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How To

COMPOST (USDA National Resources Conservation Service)

Compost is a complex organic substance consisting of partially- or wholly-decayed vegetable or animal matter.  This dark, crumbly, earthy-smelling material works wonders on all kinds of soil and provides vital nutrients which help plants grow and look better. 

Compost provides many benefits:

  • stabilizes soil pH

  • supplies nutrients

  • encourages plant growth

  • provides beneficial microorganisms

  • discourages certain plant pathogens

  • binds and degrade specific pollutants

  • improves soil structure, porosity and density

  • increases moisture permeability and capacity

In the spring, apply a 2"-layer of compost and mix it into the top 4" of soil before planting.  In the fall, apply a 2"-layer of compost and leave it on the surface to protect the soil over the winter.  The freeze-thaw cycles of winter will work the compost into the soil for you.

 

CONTROL PESTS (University of Kentucky Entomology Department)

Colorado Potato Beetle
Arrives: May

Prefers: eggplant, pepper, potato, tomato

Symptoms: Defoliation, messy black deposit on leaves.

Control: Mulch with straw/hay, use row cover in May.

 

 

Corn Seed Maggot

Arrives: When Queen Anne's lace blooms.

Prefers: bean, cabbage, corn, pea, turnip

Symptoms: Holes bored in seed, seedling stems infested, seedling leaves missing.

Control: Do not till soil, avoid cracked seeds, use row cover in March.

 

Flea Beetle

Arrives: When amelanchier or redbud blooms.

Prefers: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, pepper, potato, tomato

Symptoms: Tiny, shotgun holes in leaves.

Control: Mulch with straw/hay, use row cover in May.

 

 

Imported Cabbage Worm

Arrives: When amelanchier or redbud blooms.

Prefers: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, turnip, kale, collards, radish, horseradish

Symptoms: Holes bored into leaves/heads, brownish-green excrement.

Control: Plant resistant varieties, rotate crops.

 

Japanese Beetle

Arrives: June

Prefers: does not discriminate

Symptoms: Leaves eaten down to a lacy skeleton, upper canopy damaged first.

Control: Knock into a bowl of soapy water.

 

 

Rabbit
Fencing is the most effective means of keeping rabbits out of the garden.  If a rabbit's head fits through an opening, the rest of the body will follow, and even young ones can jump over obstacles two feet high.  As a result, many rabbits can wriggle through or hop over "rabbit wire".  To be effective against rabbits, 36" chicken-wire fencing should be used, buried about 4 inches into the ground.

 

Squash Vine Borer
Arrives: When chicory blooms.

Prefers: gourds, pumpkin, squash

Symptoms: Wilted plants at midday, holes/sawdust/splitting at base of stems.

Control: Use row cover during arrival time.
 

 

IMPROVE SOIL (CAC Community Gardens Division)
Contrary to the common wisdom, the less soil is tilled, the more workable it becomes.  Soil is held together and made porous by the multitude of organisms living in it.  When soil is tilled, whether by hand or machine, this community of organisms is disrupted, which allows the soil to pack and erode.  A no-till garden is one in which the soil is disturbed as little as possible, preserving its natural, layered structure, and allowing earthworms -- the primary soil-movers -- to till, aerate and fertilize the soil, unfettered.   

No-till methods provide many benefits:    

  • preserve natural soil structure

  • preserve organic content

  • retain beneficial ecology

  • minimize erosion

  • reduce compaction

  • require no heavy equipment

  • require no intensive manual labor

No-till methods mimic natural processes, such as keeping the soil covered with organic material, and recycling nutrients by returning old plants to the soil.  During the season, weedy plants are pulled and made part of the mulch, which eliminates the need for a weed pile or compost bin.  In the fall, garden plants are pulled and made part of the mulch.  All is then covered with compost, which works it way down into the soil during the freeze-thaw cycles of winter.  In the spring, the process begins again. 

 

If the soil is bare and unplanted:     

  • In the spring, cover entire area with a 2” layer of mulch (see "Mulch" section).

  • A week before planting, uncover just the areas to be planted, so the soil warms.

  • Leave 2" of bare ground at the base of each plant and on either side of rows.

  • Pull weeds before they flower, and lay them under the mulch. 

  • After the season, pull up garden plants and lay them on top of the mulch.

  • Cover entire area with 2” of compost and leave undisturbed for the winter.

If the soil is planted with grass or other ground-cover:

  • In the spring, cover entire area with cardboard or newspaper 6-sheets thick.

  • Sprinkle with water, then cover with a 2” layer of mulch (see "Mulch" section).

  • A week before planting, uncover just the areas to be planted, so the soil warms.

  • Leave 2" of bare ground at the base of each plant and on either side of rows.

  • Pull weeds before they flower, and lay them under the mulch. 

  • After the season, pull up garden plants and lay them on top of the mulch.

  • Cover entire area with 2” of compost and leave undisturbed for the winter.

MULCH (USDA National Resources Conservation Service)
Mulch is a protective layer of a material that is spread on top of the soil.  Mulching is one of the simplest and most beneficial gardening practices, and is essential to no-till gardening. Grass clippings, spoiled straw, old hay, wood chips, dried leaves and even newspaper can be used as mulch.  Mulch provides many benefits:   

  • adds nutrients

  • discourages weed growth

  • regulates soil temperature

  • eliminates the need for tilling

  • reduces the need for watering

  • encourages earthworm activity

  • keeps fruits and vegetables clean

  • decreases soil erosion and compaction

  • builds the soil from above

  • provides an attractive "finished" look

In the spring, apply a 2"-layer of mulch of your choice.  Leave 2" of bare ground around the base of each plant and on either side of rows of seeds.  It is important to realize that a proper 2" layer is a dense bed of mulch that prevents the vast majority of sunlight from reaching the soil.  If you can see the soil through the mulch, you have not used enough, and will be "rewarded" with weeds.  A well-mulched garden rarely needs weeding.  In fact, even if the mulch itself contains seeds, those seeds cannot grow into unwanted plants if a proper layer of mulch covers them.

 

WATER

Much water is wasted by watering plants inefficiently.  On warm days, up to 30% of  water sprayed from above can be lost to evaporation.  Consider watering plants at the base, where it does the most good.  Keeping plant leaves dry also discourages colonization of the plant by fungi and some kinds of insect pests.  However you choose to water, please limit your water use to 15 minutes per plot per day, and consider using mulch around your plants to preserve moisture.