Planning For Your Next Garden

Planning is the most important task you can do in your garden whether you are starting a new garden or planning next years garden in your current spot.  Fall is the perfect time to do this so if you don't have snow on the ground or your ground isn't already frozen, get to it, there is still time.

The Basics of Garden Preperation is:

• Turn the Soil.  Remove all the previous vegetation from your annual planting areas and turn the soil or, if you are using the Lasagna or Back To Eden plan skip the turning and just remove all the previous vegetation.
• Test the Soil.  Your soil test will tell you what admendments must be done to the soil and fall is the BEST TIME to do this.  That way any admendments have time to meld together and further compost into your soil.  Turn the Soil again after you add your admendments.  My favorites are manure and Kelp.
• Level the Beds.  Get your beds all nice and level.
• Cover the Beds.  We just got done with a record drought and I'm wondering about next year.  Either way I'm going to cover my beds now and be ready.  This will save me mountains of time later.  You want to first cover your beds with a layer of three sheets of newspaper (no color and soy ink please) then cover that newspaper with 3-4 inces of wood chips and leaves.  Don't worry you are still going to be able to plant in this in the spring.  Just think how awesome it's going to be!!!

Now you can start going through all your seed catalogs and order all the catalogs for next year, which should be arriving in the mail by December!