Yesterday I dug a 2 foot by 8 foot patch in my backyard that I plan to use for a small veggie/herb garden. The soil is in reasonably good condition and looks to be sandy and clayey. I plan to add some organic material from my compost heap when it produces some more hummus.
Other than that, is there anything else I need to do with the soil to ready it for planting? I don't plan to plant anything fancy, just some basil, rosemary, mint, oregano, tomatoes, strawberries, blackberries and a few other things. I'm just concerned because I've never gardened before.
The spot I've picked gets lots of sun 10-plus hours a day. I plan to start small and add on if my first fruits are successful. Any tips on knowing when the soil is ready to plant?
Someone has said my garden isn't big enough. I can make the garden as large as I like. I just have to get the mattock out of the shed and start pounding away. Unfortunately, that doesn't answer my question as to what to do with the soil.
Jeff,byren is right you will need a little more room to grow what you want.do a soil ph test .till in the compost and use a mulch to keep down the weeds and hold moisture in the soil .good luck and green side up !!
sounds like you have a good start. If the soil isn't red clay(like here down South) you should be ok. Remember to plant your plants deep enough, if you are planting from pots remember to break up the roots before you put them in the ground. I usually use some miracle grow on them every couple of weeks. Give them plenty of water and it should go well
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2×8 is not room enough for all of that
An inderterminate tomato needs 3ft dia all by itself
you have room enough for 2 tomato plants.
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You may want to add some manure in addition to the hummus and work that into the soil. I've found it really does help to enrich sandy areas.
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Personal experience
Wow, your sun exposure is awesome. I think compost is all you need.
You should only plant one of each from your list in that plot though, and your blackberries won't fit at all.
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certified master gardener
Jeff,byren is right you will need a little more room to grow what you want.do a soil ph test .till in the compost and use a mulch to keep down the weeds and hold moisture in the soil .good luck and green side up !!
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I run an organic garden center, and have a couple of things for you. First, you need to add some soft rock phosphate for the tomatoes and berries. You may want to add some lava sand to help retain moisture. Maybe some manure compost, like someone else suggested. You may also add some kind of organic fertilizer with cottonseed meal and alfalfa meal. I hope that helps, and good luck!
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You'll need a cage or stakes for your tomato plants.
My strawberries grew in partial shade. I don't know how compatible your plants are with each other.
Some compost is always good 🙂 You might also consider adding a thin sprinkling of bone meal fertilizer — more for your tomato plants when they start flowering.
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Hello Jeff, again? I was saying that you sound like a natural gardener!
The ONLY way to 'improve' a soil-type is by adding organic matter…preferably decomposed organic matter if you want to plant and eat right away. Using non-decomposed organic matter ie.) sawdust, wood chips, partially decomposed kitchen compost will cause the balance of micro/macro soil organisms that promote plant health to lower and raise the decomposers while they (require lots of nitrogen) do their job .
Sand, silt, loam, sandy silt loam, clayey loam, clay…these are all types of soil, tiny little bitty rocks! Management is the key. You said you have sandy/clayey soil which is interesting…I could give you ways of testing but it really doesn't matter much…pH would be good to know…
I think you are going to be just fine with what you have done; digging up the soil, fluffing it in the process with air…yes?, adding decomposed organic matter? Make sure that you dig down at least a good foot, don't worry about rocks the size of your fist or smaller…good grief…pile the soil into a 'berm' or envision a 'grave' and the bigger the better…it WILL settle by half or more mid-season.
The compost can be scattered as you dig or by golly! Just put it on top! Then fluff up and smooth the top of the 'berm' mixing the organic matter with soil. Tamp down the surface so it is flat and there will be slopes on all sides. Don't line with rocks, wood or whatever. Not necessary. Do cover your paths between your bed(s) with fine gravel, sawdust or lawn! You can get an awful lot out of 8'X2'? I'd make it 2 1/2' or 3' wide…but 2 will work fine. Try just this much for this year and enlarge as you understand how much time a garden takes…and how much you get from spending time in the garden. Whoa. Everyone should have to spend a few hours in the garden, hands in the soil (no gloves)…I think that we'd get 'back in touch' with what is real anyhoo….
Don't know where you live…I'd bag the blackberries…they are #1 weed where I live….they'll need support …so you can get at the berries easily…I'd plant a raspberry or marionberry…but again where! do you live?
Your patch is common! It is called a KITCHEN GARDEN. All great cooks have one where they can get fresh herbs straight out of their garden. A great place to start. One or two tomato plants will do just fine in that space and give you lots of tomatoes.
Water shallowly at first every day keeping the soil and seeds and seedlings moist…don't let it dry out. When the plants are mature you can start watering DEEP AND LONG letting the soil dry out somewhat before watering again….plant a 'cover crop' for the winter that you can dig into the soil come spring. Best way to prevent weeds and add compost to your soil. It decomposes very quickly and keeps your soil aerated.
DON'T overfertilize! Especially with Nitrogen or you won't get fruits, flowers! On the herbs you want the leafy stuff so lots of nitrogen would be OK. Just don't overdo. Read the lable and extended release with micronutrients is best.
Take a glass of fine Chardonnay , freshly made lemonnade or suntea and pick out weeds, cut slugs or cutworms in half with scissors…ahhhhhhh. Grins.
Another plant you might want to add especially if you make another row like your first is a salad buffet row. Mix all lettuce seeds you can find, radishes, spinach, beets, collard greens, carrots, green onions in a shaker and shake the seeds on a tamped 2 or 3 foot by 8 foot 'berm'…flip soil from the sloped sides with a rake onto the seeds so they are lightly covered. I'd even purchase row cloth, a light, white, cloth that allows water and sun in, raise it by pulling it up and tuck the sides in by burying them in the soil. This will prevent flies from laying their eggs and ruining the carrots and radishes….
You have to wait to plant tomatoes and basil until late into the spring…very tender to cold temps! The rest is fine. Start your tomatoes and basil inside by the sunniest window using a minihothouse purchased in any garden center. When danger is definitely past…you can plant them…like eggplant?
Bet you are going to be thinking of investing in a green house of these years so you will never, ever, have to buy anything from the produce sections of our 'grocery stores' again! What a HUGE difference in taste and smell! Oh, oh , oh the tomatos and corn and everything is so heavenly! Just add a juicy grilled steak…
Try some potatoes!!! Oh my goodness. And bag the russets…do Yukon gold and the reds! maybe a blue for fun…the flowers are the same color as the potatoes…can be left in the ground if the winters are mild…and dug out as you need them.One more thing…water shallowly at first every day keeping the soil and seeds and seedlings moist…don't let it dry out. When the plants are mature you can start watering DEEP AND LONG letting the soil dry out somewhat before watering again.
…let me know if you have any other questions! Stormy
Oh good luck and don't be afraid to experiment, get a few books…trust your instincts, you have got them!
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Master Gardener (Idaho, Washington), Landscape Architect (Idaho), Commercial Pesticide Applicator – WSU Cooperative Extension Service…46 years of experience, grins!