prepping now for a new garden

[Birddog]

I plan using a new location next spring for my vegetable garden. Is there anything I should do now in the fall/winter? I've heard laying down newspaper will help with killing the weeds.

[rainbowgardener]

Yup, called sheet mulching. If you type that in the Search the Forum dialogue box you will find lots of info.

Yes it will be very helpful to next year's garden if you do something now to prep the soil. Could be doing the newspaper + soil + mulch thing. Or you can till the soil to till weeds or lawn or whatever is there now under and then lay down a bunch of organic mulch (see the thread called "I've got Leaves" under the compost forum).

The general idea is to start getting it loosened up and adding as much organic nutrients as you can. Also, if you haven't already, START A COMPOST PILE! (Yes you can compost all winter.) Compost is the best thing for your garden.

PS Welcome to the forum!

[Neighborhood Gardening]

I would suggest planting some cover crop. Not only will it choke out the weeds, but in the spring you can turn it back into the soil. It will greatly improve the soil composition by returning nitrogen and other helpful bacteria to the soil.

[MacLeod]

Good thread.

I feel like such a gardening noobie on this forum. I thought I was a badass before, now I realize I have so much to learn.

[rainbowgardener]

Part of what is cool about gardening... you can keep learning pretty much endlessly. I joined up to the forum back in Feb this year with 17 yrs of gardening experience and a bunch of reading, but I have learned a ton this year from reading everyone's posts!

[Neighborhood Gardener]

For me it comes down to goals and what you want out of gardening. Two years ago I knew nothing, but I also wasn't that interested in gardening. Now I find that I'm constantly looking for something (a technique or strategy) that will reduce my overhead, increase my yield improve the quality.

I find it enjoyable trying to develop a gardening system that runs like a top.

[MacLeod]

I would suggest planting some cover crop. Not only will it choke out the weeds, but in the spring you can turn it back into the soil. It will greatly improve the soil composition by returning nitrogen and other helpful bacteria to the soil.

I like the sound of that.. what do you suggest as a cover crop?

[funnyguy]

In my area, we plant rye grass. It's nitrogen fixing and likes cold weather. Not sure what you should do in southern California. A pea, bean, or red clover.

[Birddog]

Thanks for the ideas. I like the cover crop idea as it's sort of in the front yard and sheet mulching might be unsightly from the curb. It's getting late in the year though. I'm in southern MD. Is it too late for these cover crops? If so, I will sheet mulch.

[joshbuchan]

I got my mum to take me up the woos in her car, within 20 mins we had filled 15 bags of leaves and twigs, I have spread it all over the veg patch. it looks nice and dose the trick of stoping any grass or weeds growing and when I want to use the patch I will just dig it in and of I go!
and the best bit was it did not cost me a peny!
try it instead of useing newspaper.

[webmaster]

Be sure to have permission before taking leaves and twigs from a wood or public lands. Not sure what the laws are in the UK, but in the States it's not generally lawful to take from public lands. This is because the leaves and twigs are a part of the woods, a part of the ecosystem, the nourishment for the soil and other critters. Taking these away is removing food for a variety of organisms that play a vital part of keeping the woods healthy.

[joshbuchan]

uk there is alot of woodland and in the town I live in, they let us go into the woods and take firewood, leaves, mushrooms ect aslong as its for your own persnal use.