January 31, 2012
The appearance of 55 degree days at the end of January has turned my thoughts again to the garden. After all, there are only 49 days until Spring.
We live in USDA Zone 6, which theoretically provides a growing season of 180 days with the last frost supposedly on April 22nd. But with GW* one never knows what’s coming down. When a traveler to Hartford complained about New England weather to Mark Twain, his rejoinder was, “If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute.”
A few words about preparing the soil before planting: The ideal garden soil is a loamy mixture of sand, clay, and organic material. Sandy soil is good for underground crops like radishes and carrots, but there is too much sand, the soil loses its nutrients. Too much clay and water can’t penetrate.
Soil for most vegetables and plants should have a pH (acidity/alkalinity indicator) of about 6.0 – 7, just slightly on the acid side. Areas with heavy rainfall usually have this pH as do most regions east of the Mississippi River. This year I intend to purchase a soil test kit just to check, and I will report my findings in the next column.
Vegetables, like all other plants, require food and the most important elements are nitrogen (N), phosphate (P), and potassium (K). Most fertilizers contain these elements in various combinations. Nitrogen, essential for the growth of stems and leaves, doesn’t persist in the soil but washes out in weeks or months. Phosphate and potassium, necessary for the development of fruit e.g. tomatoes, remain in the soil longer. A good fertilizer for vegetables is “5-10-5” and is widely available. Organic fertilizers that contain seaweed, ground fish and other organic nutrients, are also satisfactory, but tend to be more expensive than 5-10-5. Our garden plots (12ft. x 28 ft.) are about 336 sq. ft., and 3 – 5 pounds of 5-10-5 can be applied per 100 sq. ft. I would suggest that after the garden has been turned over, raking in 10 pounds of 5-10-5 per garden plot. Horse manure should not be used unless it has been well composted, because it can contain the seeds of weeds.
The subject of weeds brings up my next point, which has to do with mulching. One of the purposes of mulch is to keep down weeds by blocking their access to sunlight. The “mulch” that many of us use is black plastic. The advantage of black plastic is that it’s relatively easy to apply and to remove, it warms the soil and keeps it from drying out. Of course, openings have to be made around every plant to permit water to enter the soil. Disadvantages are cosmetic (you don’t get to see the soil), and also it can be ripped off by a strong wind unless the edges are well anchored with rocks.
Before applying mulch, a decision needs to be made whether to keep the garden flat or to have furrows. This is really a matter of personal preference. I prefer flat. Hills, raised and flattened mounds about 1 – 2 feet wide are good for squash and zucchini. The most important thing is to provide walkways so you can reach each vegetable. Vining crops like cucumbers, pole beans, peas and most tomatoes will require some form of support like fences or towers.
That’s it for this time. I hope to see y’all in the garden this Spring.
*Global Warming
Paul Ellner
