The Progressive Gardener - Getting Started by Kenneth Lafler

   Preparing  your  growing  area


                        by

                            Kenneth  Lafler





   When preparing  your  garden  , one  must  look  for an area  with full  sun most  of the day ,  good  drainage ,  water , and  a healthy soil  or loom.  Also  good ventilation is  important.  Your  garden  needs to be  in an area  with plenty of air  circulation for proper  growth.



  
     First  , clear  all  the  weeds  with a  rake to the bare soil and  continue  this for  about  a  week to get   the  seeds  left over from  cleaning the area .  If seeds are present  they  will take over  the  area  almost  immediately .  An anti weed  agent  can help  with this but these are  chemical products and not suited for  vegetables or any other consumable  trees or plants .


   For area's you want to be free of weeds   ,  place a  sheet of  black  poly-urethane sheeting   down  and cover  it  with rocks  or dirt  to  keep it from blowing  away  . This will eliminate  weed growth on the sides of your  growing  area  or  pathways .


   


    Then using  a  roto-tiller  or shovel  , dig down about  a foot  to two feet . This soil condition is called friable .   This  means  the  soil  has  aeration for the roots of your  vegetable  crop. 

    Eye  protection should  always be  worn when using  a  roto-tiller  or even a  lawn mower.  And  the  machine should be turned  completely off before  adjusting .



  After  this , the soil needs to be amended. This means  adding  organic material  , such as  compost , granular fertilizer's  and organic  matter .
I prefer  Kellogs  Grow  Mulch or  Nitro-Humus for  outdoors .  For  indoor  growing  a potting  mix  will be  needed for
drainage.



    Work  the soil  additives  in  for about  another  week  and continue  working on the quality  of  the soil  through  the life  cycle of the  plant .


    At  the  same  time , hot beds  should be  constructed  to get  an early start  on the  growing season.   These are container's with a  controlled environment to keep the seedlings warm .



  



      Fruit  and  vegetable  crate's work well for this . Just place  a  clear  sheet of Poly-urethane plastic  over the  box after  filling it with Grow-Mulch , or the soil of your choice.

  When  growing indoors  ,  drainage is even more important. Without  proper drainage  , the  water can stagnate  in the bottom of the pot  and  destroy  the  root system .



  Liquid  growth product's must also be used for  healthy  plants and  vegetables . A  good  non-organic  fertilizer  is  Miracle  Grow  .  There are also organic  fertilizer's  on the market but they are slower acting  than chemical product's .

  The  thing to remember is , the more care you give your  garden  , the  more returns you will recieve from it .


                  by

                              Kenneth  Lafler