The Vegetable Garden is Ready for Planting
The vegetable garden here at my Bedford, New York farm is ready for planting.
Having a really good vegetable garden where I can grow lots of fresh, delicious and nutritious produce is extremely important to me. I share the vegetables with my daughter, my grandchildren, as well as other relatives and friends. Every year, we spend a lot of time preparing the soil - tilling the earth, adding natural fertilizers and building raised, well-aerated beds. The entire process takes a couple weeks to complete, but the result is always worth the wait.
Enjoy these photos.
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- We started prepping the vegetable garden earlier this month with a good sprinkling of fertilizer. Fertilizer replaces lost nutrients, so levels are acceptable for healthy growth. During the cold season, my chickens, Guinea fowl, and geese are also given access to the vegetable gardens. Not only do they provide a tremendous nitrogen source to the area, they are helpful in turning the soil, eliminating weeds, and creating compost in place.
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- I always use organic additives. Ryan sprinkles organic triple super phosphate fertilizer, which is 100-percent natural and organic. It can be directly blended with compost or soil to promote vigorous roots and increase fruiting.
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- The next step is to rototill the earth. If you follow this blog regularly, you may recall photos of this process a few weeks ago. The purpose of tilling is to mix organic matter into the soil, help control weeds, break up crusted soil, and loosen the earth for planting. One does not need to till or break up the soil very deep – less than a foot is fine.
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- Phurba uses our Troy-Bilt Pony Rear-Tine Tiller to go over the two vegetable gardens a total of three times each. Thorough tilling over time can improve soil structure.
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- Here is the vegetable garden once all the rototilling is complete. Building up the soil is the most important part of preparing a garden for growing vegetables and flowers. A deep, organically rich soil will encourage and support the growth of healthy root systems.
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- Now it’s time to plan all the beds for planting. I try different configurations every year to see which ones work best for what we are growing. I like to use the most amount of space possible for planting. Here is a line of jute twine marking the center of the garden.
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- Chhiring measures the space and places twine to mark four-foot wide beds plus footpaths.
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- Chhiring uses the jute twine to tie from one side of the garden to the other – the twine will mark the raised beds so they are all aligned perfectly.
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- Each line of twine is carried straight across to the other side and tied to the fence. All the twine will be removed once the beds are complete.
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- Here, one can see the twine stretched lengthwise to show the size of the beds – narrow footpaths will also be dug alongside each bed using the twine as a guide. If building a new vegetable garden, test the soil to gain more knowledge of its pH, phosphorous, lime, potassium, soluble salts, and soil texture. Soil testing kits are available at garden centers, or through a local cooperative extension.
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- This year, I decided to create a space specifically for herbs in the center of the garden. Here is the twine marking where it will go.
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- In this area, metal stakes are used to hold the twine taut.
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- Here is the garden next door with all the twine in place. It’s also important to consider what crops will be grown where when planning the beds. We practice crop rotation here at the farm. Crop rotation is a systematic method of moving crops to different areas from one year to the next in order to keep the soil healthy and fertile, and to help prevent soil-borne diseases.
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- Using a simple spade and the twine as a guide, Phurba begins to create the raised beds. Here, he removes some of the soil to create the footpath separating the sections.
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- The footpaths in between each bed are only as wide as the spade. These paths are used for walking, weeding, and cutting.
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- Here, Phurba uses a cultivator to stir the soil, and to look for any unwanted rocks or weeds.
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- Phurba then uses a hard rake to shape the soil on top of each raised bed until it is level. Raised beds warm more quickly in springtime and maintain better aeration and drainage.
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- This garden will have more than 40 beds. It takes time to build them perfectly. When building raised beds, be sure every part can be reached without standing on it. Let this be a number one “ground” rule – never step on the soil within raised beds.
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- Lastly, Phurba uses a soft rake to manicure the beds.
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- Here are the finished herb beds in the center. We’ll be planting our first crops very soon. No matter when the soil is prepared, only start planting when the soil is warm enough to be worked. The soil temperature for planting cool weather vegetables is about 40-degrees Fahrenheit. 50-degrees Fahrenheit for onions and leeks, and at least 60-degrees for other warmer and tender crops.
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- Here is the main footpath between the two sides and leading to the center herb garden. This aisle is also measured and lined with jute twine.
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- And here are the beds in the adjacent garden. I can’t wait for all the delicious vegetables we’ll have here this summer. I hope you’re planning your vegetable gardens. Share your comments with me below.
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