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#1
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ground cover recs needed for Zone 6a
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 |
#2
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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
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When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant. |
#3
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"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 |
#4
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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://soils.usda.gov/sqi/soil_quali...gy_primer.html http://www.soilfoodweb.com/sfi_html/...ach/index.html http://www.attra.org/soils.html http://www.cce.cornell.edu/programs/...ter/index.html http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/soil/ Peat moss - to use or not to use: http://www.ondelmarva.com/peat.html http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ksheets/peat.html#help http://www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/facts/peat.htm Compost: http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/data/so...647001285.html http://www.oldgrowth.org/compost/ http://www.mastercomposter.com/ref/orgmat1.html http://www.gardenguides.com/articles/dynamic.htm Lasagna gardening: http://www.motherearthnews.com/menar...173-050-01.htm http://www.bconnex.net/~carolw/lasagna1.html http://www.farm-garden.com/primers/26/ Cover crops: http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/covercrop.html#principle Companion planting: http://www.moonsweb.com/companions.shtml http://www.eap.mcgill.ca/Publications/EAP55.htm http://www.penpages.psu.edu/penpages.../29401183.html 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
__________________
When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant. |
#5
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"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 |
#6
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"Laura J" wrote in message news:JtQid.21$Zl2.12@trndny01...
Hi all, I have a small (15 sqft) raised bed garden which I planted for the first time this past summer. I've pulled up most of what was in there except for a perennial lavender I have in one corner. Can anyone recommend some kind of ground cover to plant for the winter? Or should I just mulch it? Just don't want to lose that precious soil I've got in there. I'm in Boston, zone 6A. Thanks for any advice you can give! Laura It's allready freezing, mulch it with shredded leaves or topdress with compost. |
#7
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"Beecrofter" wrote in message om... "Laura J" wrote in message news:JtQid.21$Zl2.12@trndny01... 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 It's allready freezing, mulch it with shredded leaves or topdress with compost. Thanks! I will do that, as soon as the snow goes away LauraJ |
#8
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Quote:
Hi Laura, You are very welcome! If/when the snow melts, you could even just put the compost on top of the soil then and turn it under in the spring. The nutrients will trickle down over the winter. I did that one year. Newt
__________________
When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant. |
#9
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"Newt" wrote in message ... Hi Laura, You are very welcome! If/when the snow melts, you could even just put the compost on top of the soil then and turn it under in the spring. The nutrients will trickle down over the winter. I did that one year. Newt That is exactly what I will do this weekend! Thankfully, the snow has mostly melted already. LauraJ |
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