my plan for the current expansion is to shave the grass with a weedeater, spread bloodmeal, cornmeal (attracts earthworms), and bonemea,l spread out some old chicken bedding (mixed straw and pine shavings with chicken droppings and feathers) and cover all of it with some pine bark mulch, when it comes time to break ground in the spring hopefully i will have soft ground to work with
last year I had to break ground with a front tine tiller and a grubhoe, talk about back breaking work
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Last edited by EHCRain10; 07-29-2008 at 10:40 PM.
Reason: typos
Anyone rototill lawn clippings and leaves into their garden plot?
Yes, I do exactly that, plus more. But back to an earlier question/comment on how to prepare a garden on a plot never before planted. That all depends upon your soil, and conditions where your garden will be.
First, you've got to remember to let nature work for you, not against you. By that, you need plenty of sun...and the garden needs to be able to drain easily.
So...look for a spot where the sun shines at least half a day...and where water doesn't naturally accumulate. That means put it on a space higher than the area around it.
Next, build a compost pile closeby the garden...preferably one where the rotted and composted grass clippings, etc, can be easily spaded over on top of your garden plot. It will also be available when a few of your garden items rot, etc. Those things are good for a compost pile.
Now...if you can buy/borrow a roto-tiller, by all means do it. Remember to "work smart, not hard."(ha) Your back will be needed for other things. Start by slowly tilling whatever exists there, regardless if it's either grass or weeds. They make good compost when they're turned in. If tall weeds exist, use a push mower to "mulch" them down as close to the ground as possible. Then begin roto-tilling. Don't stop too soon. When you think the ground is just right, make another complete pass, or more. You can't roto-till it too much.
Next, use your lawn grass/fertilizer spreader to apply one sack of pelletized lime granules for each 100 sq ft of garden space. Roto-till that in, too.
And finally, in the fall after all that work is done, head back inside, sit down, think about what you'll plant there. When the temps in your area are free from freezing, (here in KC, MO it's about May 1st) start the planting process.
Good luck...and have fun. Don't forget to "work smart, not hard."
Emmett Dalton keeps me in compost. I have my garden ready for Fall planting. Cabbage, beans, snow peas, cabbag and spinich. Oh and onions the middle of Oct.
Spring is still a harvest away. It helps that we normally get our first frost in early Nov.
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I read once in an old magazine, that building a large chicken coop with southern faceing windows, and putting a fenced in pen on each of the sides going west and east, would give you a great garden area and a place to have chickens. The idea was that each year you would alternate the garden with the chicken side. Sounded good, wish I had kept that article. It also said that chickens and ducks love to eat slugs, something that I hate dealing with personally. I think that makes a great plan for the garden, and will clear some trees to build one like that for next year
Now if I could only remember where I put that magizine, lol
Everything Ox said, plus I add 12-12-12 after the first freeze in October or November (here), and till it in again in February or early March. Give it time to melt down a bit... and since the garden is surrounded by pasture, I've always spent half a summer pulling damn grass from it to keep it weeded. Learned a few years ago to put down about 6 sheets of newspaper immediately before planting in Spring, cardboard works too, and that REALLY cuts down on weeds and grass invading the plants. And by the end of each summer, it easily tills back into the soil because it's rotting by then.
Problem I'm still having is the melons, water and cantelope, like to run outside the garden and onto the pasture itself. Weeding and keeping the grass down has turned me even grayer than I already am.
If you have tomatoes, they're really heavy feeders and you should fertilize again in August or early September to get one more good burst from them... but unless you have alot of rain or water regularly, fertilize lightly 'cause otherwise you'll kill the plants in the August hot sun. This garden is in mid-south Illinois, so your results may vary.
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We raise beef and every spring the feed lot where we fed hay during the winter has about 3' of manure/hay/mud on top of it. I scrape all of this off to get the pasture smooth enough to mow and pile all of the waste in a big pile. We also save all of our grass clippings and mulch for the compost pile. When the garden is done producing I spread a generous helping of the manure and compost over the garden and then turn it all over. This builds the nitrogen/nutrient level back up and also gets the enzymes working on the manure and compost to speed up decomposition. Note: Be careful using green (fresh) manure in your garden, too much can easily burn the seed. Mine usually sits for a year before it goes on the garden. Yes, I know this from experience.
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I'm clearing an area for my square foot stuff. I'll put raised beds in on both sides and leave an alley in between . I only have a 10 x 20 that gets sun. The upside down tomatoes will hang down a fence row in the sun. Stirring up some leaves into my compost roller. I have new radishes and beets coming up! My potato eyes have started taking off. It has been 100 nearly every day.
You're right, LTS... growing season is shorter and evenings are cooler, but soil can be very rich. I have some property and a cabin in NW Ontario, and in summers that I've spent there (usually writing on one of the novels), it's difficult to get much out of my tomatoes, especially the "traditional" such as Beefsteak, Big Beef and Park's Whoppers. I found that a faster-growing and producing tomato such as Jet Star can do well there. You may want to do a bit of research to find out what grows and produces faster, and that may allow you to glean as much from your garden as anywhere. Some of the old heirlooms were cultured for various regions. But my snow peas LOVE the great white north and don't do worth a hoot here because they don't like intensely hot sun and warm nights -- so YOU may have to adapt your diet, too.
Just tell your tongue you're moving to Alaska to give it advance warning the taste buds might be sensing something different... so they don't get confused with a change in venue.
Best of luck up there! Alaska's got some BEAUTIFUL places... although December in Fairbanks was a bit on the "way-too-cold" category for me when there on business about 10 years ago. Luckily it was a short consulting contract and I didn't have to stay more than 2 weeks -- My hat is off to anyone who tuff it out there year-round. I have a special fondness for Anchorage and their "all you can eat" king crab restaurants.
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I've got a spot picked out on the property, next spring will be my first garden of my own. We use to have a community garden with some neighbors back in the city. Anyway, I live in central Arkansas and I am trying to figure out how much sun it would need to have on a daily basis. My spot is perfect except that it only gets between 4-6 hours of sun daily. I could cut down a tree to get more, but it's a beautiful several hundred year old oak that I will not bother. It's just very big and the shadows cover a huge area. So do you think that would be enough sun in this part of the country. LiveToShoot, I don't blame you, I have a friend who moved to Alaska this past spring and I have considered it. If I hadn't just moved last year, man I would make the trip myself.
Thanks for any tips ahead of time. I love this site, I learn something useful everyday.
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Garden prep for next spring... 
