New Garden Bed
I'm a newbie to vegetable gardening (in Tennessee, US), and I'm about to double dig a new garden bed, but there's one slight problem. It keeps raining and raining - and raining. I haven't been able to dig because the soil is so wet and I heard it's bad to dig when soil is waterlogged. I am worried about getting the plants in on time. What should I do? When is the latest I can plant for a good crop?
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applestar
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I have heard that it rains a lot in Tennesee. I think you might want to reconsider double digging -- if it rains continuously, there won't be a chance for you to dig down one shovels depth let alone two,
I have soilid clay subsoil under 1-2" of topsoil -- oh so "generously" left by the developer to keep the grass looking good just until the houses are sold. When I tried to double dig, only areas that were worth double digging was along the foundation where the foundation work necessitated loosening the soil. If I tried to double dig anywhere else, I ended up digging a bathtub.
So for over 10 years now, I have been using sheet mulching method. Stick garden fork in the clay subsoil to depth of the tines to make holes and channels (it's still better if the clay soil is dry enough to do this since they can be fractured, but I've done it to wet clay and just made tine holes too) put down any of the following as necessary: {unfinished compost ingredients or composted manure, weedy mulch, shrub and tree trimmings, sand, pea gravele, sod and top soil from the paths, lime if needed}, cover with large flattened cardboard, pile with layers of weed free greens and brown mulch (see compost forum sticky), top with 4-6" of weed free topsoil, garden soil and/or potting mix.
It's also called lasagna garden if piled really high, but I usually never have enough ingredients to make that kind of a pile. For me, the key is to take all the topsoil from the paths and pile them onto the raised bed. Throughout the season I put down pulled weeds and tree and shrub trimmings in the path, leaves, extra grass clippings, etc. and trample on them, and occasionally hoe down tenacious weeds. The paths will be swamped when it rains or I water the garden, but that helps to drown the weeds -- until At some point near the end of the season or if I'm lucky, when I'm ready to ready the bed for fall planting, the paths will have a nice layer of composted topsoil. So scrape that up onto the beds and pile with any leftover leaves and sticks for the winter.
I have soilid clay subsoil under 1-2" of topsoil -- oh so "generously" left by the developer to keep the grass looking good just until the houses are sold. When I tried to double dig, only areas that were worth double digging was along the foundation where the foundation work necessitated loosening the soil. If I tried to double dig anywhere else, I ended up digging a bathtub.
So for over 10 years now, I have been using sheet mulching method. Stick garden fork in the clay subsoil to depth of the tines to make holes and channels (it's still better if the clay soil is dry enough to do this since they can be fractured, but I've done it to wet clay and just made tine holes too) put down any of the following as necessary: {unfinished compost ingredients or composted manure, weedy mulch, shrub and tree trimmings, sand, pea gravele, sod and top soil from the paths, lime if needed}, cover with large flattened cardboard, pile with layers of weed free greens and brown mulch (see compost forum sticky), top with 4-6" of weed free topsoil, garden soil and/or potting mix.
It's also called lasagna garden if piled really high, but I usually never have enough ingredients to make that kind of a pile. For me, the key is to take all the topsoil from the paths and pile them onto the raised bed. Throughout the season I put down pulled weeds and tree and shrub trimmings in the path, leaves, extra grass clippings, etc. and trample on them, and occasionally hoe down tenacious weeds. The paths will be swamped when it rains or I water the garden, but that helps to drown the weeds -- until At some point near the end of the season or if I'm lucky, when I'm ready to ready the bed for fall planting, the paths will have a nice layer of composted topsoil. So scrape that up onto the beds and pile with any leftover leaves and sticks for the winter.
Thanks for the help!
Marlingardener - I have an array of plants I wanted to try out - peppers, green beans, red potatoes, kale (may be too late), carrots, onions, corn, okra, squash, etc.
applestar - is this method similar to the 'no-dig gardening'? if so, can you direct sow into the sheet mulched beds?
Marlingardener - I have an array of plants I wanted to try out - peppers, green beans, red potatoes, kale (may be too late), carrots, onions, corn, okra, squash, etc.
applestar - is this method similar to the 'no-dig gardening'? if so, can you direct sow into the sheet mulched beds?
If your garden area was in an area that was fertile, you might try going with the no till method.
https://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com/n ... ening.html
If the top of the soil is cleared of weeds, which should be easier to pull when the soil is wet, all you would have to do is use a garden fork to poke holes in the soil. If it is a small garden you can put about 4 inches of potting soil or Mel's Mix on top and plant in that. After that mulch with compost. The soil organisms will come up and pull the compost down over time.
If this is a raised garden bed you can fill it with Mel's Mix after you have poked the holes in the bottom of the bed.
https://www.jungseed.com/files/SFG%20soil%20recipe.pdf
https://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com/n ... ening.html
If the top of the soil is cleared of weeds, which should be easier to pull when the soil is wet, all you would have to do is use a garden fork to poke holes in the soil. If it is a small garden you can put about 4 inches of potting soil or Mel's Mix on top and plant in that. After that mulch with compost. The soil organisms will come up and pull the compost down over time.
If this is a raised garden bed you can fill it with Mel's Mix after you have poked the holes in the bottom of the bed.
https://www.jungseed.com/files/SFG%20soil%20recipe.pdf
Do tell us a bit more.
What part of TN are you in? Lots of differences between east-middle and west.
Have you gardened before?
Are you putting in a few things in a back yard? What is area now? (weeds, grass etc)
It would help if you added location to your profile.
With some basics, easier to make suggestions.
What part of TN are you in? Lots of differences between east-middle and west.
Have you gardened before?
Are you putting in a few things in a back yard? What is area now? (weeds, grass etc)
It would help if you added location to your profile.
With some basics, easier to make suggestions.
Thanks for updating! OK, you've had the rains on top of rains, and I thinking slowing, some. You're also hitting last frost about now, so good timing to put in warm weather stuff in about 1 week or so. Try to keep garden smallish, 4' deep so you can reach from both sides. 4 x 8 is manageable.
One suggestion, if you have access to a tiller, till the area when you can get in there. At least enough to loosen the sod/grass/weeds. Go in by hand and with a hand cultivator pulled as many out as possible. Then add several bags of stuff, till again, pull out any more bits of grass. Ready to go! My suggestions for bagged stuff is Natures Helper, a compost found at HDep, Black Kow, poo from Lowes (also has sand in it that helps with drainage). Top soil is a dice roll. Some is too fresh with ground up pine trees. I like the cheap bag, now about $1.50. It comes out of Muscle Shoals AL, has sand, dirt and ground up pine (pulp wood country). If the wood too green will eat up your nitrogen. I also like the cotton burr compost, (not cotton seed), and some are using mushroom compost. It's adding organic matter to the soil which helps to build it.
If this works, you won't have to till next season. In the fall can work some leaves and stuff in, let nature work on it, and build a good bed.
Hope this helps. KISS keep it simple...., stay in budget.
One suggestion, if you have access to a tiller, till the area when you can get in there. At least enough to loosen the sod/grass/weeds. Go in by hand and with a hand cultivator pulled as many out as possible. Then add several bags of stuff, till again, pull out any more bits of grass. Ready to go! My suggestions for bagged stuff is Natures Helper, a compost found at HDep, Black Kow, poo from Lowes (also has sand in it that helps with drainage). Top soil is a dice roll. Some is too fresh with ground up pine trees. I like the cheap bag, now about $1.50. It comes out of Muscle Shoals AL, has sand, dirt and ground up pine (pulp wood country). If the wood too green will eat up your nitrogen. I also like the cotton burr compost, (not cotton seed), and some are using mushroom compost. It's adding organic matter to the soil which helps to build it.
If this works, you won't have to till next season. In the fall can work some leaves and stuff in, let nature work on it, and build a good bed.
Hope this helps. KISS keep it simple...., stay in budget.