I recently decided to turn a patch of my backyard into a garden and it's been warm lately here in north jersey so the frost is more or less gone from the ground but might return so is it possible to convert it in time for the planting time if I work like a mad man? I know there might be problems with the weed seeds coming back; but I'm willing to weed like the devil to make up for it. Also my budget is 50 so is doing this feasible?
Thank you, Deiter Strauss
We did it! We waited until spring planting to even till ours up. Do you know anyone who can lend you a tiller? I think we tilled ours about a month before we wanted to plant it. We went out to the new garden whenever weather permitted and pulled grass clods out (don't skip that, you have a lawn with tomatoes growing in it), and then tilled it again before planting. We had a LOT of weeds/grass our first year, but if you can keep up with weeding you won't have a problem.
I would also suggest buying your veggies already started from a greenhouse, or start seeds in a flat/pot with a starter soil. Just so your babies don't have to battle the weeds. This is our fourth summer in this garden and I STILL start all of my seeds in flats, then transplant later. This is also nice for climate control. Big storm, move them in the garage.
If you swing by a local greenhouse, they may have old flats that they can't use that they might just give you. Ones that are partial, or have dinged up sides. I have two friends in the greenhouse business, and have worked in both places, and I know their dumpsters are full of partial flats this time of year through about May. Another good way to save is to buy your veggies late. Not only are they nice and big for you, but they are generally marked down a LOT to get them out. I'm assuming Jersey is close to MI in climate, wait til late May, early June for good deals.
I would also suggest buying your veggies already started from a greenhouse, or start seeds in a flat/pot with a starter soil. Just so your babies don't have to battle the weeds. This is our fourth summer in this garden and I STILL start all of my seeds in flats, then transplant later. This is also nice for climate control. Big storm, move them in the garage.
If you swing by a local greenhouse, they may have old flats that they can't use that they might just give you. Ones that are partial, or have dinged up sides. I have two friends in the greenhouse business, and have worked in both places, and I know their dumpsters are full of partial flats this time of year through about May. Another good way to save is to buy your veggies late. Not only are they nice and big for you, but they are generally marked down a LOT to get them out. I'm assuming Jersey is close to MI in climate, wait til late May, early June for good deals.
Welcome to the forum! 
Yes, you certainly can create a garden in your yard. There are different ways of approaching it. Traditionally, we would just dig up the soil and, maybe, add some well-rotted compost, if it was available. You can buy it bagged, but of course, that costs money, until you get your own compost piles going.
The method I used was to strip the sod and lay it aside, then double dig the soil. As I dug the second, deepest, level, I would place the sod, grass side down in the hole, and then pile the soil back on top of it. I just mixed the compost in as I returned the soil to the space. Depending on the texture of your soil, you may have to break up clods with the shovel, a hoe, or a rake, to break the soil into small enough particles. (You don't want it to be in big clods.
) You can apply a thick layer of mulch between the rows, to help keep the weeds down.
Your garden may not be perfect the first year. Some plants will succeed, and some will fail. You will, no doubt, improve it a little more each year, as you learn.
You might also be able to start your garden without digging at all. There's a technique called "lasagna gardening", but I've never tried that. There is also raised bed gardening. Our forum has a lot of information about both of these alternatives. (These days, now that I'm older, I prefer to garden in containers, which is yet another alternative to in-ground gardening.) [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=178854&highlight=lasagna+gardening#178854]Click here[/url] to read one of our past discussions about lasagna gardening. You can find more discussions, with information about all of these alternative techniques -- as well as the more traditional methods -- by using our Search feature, which is located on the black tool bar at the top of the page.
Yes, you certainly can create a garden in your yard. There are different ways of approaching it. Traditionally, we would just dig up the soil and, maybe, add some well-rotted compost, if it was available. You can buy it bagged, but of course, that costs money, until you get your own compost piles going.
The method I used was to strip the sod and lay it aside, then double dig the soil. As I dug the second, deepest, level, I would place the sod, grass side down in the hole, and then pile the soil back on top of it. I just mixed the compost in as I returned the soil to the space. Depending on the texture of your soil, you may have to break up clods with the shovel, a hoe, or a rake, to break the soil into small enough particles. (You don't want it to be in big clods.
) You can apply a thick layer of mulch between the rows, to help keep the weeds down.Your garden may not be perfect the first year. Some plants will succeed, and some will fail. You will, no doubt, improve it a little more each year, as you learn.
You might also be able to start your garden without digging at all. There's a technique called "lasagna gardening", but I've never tried that. There is also raised bed gardening. Our forum has a lot of information about both of these alternatives. (These days, now that I'm older, I prefer to garden in containers, which is yet another alternative to in-ground gardening.) [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=178854&highlight=lasagna+gardening#178854]Click here[/url] to read one of our past discussions about lasagna gardening. You can find more discussions, with information about all of these alternative techniques -- as well as the more traditional methods -- by using our Search feature, which is located on the black tool bar at the top of the page.
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DoubleDogFarm
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I read up on lasagna and elevated growing; but I wanted to get it done this year and I'm the kind of lazy that would want spend 2 hours weeding then 30 minutes building a box! The ground beneath my sod is kind gravelly and clay-like so should I just get to work with a hoe and a pick ax?
Thank you, Deiter Strauss
Thank you, Deiter Strauss
If you have a clay base soil, you won't be lazy for long if you intend to have a garden this year. Wear gloves if you are planning on digging it all up by hand or you'll have blisters on your blisters.ssbookyu wrote:I read up on lasagna and elevated growing; but I wanted to get it done this year and I'm the kind of lazy that would want spend 2 hours weeding then 30 minutes building a box! The ground beneath my sod is kind gravelly and clay-like so should I just get to work with a hoe and a pick ax?
Thank you, Deiter Strauss
I live in NW NJ and I did the same thing. I ripped it up in the spring (the grass) then added a bunch of organic topsoil and sand (heavy clay). Tilling was brutal - used a pick axe - but it was all good when done. The strung up a 3' rabbit fence and decided what I was going to plant. I also built a wooden trellis I screwed to the same side of the shed. Like everyone says, just experiment and plant what you like to eat. My wife and I aren't huge vegetable people but we are trying. Best luck!
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applestar
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It's late now and I'm not up to doing the looking, but search the forum for "Sheet Mulching" I've written several times about how this is the way I start my garden beds on TOP OF existing lawn, and that I've even prepped in March and planted in April. If you do it now, even on top of whatever snow is left on the ground, you'll be plenty ready for spring planting.
If you've read about lasagna gardening, that's basically the same idea except I don't dig.
You don't necessarily need a box around the bed unless you want it to look neat and tidy. I need a rabbit fence around all my garden beds anyway, and have found that some straw to hold the soil, etc. is sufficient.
I'll elaborate tomorrow. Post if you have questions. G'night!
If you've read about lasagna gardening, that's basically the same idea except I don't dig.
You don't necessarily need a box around the bed unless you want it to look neat and tidy. I need a rabbit fence around all my garden beds anyway, and have found that some straw to hold the soil, etc. is sufficient.
I'll elaborate tomorrow. Post if you have questions. G'night!
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rainbowgardener
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I did use Applestar's method to turn a couple corners of my lawn into flower beds. Just lay down a bunch of layers of newspaper right on top of the grass. Water it well then put down topsoil/compost on top of that and plant into it, digging planting holes through the newspaper for transplants.
Depends on how big of an area you are talking about, what the budget would be. Since my property didn't come with any actual dirt (only clay and rock), and that was when I had just moved here, I did buy some bags of soil. I also bought a few plants to transplant in to it. And I bought some edging since one side of the roughly triangular beds adjoined remaining lawn, to keep the lawn from spreading right back into the flower beds.
Remember that you want it to be sparsely planted with a lot of dirt showing the first year (you can lay mulch over the dirt), because you need to have room for the plants to fill out and spread as they mature.
It worked very well for me and wasn't all that expensive for maybe 40 -50 some square feet of two flower beds. And I didn't do any preparation ahead of time.
Depends on how big of an area you are talking about, what the budget would be. Since my property didn't come with any actual dirt (only clay and rock), and that was when I had just moved here, I did buy some bags of soil. I also bought a few plants to transplant in to it. And I bought some edging since one side of the roughly triangular beds adjoined remaining lawn, to keep the lawn from spreading right back into the flower beds.
Remember that you want it to be sparsely planted with a lot of dirt showing the first year (you can lay mulch over the dirt), because you need to have room for the plants to fill out and spread as they mature.
It worked very well for me and wasn't all that expensive for maybe 40 -50 some square feet of two flower beds. And I didn't do any preparation ahead of time.
It agree. It definitely is a lot of work, but it sure made a lovely garden.nes wrote:If you really want to put some WORK in.
Dig up your sod, chop off the top layer (the grass) with your shovel, and double-dig the earth back in.
I did this my first year & got a good amount of usable garden space.
It was A LOT of work.
Of course, I was a whole lot younger back when I did it! 
! I think 
... you know what; I'll go get some Tylenol and Bengay next time I go shopping 
. Do you double till; grass and everything or do you have to cut the green real close to the ground then double dig?My soil is like concrete, rock and clay. Scalped the grass, marked with spray paint then used the pick axe to rip up the grass. Then spread down a thick layer of organic top soil and lime and sand to help break up the soil, then planted. Worked out fine. Following year I expected it to be a brutal dig but my shovel sunk right in no problemo...
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applestar
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- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
Here's one link:
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=126054#126054
(You don't have to read the rest of the thread unless you're interested.
That was a little heavy on the technical discussion, but I happened to contribute a fairly detailed description of my garden prep among the chatter.)
See also:
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22797
And
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21761
I think some crops do better first year than others. They're called "Pioneer" crops. Both regular and sweet potatoes, corn, sunflowers, tomatoes and peppers, peas and beans, and pumpkins and squash.... to name a few.
. Oh! I do believe I can add cotton to the list after my experience this past year.
I'll just repeat that I didn't dig. Will you get better results if you double dig? Possibly. Will I ever in the future? Not likely.
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ETA: OK found one more in an older thread
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=59387#59387
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=126054#126054
(You don't have to read the rest of the thread unless you're interested.
That was a little heavy on the technical discussion, but I happened to contribute a fairly detailed description of my garden prep among the chatter.)See also:
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22797
And
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21761
I think some crops do better first year than others. They're called "Pioneer" crops. Both regular and sweet potatoes, corn, sunflowers, tomatoes and peppers, peas and beans, and pumpkins and squash.... to name a few.
. Oh! I do believe I can add cotton to the list after my experience this past year.I'll just repeat that I didn't dig. Will you get better results if you double dig? Possibly. Will I ever in the future? Not likely.
--
ETA: OK found one more in an older thread
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=59387#59387
Those threads Apps gave are great.
However, I think if you want a garden and you don't have extremely hard or rock soil....you can just disk off the sod, till it up, and plant.
Sure, the methods everyone else gave are better, but if you just want to make sure you can at least get a garden started, you can do this.
Now, doing this, you probably won't have the best garden ever the first year...but you will have plenty of time once it's established to build up your soil.
However, I think if you want a garden and you don't have extremely hard or rock soil....you can just disk off the sod, till it up, and plant.
Sure, the methods everyone else gave are better, but if you just want to make sure you can at least get a garden started, you can do this.
Now, doing this, you probably won't have the best garden ever the first year...but you will have plenty of time once it's established to build up your soil.