Advice on home Garden.

[zeus1gdsm]

Looking for some input on my home Garden. Not necessarily hunting but I'm sure quite a few here have them. And I couldn't see joining a new forum.

I have an 11x24 area with the sod pulled out. Roots pulled and ready to go.

My friend is going to loan me his rototiller and then I'll be ready to plant.

I'm having a hard time deciding if I should do landscape fabric or black plastic.

I am leaning heavily towards the landscape fabric.

My thought is to get a roll of 4 foot wide. And run it lengthwise on either side of the garden. Then run a line of mulch chips up the middle as a pathway for access..

This would give me 2 4x23 rows for planting. I figure I can get 2 rows of plantings in each strip. And then the mulchwalkway will allow easy access for any weeding.

Thoughts?

Should I mound the soil for these 2 rows?

Thus is my first garden attempt. Running with peppers. Tomatoes squashes kale and lettuce.

Any advice is appreciated.

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[growalot]

first just like with crops...you need to make sure you have a good PH... If not for and area that sized ..I would go to Sams club and buy a few bags of miracle grow soil and put them down the area you plan on having plants in and work it into the soil that is there and add some lime while discing....I have used drive way liner in my garden and it works well but over time the soil will pack down and ants and bugs will move in...I just pulled of two large sections(down for years) of the liner last year and the ground was like a rock in some places and had an ant colony 5'x6'...ants are killers in the garden......Just letting you know any thing you put down to walk on...may have to or should be pulled up down the road to work the soil. Just working and planting will naturally mound the soil over time.

Also working in a tight area get on line and research Companion planting, Yes some plants DO NOT like growing next to each other and some will make each other grow great...some attract or repel harmful bugs....

 

http://www.gardensimply.com/gardening-methods/companion-planting-chart.php

Edited June 21, 2016 by growalot

[jjb4900]

I'm far from a gardener, only have flowerbeds, but I found the black plastic or fabric holds in warmth which the bugs, mostly ants, love.....I would just keep on top of the weeding if it were me.

[Paula]

Land scape fabric is a good idea, we never used it. We make the rows wide enough to use a small tiller around rows. We have 2 gardens 20x60, we use one for 3yrs and then switch. We have never tested soul for anything or added anything. Sounds like you chose good stuff to start.

I believe the most important thing is to weed, weed and weed. Good luck.

[growalot]

my garden is fairly big and I rotate plants around each year...so a good thing for weeds can be a planting of wht. clover..A short growing clover path as wide as the width of your weed whacked line. That way you can have "free" fertilizer and work the clover in and rotate plants every other year. Dutch clover is a good low growing clover. It will help keep moisture in the ground.

[phade]

My garden is alongside my house so I have no ability to walk it. It's maybe 3.5 feet wide by 30 feet long. I use landscape fabric but I also mulch over that entirely to help retain moisture since the soil dries out a bit being against the house and not getting 100% of the rain sometimes.

 

A very cheap alternative is to use a couple layers of newspaper instead of the fabric or plastic, and then mulch over it. I'm going to go back to this as I pull the mulch each year and mix in some mushroom compost each spring by hand. No need to spend the cash on the fabric if I need to pull it each spring anyway.

 

The lettuce may have a hard time at this time of year here. Lettuce for me has only worked out well when I am planting early with the peas carrots and beets, etc. This late in the year, the heat is going to be killer. If it even grows, the taste probably will be off.

 

I am quite sad because I planted a couple square feet of peas and I lost most of them to a darn chipmunk problem. Got two pea plants making it, but that is it. Nothing beats fresh peas in the garden. I may just plant more and see what happens.

Edited June 22, 2016 by phade

[growalot]

lettuce,beets,peas even cauliflower and broccoli ,cukes and greens can be planted in mid to late July or even early Augs to get a fall crop...I get excellent fall peas for freezing.

 

Go to a local Penny-saver and see if they would sell you end rolls...I use to work for a Penny-saver..... back then they gave them away...now they get payed to recycle so they charge for them I believe...No ink....

[ATbuckhunter]

Here's my advice to you, do not use a rototiller. You want to keep the soil integrity and nor destroy the mycorrhizae (fungi) network that you have going on in the soil at this time. This fungi network greatly improves the amount of water a plant can absorb. Also I like to use the grass clipping from my lawn as a fertilizer, weed preventative and a way to help hold in moister. Put the grass clippings around each plant and an area with exposed dirt. Its free and better than anything else you can buy. Decomposing grass is what created the fertility of the great plains.