Posted: 4/4/2016 10:48:05 PM EDT
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I am thinking about starting a small garden this year after 5 years of living at my house. I will be starting from scratch plowing/tilling basically a plot in a grass field. Any good tips on what to buy to start? Should I buy topsoil and peatmoss?
I have considered raised bed but those seem to make accesbility difficult with power equipment, but it might be easier to start with? I can always take down the sides and till the dirt into a regular plot. I have access to a tractor and my dads plow and tiller, and maybe even his small troybilt tiller. Just looking for ideas to get started. |
| I started mine four years ago on a patch of scrub desert. Barbed wire to keep the livestock off of it, chicken wire to keep the rabbits off of it, and plenty of Miracle Grow and water. I would think with the soil you have in Ohio and a little Miracle Grow you should be good to go. |
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Mow short, till, have a soil sample analyzed at your local Extension office. Amend soil if needed depending on the results, re-till to integrate whatever amendments you added and kill anything that's sprouted in the meantime, then cover with a layer of cardboard or newspaper. Top it off with 6" or so of some kind of mulch (I use grass clippings, but shredded leaves, store-bought mulch, etc. will work too). Plant bedding plants through holes poked in the mulch layers.
An additional raised bed isn't a bad idea for things that you grow directly from seed... carrots, lettuce, etc. that can't be planted through the mulch layer in the main garden. Heavy mulch is the key. It can make the difference between a successful garden that you enjoy maintaining and a stone weight around your neck that turns you off of gardening forever because you have better things to do with your life than eternally battling weeds and managing watering schedules. |
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Also, if you haven't discovered it yet, Arfcom has a great Home and Garden forum you can browse for other advice:
Homestead, Farm and Garden |