" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:

"Scott Hildenbrand" wrote in message
...
I've got a new plot which I'm going to work out for a vegetable garden
this spring.

Size: 34' X 50' - 1700 SF

It's currently lawn sod which I will be killing off by mowing it to
ground
level and tarping it with black plastic for a month+.

Once it's ready I'm wanting to add at least 3" of material to it.

I'd figured it out to at least 15 cubic yards of material needed.

What I'd like to do is 70% amendment soil, 10% peat, 15% manure and the
rest would be the leaf matter I collected this fall.

Wanting to know what you all think of this, or if I should go about it
in
a different manner. Or if you think I should add anything else to prep
it
for first season growth before it gets seasoned in.

Thanks in advance!


Like Val said, use clear plastic.

And, wherever you said "I should", change to "the hired teenager should".
You should watch him/her very carefully while sipping a beer.

You gotta admire Joe's style with teenagers and beer, although hiring a
teenager sounds a lot like herding cats. Maybe teenagers are different
in New York.


If you can catch them in a weak moment, you can hire them to do lawns & yard
cleanup. Works best if you wave money when they first wake up in the
morning. They can also be tricked, as in "If you work that lawnmower, I
might be able to work this waffle iron".

Billy wrote in

ct.net.au:

If you
are going to lay down plastic to heat the soil, you may
want to look into drip irrigation which would be under the
plastic, thus insuring the plants get their water. This is
the method I'm using this year and I do plan to lay down
some black plastic around my tomatoes and peppers. Why
black instead of clear? I dunno. It just seems more
reasonable to me. I guess it's heat absorption vs.
greenhouse effect.

try red plastic with the peppers & tomatoes. the reflected
color improves the yield & it warms the soil as well as black
plastic.
lee
--
Last night while sitting in my chair
I pinged a host that wasn't there
It wasn't there again today
The host resolved to NSA.

In article ,
enigma wrote:

Billy wrote in

ct.net.au:

If you
are going to lay down plastic to heat the soil, you may
want to look into drip irrigation which would be under the
plastic, thus insuring the plants get their water. This is
the method I'm using this year and I do plan to lay down
some black plastic around my tomatoes and peppers. Why
black instead of clear? I dunno. It just seems more
reasonable to me. I guess it's heat absorption vs.
greenhouse effect.

try red plastic with the peppers & tomatoes. the reflected
color improves the yield & it warms the soil as well as black
plastic.
lee

I tried red and black with no perceived difference in yield. But I
was dealing with a hot dry years so I geared up for it the next.
Ended up with just mulch that I could move away or move closer. This
for weeding and water conservation as it changed.

However it was very wet years series next. Mother nature keeping me
from being complacent and thinking I can tweak it with less labor.

Bottom line seems anything fresh from the garden is a miracle but for
some reason I'll still try to tweak it for more.

Bill new food garden this spring. Yea I know I can eat things like
day lilies . The voles told me so.)

--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA
ICAO = KMIV Millville Weather
Lat 39.5982 Long -75.0358

Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets. To plant
a pine, one need only own a shovel.
-- Aldo Leopold

Scott Hildenbrand wrote:
I've got a new plot which I'm going to work out for a vegetable garden
this spring.

Size: 34' X 50' - 1700 SF

Better to use standard materials sizes, ie. 40' X 48'.

It's currently lawn sod which I will be killing off by mowing it to
ground level and tarping it with black plastic for a month+.

Why plastic??? Just till it.

Best to till in fall, then retill with any amendments in spring.

If you lived closer I'd be happy to sell you my 8HP Simplicity tiller.