By Dan Gill
For many gardeners, spring brings visions of bountiful harvests of fresh, homegrown vegetables. With a little planning and some work, this vision can become a reality.
The planning stage involves such considerations as where to place the garden and what to plant. The working stage involves preparing the soil, fertilization, planting, mulching and, my favorite part, harvesting.
Site selection is critical to the success of a vegetable garden. The site should receive a minimum of six hours a day of direct sunlight. Full or all-day sunlight is preferable, but with so many trees in the metro area, this optimum condition is not always available. Vegetable plants that do not receive sufficient light will not be as productive.
The site must also be well-drained. Low-lying areas that hold water after a rain are not suitable. Waterlogged soil would prevent the roots from obtaining needed oxygen. To improve drainage even more, we typically plant vegetables in raised rows or raised beds.
Next, make a list of what you plan to grow. Include what you and your family like to eat.
Also note how many of each kind you want to plant. Plant only the amount that you would like to consume fresh or don't mind canning, pickling, freezing or sharing. For example, one hot pepper plant usually yields all the hot peppers a family could want or use. Squash and cucumbers are two other vegetables that often produce more than you care to consume.
Now the work begins with soil preparation. Clear the site of all weeds or grass by physically removing the unwanted vegetation or by spraying with the herbicide glyphosate. When the weeds have been removed or are dead, turn the soil with a shovel or tiller to a depth of 8 inches.
For best production, the soil should be rich in organic matter. Compost is the best choice, but aged manure, partially decayed leaves or peat moss can be used. Spread a 2- to 4-inch layer of organic matter over the tilled area.
Fertilizer can be added on top of the organic matter. Apply a general purpose fertilizer with about a 3:1:2 ratio, such as 15-5-10, 16-4-8 or something similar. Follow package directions for rates.
On the north shore, a fertilizer with a 1:1:1 ratio, such as 8-8-8 or 13-13-13, is appropriate, since soils there tend to be low in phosphorus and potassium. North shore gardeners should consider having their soil tested through their local Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service office to determine the pH and calcium and magnesium levels. Often, north shore gardeners need to add lime to raise the pH and provide calcium (use dolomitic lime if the magnesium level is low).
Organic gardeners may choose to use any of the organic fertilizers available instead of commercial fertilizers.
Mix the organic matter and fertilizer thoroughly with the soil. Turn the soil by digging with a shovel or with a tiller until the added materials are evenly distributed. (A tiller works great for this step.)
Next, make raised rows by using shovels and/or hoes to pull soil up into raised areas. Rows should be at least 36 inches wide from furrow to furrow, and as long as you like. Wide rows will result in more planting surface and make more efficient use of the garden area. The bed may be as wide as you like, as long as you are able to comfortably reach the middle without stepping into the bed.
You may decide to build and garden in raised beds rather than the native soil. Raised beds are usually easier to maintain and can be more productive than in-ground beds. They are generally about 8 to 12 inches high, with sides constructed from materials such as landscape timbers, bricks, cinder blocks or pressure-treated boards. They should be 3 to 4 feet wide and as long as you like. Fill or soil mixes are often used to create new raised beds. The soil company or nursery can help you decide how much soil you need based on the dimensions of the raised beds.
You may fill the bed two-thirds full of river sand and incorporate several inches of organic matter and a general purpose fertilizer. Or, you can choose to purchase a blended soil mix.
For small-scale jobs, it is often easiest to purchase bagged soil mix from a local nursery. For larger jobs, soil companies sell blended soil mixes by the cubic yard and deliver it (if your order is large enough), or you can often get it yourself in a pickup truck. You won't need to add organic matter to a blended top soil or garden soil, but you should still add fertilizer.
Whichever way you go, make sure the bed is not full to the top when you are finished, as this will make it difficult to water and apply mulch.
By planting in raised rows or raised beds, you improve drainage. This is especially important because of the deluges we are subject to receive in any season of the year.
Mulches are a critical part of vegetable gardening. Most importantly, they suppress weeds, but they also conserve soil moisture, moderate soil temperatures (keeping it cooler in summer) and can prevent some disease problems.
Apply 1 to 2 inches of organic mulch (leaves, chopped leaves, pine straw or dried grass clippings) immediately over a prepared bed until you are ready to plant. Plant transplants directly through the mulch. Pull the mulch aside to plant seeds, and do not replace it until the seedlings are big enough.
Planning which vegetables to grow is almost as much fun as harvesting and eating your bounty. Next week, we'll look at some popular vegetables to plant in March.
Dan Gill's mailbox
We need to put dirt in our backyard this spring, and I've heard that it has to be done a certain way or the trees' roots will suffocate if dirt is put over them too deeply. Can you give me instructions on how to do this properly?
The major issues are the depth of the fill and how much of the root system is covered. Fill over too much of the root system too deeply, and you will suffocate enough roots to injure or even kill a tree. If a substantial part of your tree's root system will be covered (as in the entire backyard), the fill should be no deeper than 2 inches. If you have a lawn back there, your grass is a concern as well. Turf will not reliably grow up through more than about 2 inches of fill.
When is the best time to plant a Sabal palm?
Palms are best planted from May to August. Their roots will not begin to grow until the ground has warmed, so earlier planting provides no real benefit. The cut-off date in August is to give them time to grow roots and get established before going through their first winter in the ground.
About a year ago, my neighbor casually mentioned that she had moles in her yard. I did not think too much about it until I spotted some tunnels in my yard this year. I have tried "poison peanuts." This seems to work for just a short time -- maybe three to four weeks - and then the tunnels come back. I am embarrassed to say, but I have even tried the following: pouring hot water with crab boil over the mounds; using my son's leftover firecrackers/smoke bombs to blow up the tunnels; pouring old grease over the mounds; putting chewing gum in the tunnels. All of these "remedies" do not show results. The mounds pop up elsewhere in the yard, or we do not see any signs for a couple of weeks.
Dealing with moles takes time -- time to learn the details of their lifestyles and habits, time to learn about the effective methods of control, and time and persistence in applying the control methods. If you kill one mole, there is no reason another mole won't find your property a few weeks later. It does not mean that your efforts were ineffective, but that you might have new moles to deal with. I see some mole activity on my property almost every year. They seem to show up in different areas from year to year. Fortunately, I have a cat that will patiently watch the tunnels looking for activity, and dig up and kill moles (when he feels like it). I have never attempted to control my moles other than crushing down the tunnels as they appear (when I feel like it). Although a nuisance, I've never found them to be terribly damaging to plantings. Wait until you find armadillos uprooting everything or deer devouring your landscape! I'm sure you have been researching this on the Internet. The LSU AgCenter does not have a lot online on this topic, but other state extension programs have quite a bit of mole-control information. When you do your research, pay particular attention to these extension or state university sites as providing the most effective information. That way, you can avoid methods that don't work -- such as chewing gum. This will be an ongoing fight. Eliminating the moles on your property does not eliminate the population in surrounding areas, and new moles can always show up.