Hello All, Im new to gardening but hope like to setup a vegetable garden in my backyard. Its a fairly small yard and the soil is very tough clay. I intend to build a 8" deep raised bed using cedar boards for a total area of 72 sq ft. We are in Zone 5 (very close to a 4) and I would like to plan all vegetables (lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, etc) and perhaps, if I can find space, some grape vines and dwarf apple tree. My question is around soil prep... How deep should I dig and what should I mix to get the initial garden setup and ready for planting? I saw another post suggesting I should till and mix my clay with other soil and fertilizer to ensure good drainage, but what type of soil should I mix? Can I simply mix a clean topsoil with the clay, and some organic fertilizer material? Thanks.... Jon
old fashioned way would be to double dig, adding manure (worked for like a thousand years) new idea (maybe because everyone is time poor) is to buy top soil and grow in that.........physical exercise is good for you, i say dig it :D
Hi Jon, The best way to improve clay soil is to add compost. You don't need more soil as you already have that. :) All about compost and improving your soil. http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/factsheets/orgmatter/index.html http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/soil/ Here's some handy links. http://eesc.orst.edu/agcomwebfile/edmat/html/EC/EC1228/EC1228.html http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=channel1550&site= This planting calendar is for zone 5. http://www.savvygardener.com/Features/veg_garden_calendar.html Veggie growing guides http://www.explore.cornell.edu/scene.cfm?scene=home gardening&stop=HG - Find a Vegetable http://www.gardenersnet.com/veggies.htm Grapes: http://muextension.missouri.edu/xplor/agguides/hort/g06090.htm http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/pdf/hil-8202.pdf http://ag.udel.edu/extension/horticulture/pdf/hg/hg-01.pdf That should get you started. :) Newt
Wow, thanks for the replies. Those links are great... should keep me reading for awhile. Thanks Newt. Guess Im a little late to try and start my veggies from seed.... anyone know a good place around Oakville, ON to buy veggies to plant?
You are so very welcome! You are right on time for many veggies. Take a look at that calender! Hope you like lots of beans. :) Oh, and just in case you don't have enough to read, how about when to harvest? http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/L291-w.htm http://www.savvygardener.com/Features/harvesting_vegetables.html Enjoy, Newt
