Organic Garden Preparation

     Garden Location

Garden preparation starts with a good location. It is essential for an abundant and beautiful garden. Most fruits and vegetables and many ornamentals prefer a full sun location. Make sure your garden area is getting at least 6 hours of direct sun a day and more sun is better.  Some cool weather crops like broccoli, cabbage and lettuce can tolerate some shade especially in the heat of summer so if you have some shaded areas plan to plant these shade tolerant plants there.

Garden Plan
Whether you are planting one garden container or a homestead farm it is always good to start with a garden plan.  
Make a list of what you like to eat, what you would like to grow and how much time and energy you have for your garden.
Be realistic and don’t try to do too much. It is better to have a small nicely cared for productive garden than a big weed patch.
Decide if you want to plant in a garden pot, a raised bed or a traditional garden bed.
Draw a simple plan or check out one of the many computer programs available to get a good visual of your garden. If your garden is small and simple you can just visualize it in your mind.

Soil Test
Before you start digging, consider having the soil tested or using a simple soil test kit. The results will give you an indication of nutrient levels, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, mineral content, PH level (acidic to alkaline) and how much organic matter is present. With such an analysis, as well as a plan for what kinds of plants you will be growing, amendments can be tailored more precisely to your garden soil. Soil test kits can be found at your local nursery or hardware store.  Most county extension offices offer a soil-testing service for a small fee.

Garden Beds
You can use this easy planting formula for your garden preparation it is  based on organic gardening principals.  
If you are in your garden center or local nursery make sure to buy only organic fertilizers. I will only suggest a few of the many organic possibilities most easily found in online garden supply stores, nurseries and many hardware stores.   

A large garden container or a raised bed is probably the easiest garden bed you can prepare but you can also use these principals to dig an old fashioned garden bed. It is a good idea to use a soil test kit to find out exactly what your soil needs, but in most cases this planting formula can successfully be used in most soils and climate conditions. It is for people who just want to do it!  

Healthy garden plants need the nutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and some trace minerals to grow strong and produce and abundant harvests.  It is important to have a soil PH of somewhere between 6 and 7.

Garden Container

You can use any garden container from a simple 12” plastic garden pot, a wine barrel cut in half or a pair of old shoes. 
Pick a container large enough for the plants you have chosen to grow and add nutrients accordingly.





Raised Beds
Put together a rectangular frame  with 2X8 or 2X10 lumber, cedar, redwood or fir is best. Don’t use anything pressure treated as the chemicals leach into your soil and vegetables.  If there is grass or weeds growing it is best to use a garden fork to dig them out and put them in your compost pile. Then loosen the underlying soil for deeper rooting. Fill your raised bed frame with worm castings, compost, top soil, and or potting soil from your local garden supply center. For a very easy method you can put down a layer of cardboard or newspaper over the grass or weeds and then fill your raised bed as described above. 

Garden Beds
I like this kind of garden preparation best. Dig, fork up or roto till garden beds 6-12 inches deep, three feet wide and as long as you want them.
Leave a 24 inch path between beds.

 
Add nutrients and soil conditioners
Developing your soil is one of the fundamental organic garden principals so add as much compost, earthworm castings and organic materials as you can. This will increase drainage in heavy clay soils and will help to hold nutrients in sandy or well drained soils. You can also buy manure, potting soil, vermiculite, and compost to add to your beds.
 
Organic fertilizer and soil amendments
There are many organic fertilizers. When preparing your garden beds  I suggest choosing soil  amendments that also add organic matter into your soil as well as nutrients. Manure and potting soil mixes, rather than liquid nutrients. If you need to feed your plants later in the season liquid nutrients, for foliar feeding or watering in as teas can be a good supplement.  You can make manure or compost tea or buy many organic liquid fertilizers.  
 
Bed preparation for a 100 Sq foot area (not including paths)  or 1 garden bed  3 feet wide and  33 feet long.
Add compost if you have it and some nitrogen, phosphorus potassium and trace minerals.  
 
Nitrogen
1 Bag of chicken manure or 2 bags of steer manure spread evenly over the 100Sq foot bed. If you have access to fresh manure makes sure to compost it first.  Fresh manure can burn plants. Store bought manure is ready to go and won’t burn your plants.  
 
Phosphorus  
2 pounds of bone meal for this year’s crop.
2 1/2 pounds of rock phosphate which is slow release phosphorus apply every 3 years.
Some phosphorus is also in your chicken manure, most cow manure has very little phosphorus.
 
Potassium  
1 1/2 lbs of green sand and 1/12 lbs of wood ashes preferably hardwood ashes, 1 lbs of  kelp (seaweed) meal  which will  give you many important trace minerals.  
 
PH  
1 1/2 lbs of dolomite which is limestone with magnesium and calcium added. This is for soils that tend to be a little on the acid side. If you live in an area like the desert that is probably on the alkaline side then don’t add the lime.
 
Compost
If you have a lot of compost use as much as you can, 1 or 2 wheel barrows per bed is not to much.  If you only have a little compost use it for your seed flats or place it directly around your plants as a top dressing.   
 
Foliar feeding
Spray your plants with Maxi Crop which provides many beneficial trace minerals. It  is a sea weed based nutrient and works wonders. You can also use fish emulsion for nitrogen and compost tea for everything!   
 
 
Planting
You’re now ready to plant your garden seeds or transplant your garden starts.
Know your region and climate and choose seeds that are adapted to your area and the time of year you are planting.
Choose your favorites, so you get all the vegetables you like to eat most. Buy organic seeds if possible and try some open pollinated or heirloom seeds.


Success or Trial and error?
This formula will work most of the time in most conditions but I certainly recommend a soil test for a more thorough evaluation of your soil and planting conditions to produce an abundant garden your first year.  If your plants are not vibrant and productive then test your soil and add necessary nutrients and PH balance.  

For more information see my chapters on “organic garden preparation”.