here where i garden it doesnt freeze
the temps maybe got down in the low 40s some
but not much
so when i do my spring planting i dont have to worry about
my tomatoes freezing like theyve done every year for a long
time when we lived in texas
so now that the days have warmed to the 60s every day
its time to plant our spring summer stuff here
so
i planted what was going to be 5 tomatoes
well you know how it is when you go shop for tomatoes
they all look so good
every year i end up with more tomato plants than i have space for
i said i wasnt going to do that this year
but
i did it anyway
the problem was
my plot i have which is around 20 ft x 10 ft is real crowded now
with all my tomatoes and my peppers and my onions and
my garlic and my kale and my swiss chard and my basil
and my beans
i need more space
so
lucky for me
the person owning the plot next to mine decided to give it up
i was first in line to ask for it
and after being gone for a few days
those weeds
just exploded
just took over the new plot
another 20 ft x 10 ft plot
so i started hoeing and digging and raking and cuzzing
i eventually removed all the weeds
three wheelbarrow loads
recycling them of course to the hot compost area
so once i cleared off the plot
i realized the soil seemed to be in much better shape
that the first plot i got
so
heres what i did
and
plan to do
i used string to set the borders of my plot
i then dug a 1 foot trench around the border
dumping the soil onto the plot
the trench was then filled up with mulch
then i packed the mulch down into the trench
this mulch trench will act as a moisture sink
that will keep the area surrounding my garden from
being so dry this summer
whenever i water my garden or if it rains
the sink will hold the water
my calculations are that that 60 ft trench can hold
400+ gallons of water
over time the mulch will break down
one day it will be compost that i will just dump
over into the garden
then
i will replace the mulch as i need to
then i subdivided the plot into 4 ft x 8 ft beds
with walkways between the beds
each walkway was dug down 1 ft
the soil was dumped onto the bed
then the trench was filled with mulch
increasing my water retention capacity
and my composting ability
then later i will bury my 5 gallon worm composters
in each of the smaller plot trenches
to have the worms make more compost for me
so this garden bed will self make most of the compost
ill need for the future
its almost compost self sufficient
then
before planting
i added 4 inches of organic compost and a good sprinkling of
organic fertillizer
this was then forked in with a larger 3 ft garden fork with tines
that are over 1 ft long
this was forked about every 4 inches across the beds
this allows the compost and the fertilizer to fall down the holes
providing goodies deep into the soild
then the bed was raked over
and
a good soaking of liquid molasses was added
this increases the bacteria and fungi growth in the soil
for the worms and the plants
then this bed is ready for planting
in this bed will go three tomatoes cherokee purple sweet 100
and sun gold and okra and armenian cukes and canteloupe
and ms bs pumpkin and purple hull peas and christmas lima beans
and bush beans and whatever else i can fill in to the empty spaces
in the other bed we have the 7 tomatoes and 3 peppers and squash
and eggplant and basil and kale and swiss chard and bush beans
and vining green beans and malabar spinach
soon we will harvest the 100+onions and the 50+ garlic
this is about the same amount of stuff that i planted when i was
at the country n in texas
i got a garden consult
from miss b
we brought her little bench to the garden
she sat it in
i said
ms b
see that 4 ft square by your bench
thats going to be your garden
we gonna plant a pumpkin for you and tomatoes and beans and
carrots and whatever else youll eat
she smiled as she looked up at me
she knows and understands
we are getting there
the organicgreen doctor
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