DEAR HELEN: We just bought a house with a large backyard. The area is covered in weedy lawn, and I want to plan a food garden with vegetables and berry bushes next year. How do I plan the garden and get the ground ready for planting?
ANSWER: You are wise to give yourself time to plan and prepare for planting. A late summer and early fall spent creating good soil conditions will pay off next year. Full or close to full sun exposure and efficient drainage of excess moisture are other major necessities for success.
You don't have to wait until next spring to plant. If you are keen on fall and winter vegetables, begin preparing a plot for them now by removing the turf. Use it, the pieces set topside down, to begin a compost heap. Dig the soil as deeply as possible, removing large rocks, roots and debris. Then mix into the soil a generous layer, at least five centimetres deep, of good topsoil or fish compost (fishcompost.com), along with dolomite lime and a natural-source, slow-release fertilizer.
Sow beets and carrots, bok choy, fall and winter lettuce, arugula, mizuna, spinach and corn salad this month. Also look for transplants of winter and overwintering cabbage-family vegetables. Plant garlic around the third week in September.
Prepare the rest of the food-garden area for spring planting in the same way, taking on a small section at a time. An alternative method would be to lime the lawn and then lay cardboard, or newspaper five sheets deep, over it. Then begin covering this base with materials that will break down into a humus-rich soil, such as layers of manure, compost, leaves, chopped straw, seaweed, and grass clippings (shallow layers only).
Stop adding fresh materials around mid-autumn to allow everything to mellow down over the winter and early spring, when spreading a layer of topsoil over the area will complete its readiness for planting.
To plan the food garden, make a sketch of the area and list beside it the fruits and vegetables to be planted. Gradually begin pencilling in locations for various plantings. Permanent plantings like a blueberry hedge, raspberry canes, asparagus and rhubarb can be located along the garden edges or used as dividers between vegetable plots.
For fine-tuning your plan, begin asking around the neighbourhood for local established food gardens to visit. Experienced gardeners usually love to show off their handiwork.
-- Postmedia News
