#1 Garden Thread

[Joe_J.]

I have been spreading compost all over my garden spot. Also using a garden claw to do some cultivating with. I don't need a tiller this year. Using a twenty foot by twenty five foot area. That doesn't sound big but you can get a lot in an area that size by wide row planting method, which is similar to what Whites in Rhodesia are doing so they don't starve.

Because we have limited space and want to utilize every inch that is available, we have used this method in our garden for several years. With the rising cost of produce we consider this to be especially important. My vegetable beds are about four feet wide and 20 feet long. Here is an example of how much space this conserves: In one wide-row bed two feet long I can plant the equivalent of a 48-foot single row of garden carrots. Put another way, a bed four feet wide and 20 feet long seeded with carrots is the equivalent of 480 feet of carrots planted in a single row. Wide-row planting also means I can expect to harvest up to six times as much produce per foot.
I find that this method of gardening saves me a lot of time and it is important that I use my time to best advantage. Watering time is cut down because the lower foliage tends to shade the entire area and reduces evaporation. Also, because the crops are planted closer together, they tend to crowd out weeds. Fertilizer is conserved, too, because all the soil that has been prepared is utilized.
Using the wide-row method, more than one row is planted of a particular crop. For example, instead of planting a single row of bush beans, two are planted close together. To make the wide-row even wider, plant three, four, five or more rows close together. Spacing of plants in the rows will depend entirely on crops grown. Directions on the back of the seed packet will specify how close together that crop should be spaced.

As in all vegetable gardening, the key to success is proper soil preparation. Take extra time to properly till or spade the soil to a depth of six to 12 inches. Mix in ample amounts of compost, if available, processed manure, well-rotted manure and an all-purpose vegetable garden fertilizer. After mixing these soil additives with the existing soil, rake the area level to eliminate low spots where water night collect and keep the soil cool. By mounding the planting area you will find the soil dries out and warms up sooner and crops reach maturity at an earlier date.
Plan the layout of the garden before you start planting, keeping in mind that tall-growing crops should be to the north. Otherwise, they would shade lower-growing plants.

http://www.humeseeds.com/widrow.htm

Last year, I had a great garden. I used nothing but miracle grow that you put in a garden hose sprayer bottle. I did that once a week. That was the only water things got unless it rained. No fertilizers at all. No pesticides. If I wanted that shit on my food, I would just nix the garden and buy frankenfoods at the grocery store. Also, look for heirloom seeds that are non GMO and can be reused next year.

I did have an infestation of mexican bean beetles and they eat more than beans. They wouldn't touch tomatoes but everything else was fair game to them. So, I am going to try neem oil this year, which a friend recommended. Supposed to be natural stuff. I am also going to try water and cayenne pepper in a spray bottle. I am told that keeps away pests.

Okay, anyone else got a garden going or have tips?