Tag Archive | mycorrhizae

New Gardens For a New Property: What To Do First

2021

Updated 8/26/2024

A New Home and New Gardens!

View from the front porch.

As you might know from reading The Farm In My Yard, I moved from Rockville, Maryland to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2013. I worked for a few years, while watching over my elderly mother. After she passed away in 2020, the search was on for a larger property in a smaller town. Must-haves included reasonably quiet surroundings, lots of nature, room to play in new gardens, and no HOA. This article includes information from a landscaper’s perspective that might help first-time property owners.

Success! In late October, I moved to a new home in northern North Carolina. A few obstacles didn’t stop my tireless realtor, Erika, from finding this (almost) perfect little house. There was Covid, for one, and the reluctance on the part of homeowners to list their homes for sale. Very few livable offerings in my price range came to the market. As soon as they did, they immediately went under contract.

As many buyers have done in this tight market, I made an offer on the property sight unseen. Well, truthfully, I did drive by the house before submitting an offer, and liked what I saw. Trees, woods, space, and sunlight—perfect for a gardener! The previous owners made some major improvements, saving me the trouble and the expense. But I had no idea what the interior looked like.

Inspections

When buying a house, have all the inspections done before closing, as recommended by your realtor or for your own peace of mind. Estimate the cost of necessary upgrades and repairs.

Particularly for older homes, check the roof and electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems. Look for water damage and mold, pests and wood rot, foundation issues, adequate insulation, storage space, and evidence of ongoing maintenance.

Negative findings could nullify a contract or provide a basis for negotiation between your realtor and the listing agent.

The Lay of the Land

Small towns, farms, and independent businesses dot the landscape in this part of Wilkes County. Several vineyards and state parks attract visitors to these lovely rolling hills, and rivers offer lots of sporting opportunities. Drive along any of the scenic roads, and new vistas open at every turn; the Blue Ridge Parkway is only half an hour away. Beautiful countryside!

The big oaks frame a sunrise.

My new home, a one-story house built in the 1940’s, sits on 1¼ acres of mostly level land. The view from the front porch looks over a field, a few houses, and downslope toward a small stream. Stunning sunrises greet me from that direction almost daily.

Most of the trees’ leaves have fallen from the massive limbs of the native white and willow oaks (Quercus alba and Q. phellos). A few of these trees tower over the eastern border of the property. In the summer, those toward the west will shade the house from hot afternoon sun.

The mighty oaks came first, judging by their size, and then the house. If I were to name the property, Quercus Magnus would seem fitting.

Preliminary Plans for New Gardens

There’s plenty of space for the berries and the vegetables to bask in the sun. Plenty of space to raise shade-loving perennials in the fenced enclosure north of the great oaks. And plenty of space for gardens that will support birds, bugs, bees, and butterflies.

Also, importantly, there’s room to grow plants to sell at the local farmers’ markets, as I did in Maryland for 25 years.

After Moving In

Deciding what to do first depends on the season, your climate, and the condition of the house and gardens. Priorities often reflect our occupations or interests, so artists might first set up a studio while contractors organize tools in the outbuildings. Growing families might rank bicycle storage, a big kitchen, and an extra bathroom at the top of the list.

And gardeners? Well, we look at soil quality, existing gardens, and sunlight. This gardener prefers a large, mostly blank slate. Others call it a lawn.

In April, I’d be concerned about starting seeds for the market, getting the summer vegetables and flowers planted, and cutting grass. But it’s December now. The yard needs tidying, houseplants need to find their homes, and, of course, we must bake Christmas cookies. Not to mention, those boxes won’t unpack themselves!

Moving into a house that doesn’t need major repairs eases the stress. To be sure, there are some improvements that can and will be made, but nothing that needs immediate attention. Wouldn’t mind a new kitchen with a dishwasher, Santa. (Chocolate chip or almond crescents?)

Trees and Shrubs

Poor Pruning Practices

Walking around the property will highlight issues that need attention. Check the trees and shrubs for dead or broken branches or call a licensed arborist for a professional assessment. There are some dead twigs way up in these oaks. A brisk wind shakes them loose, so the truck stays parked under the carport. Fortunately, that debris falls short of the house.

: Low branches that have been headed back.

: Some of the daily fallout.

I’ll hire an arborist to clean up the trees and remove branches that have been headed back. Heading back, or bluntly cutting off the end of a branch, causes many epicormic shoots to form. Those are new growing tips emerging from buds concentrated close to the cut. The shoots also can cover the length of the branch. Epicormic shoots have weak connections to the branch, and, over time, most will fail and fall from the plant (photos, above).

Similarly, topping trees is, in my opinion, not recommended. Yes, it reduces the height, temporarily, but topped trees in winter are hardly natural-looking and not attractive (photo, below). They, too, drop twigs over an extended period of time.

An expert arborist might be able to undo the damage from heading back or topping. However, removing the tree might be the most economical solution. Research appropriate tree species for your property and where to plant them. Keep in mind that plants almost always achieve dimensions larger than those indicated on the label. Your local agricultural extension office can help. Check with botanical gardens and sources such as your state’s native plant societies.

A topped tree.

The Root of the Problem

Trees planted close to the foundation can threaten its structural integrity. Consider having them removed.

The same ruthlessness applies to the wrong tree in any space. Keeping silver maples or weeping willows close to the house, septic system, or underground utilities begs for trouble. This is where an arborist or a well-informed landscaper can recommend more fitting species and a pleasing design for better curb appeal. Call 8-1-1 to have underground utility lines marked.

Constricted

Look for old stakes and wires still looped around trunks or branches. Wooden posts rot, but wire and synthetic rope from clotheslines, fences, and hammocks persist.

As trunks and branches grow in girth, they attempt to grow around the obstruction, usually cutting off the vascular system inside the bark. This results in the death of those parts of the tree that cannot receive water from the roots. Early fall color on isolated branches might indicate trouble, such as pests or physical constriction.

In the Maryland garden, a dogwood tree died for no apparent reason. After cutting it down and opening the bark in several places, I found plastic rope deeply embedded in the trunk a few feet from the ground. Although the damage appeared several years after I had moved there, it eventually killed a beautiful dogwood.

Flares and Girdling Roots

: Flare on an old oak tree.

: Girdling root on maple tree and no trunk flare.

Most trees flare out where the trunk descends into the ground. If this flare is missing, see if soil has been piled up against the trunk, and remove it.

Construction around unprotected trees can deposit soil that cuts off the oxygen supply to the roots, resulting in the plant’s decline. As little as an additional 1-2″ can damage trees. Also, parking vehicles over the root system compacts the soil, impeding air and water penetration. Keep in mind that tree roots extend well beyond the dripline, or the edge of the canopy.

Check for a girdling root crossing over the trunk at the soil line or below it. As it grows, the root will hinder growth of that section of the trunk, making the trunk look straight-sided where it enters the ground. Cut it out before the tree tries to grow around it. Maples and other surface-rooting trees are notorious for this.

There’s no flare at the base of this maple tree (photo, above) and at least one large girding root is constricting the flow of water and nutrients from the soil. I noticed large dead limbs in the canopy, so the tree might be removed.

English Ivy

English ivy growing up an oak tree.

Vining English ivy (Hedera helix) is growing up a white oak’s trunk, using rootlets to cling to the bark. All the vines will be removed for 4 main reasons.

First, English ivy is a woody vine, so its stems will grow in girth just as a tree branch does. As they wrap around the tree trunk or the limbs and thicken over the years, the ivy stems will constrict tree growth, killing limbs and possibly the tree.

Second, the evergreen ivy holds moisture and debris close to the bark, and could encourage insects and diseases.

Third, as ivy scampers over the ground and up the trees, it provides safe haven for rodents. Birds of prey and other predators cannot see them. Here’s a red-shouldered hawk perched in a dogwood tree, looking for dinner.

Fourth, ivy competes with small native plants, crowding them out.

So, the ivy must go.

Headings

Page 1: A New Home and New Gardens! (Inspections), The Lay of the Land (Preliminary Plans for New Gardens), After Moving In, Trees and Shrubs (Poor Pruning Practices, The Root of the Problem, Constricted, Flares and Girdling Roots, English Ivy)

Page 2: The Lawn (Safety First, Less Grass to Mow, Grass Clippings, Spontaneous Combustion), Drainage (Hold the Water), New Gardens for Old Plants (Virginia Sweetspire), More New Gardens and Less Lawn (The Black Walnut, The Ravine and the Woodland, Passionflower and Phlox ‘Minnie Pearl’)

Page 3: Planting a Few Trees (The Rule of Thirds, Too Cold to Plant New Gardens?, Viola, Different Players—Same Script, All Those Leaves), A Welcome Surprise (A Firm Foundation, Heeling In, Iris, Chores Indoors), Christmas Already?, and Concluding

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10 Tips for Protecting Cool Season Vegetables

Dec16

2019

Updated 9/24/2024

Here are 10 Tips for protecting cool season vegetables from freezing temperatures.

Cool season vegetables: from the top, broccoli, leeks, ‘Red Russian’ kale, light green mustard greens, and collards.

Ready For Fall?

Throughout parts of the United States, and in chilly climates everywhere, gardeners are scrambling to save their tender plants. Most of us have brought in all the houseplants. More laissez-faire gardeners do nothing special to extend the season, beyond harvesting the last of the cherry tomatoes and clearing out the frosted vines.

And there are those of us who strive to keep cool season vegetables growing even in winter. And we’ll plant more of them! Soon I’ll transplant ‘Monstrueux de Viroflay’ spinach seedlings into pots to grow on the deck through the winter. This French heirloom spinach has huge leaves with a milder flavor. It has lower levels of oxalates, so those who have been advised to avoid eating spinach might be able to eat this variety. Ask your doctor.

In early October, I planted 2 dozen onion sets (for green onions) in a 12″ pot on the deck. Green onions are ready for harvest, in mild weather, only a few weeks after planting the sets. To preserve them in the cold, I’ll cover them with plastic sheeting (Tip #2). Green and bunching onions grow more slowly in cold weather.

I planted more sets every couple of weeks and will soon plant the remaining bulbs before they dry up. A favorite bunching onion called ‘Nabechan’ has straight sides. Not having a bulb at the bottom makes it easier to harvest. Sets are not available for bunching onions, though, so they must be started from seeds.

Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way

Potted cool season vegetables will grow under a plastic covering in cold weather. To extend the season, strings of miniature incandescent Christmas lights (Tip #6) will raise the temperature to more comfortable levels. Later in this article, I will list all 10 Tips for protecting crops in winter.

Starting with the simplest ideas and progressing to the more advanced methods, find the level you’re most comfortable with this season. Your budget, your USDA plant hardiness zone (photo, above), and the types of crops themselves must factor into your decision.

As you gain confidence and become more motivated to keep the garden producing, you might decide to try the next level. Cost savings realized by growing your own fresh food might justify the expense of new materials.

It’s only through experimentation, by taking a chance, that you might discover all the opportunities—and the limits—of gardening challenges. This is how green thumbs are cultivated.

If you’ve never grown cool season vegetables, several articles at The Farm In My Yard provide detailed information to get you started. For a greater understanding of any issue, enter the term in the search bar or click it in the tag cloud.

The Advantage of This Latitude

I’ve been growing greens in winter for decades, for my customers and for my family. Fortunately for us, living in the southeast doesn’t present as difficult a winter hardship as would living in Montreal, Montana, or Scotland. But there are options for just about every climate.

There’s no substitute for stepping outside and collecting a green onion, a mild mustard leaf, and some kale and spinach for our Sunday morning omelet. We pick what we need when we need it.

Succession Planting: Warm, Then Cool Season Vegetables

Because our favorite greens love cool weather, they grow in the garden after the tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers have been harvested. So, with some planning, you can schedule a succession of crops. When one crop finishes up, new transplants or seeds are ready to take its place. Now, that’s an efficient use of space!

Cool season vegetables and greens replace summer tomatoes and peppers. Plastic protects plants on very cold nights and the netting deters deer.

Radishes, beets, spinach, and other fast-growing plants can be sown directly into the garden in late summer to early autumn. After they’ve been harvested, there might be time for another quick fall crop.

Certain greens and root vegetables have a shorter window of time during which they retain the best quality. So don’t let them linger in the garden. On the other hand, some cool season vegetables can be harvested over many months of growing! That’s at a time when there are fewer weeds, fewer bugs, and less drought to worry about.

If the weather is still warm for the first round of seeds, look for varieties of cool season vegetables that are more heat tolerant. Some catalogs indicate the preferred soil temperature for each crop, or you can get that information from your agricultural extension office. Soil temperature can be lowered by irrigating during hot weather. Additionally, frames covered with knitted shade cloth, made from black polyethylene (available from Johnny’s Selected Seeds and others), provide consistent shade until the weather cools. That bit of shade can make the difference between seeds germinating in August or having to wait until late September to sow them.

Here in zone 7b (average lowest winter temperatures 5° to 10°F), we enjoy productive edible crops and herbs in the garden year-round…with some protection in winter, of course. But we’ve also grown them in colder Maryland winters.

Because I’ve been “advised” by the HOA to stop growing vegetables in the garden (photo, above), they’re now in pots (photo, below) on the fenced deck. (Note to self: next move, no HOA!) Young ‘Aspabroc’ miniature broccoli plants grow in a 20″ pot, where a tomato grew during in the summer. Italian parsley lasts all winter, and sharp-tipped pine cones discourage squirrels.

***Update***: In October, 2021, after my mother passed away, I moved to a small town in northern North Carolina. More property, more nature, woods in the back (where a bobcat and I came face-to-face!), no traffic, gorgeous topography, great friends, just a couple of degrees cooler than Charlotte, and no HOA to tell me what I must or can’t do on my property. 3/1/2024

‘Aspabroc’ miniature broccoli and parsley.

Peas…Yummy!

Peas grow best in the garden’s “shoulder seasons”. That’s when temperatures can be cool to warm, and when frost is no surprise. So, before the end of tomato and pepper season, you can sow a pack of pea seeds next to a trellis and begin harvesting two months later.

Edible podded snap peas and snow peas are absolutely delicious. Many are eaten on the spot. And because they grow vertically, the vines take up little square footage. During the shoulder seasons, in moderate climates, they don’t normally require a protective covering.

Peas growing next to the house, a warmer microclimate, in the Charlotte garden.

If you have facilities that can accommodate pea vines, such as a lean-to or a cool greenhouse (Tips #9, #10), this crop can be grown as the temperatures dip lower during the winter months. But there is a point below which the vines will be killed in unheated structures.

Last autumn’s loosely covered pea vines (photo, right) made it just fine through the mild winter and started bearing pods in late winter.

Look for disease resistant varieties when growing any vegetables or greens under cover. Plants are more susceptible to diseases when grown in humid conditions.

Gather Information

Get to know each crop, and how much cold it can tolerate with or without protection from freezing weather. I’ve researched calendars for scheduling vegetables in this zone and have found some of them, compared to my own experience, to be overly conservative. They restrict sowing and transplanting to a narrower period of the calendar than I’m willing to gamble with.

Gardening in a warmer microclimate offers more protection than growing plants out in the open. Planting against a sunny south-facing wall or in a protected corner out of the wind provides opportunities to extend the season.

bees and butterflies feed on nectar in winter

‘Red Russian’ kale in bud.

Kale, collards, spinach, Brussels sprouts, mustard spinach, arugula, leeks, and green onions can tolerate the coldest conditions, within reason. I cover the crops when temperatures dip below the mid 20’s. Even if they’re not covered, they will survive. But I want the plants to continue providing premium quality greens. If not stressed by very low temperatures all day and night, these crops will grow if daytime temperatures rise into the mid 40’s.

Cauliflower and ‘Bright Lights’ Swiss chard need to be covered earlier than other greens. Frost normally won’t kill the plants. But repeated freezing will damage the foliage, halting growth until warmer temperatures (or the protective coverings) return.

These crops and other cool season vegetables won’t need protection if grown farther south. Again, cold tolerance is variety specific, so try new cultivars now and then and see which ones work best for you. For example, ‘Green Magic’ broccoli does well when planted in early spring and again in early autumn. This variety needs a warmer temperature when forming its head. On the other hand, ‘Arcadia’ broccoli can mature in very cold weather, so this is the one I plant later in autumn. Another benefit is ‘Arcadia’s bumper crop of side shoots; in Charlotte, they produced for months.

For More Information

There is so much information online and in catalogs, books, and magazines. But, for local perspectives and information about other growing conditions, check with your agricultural extension office. And speak with helpful vendors at the neighborhood farmers’ market.

Garden clubs, botanical gardens, and garden centers selling seeds, supplies, and transplants sometimes offer classes covering various subjects. My “Cool Season Vegetables and Greens” presentations drew the most attendees. Many of my customers started with just one crop and then returned for more. A healthy addiction!

Keep Records

As you begin new garden projects, place labels with the plants, photograph progress, and take notes for future reference. Add some varieties you’ve never grown before to discover delightful new flavors. Observation of the varieties you’re growing in your garden is invaluable when planning future garden projects. There is no substitute for hands-on experience…and records of successes and failures!

Keeping detailed drawings of crop placement in the garden will help when considering crop rotation. Not growing plants from the same family in the same place every year helps decrease concentrations of pathogens and insects. But, because so many of the cool season vegetables are in the Brassicaceae family, it’s difficult to rotate these crops in our limited space.

Succession planting calls for sequential use of space, maximizing the amount of produce harvested through the seasons. It is especially important to prepare the soil before the fall or spring season, adding fresh compost, aged manure, or planting mix.

For optimal harvests, you’ll need to fertilize regularly as the plants grow. Instead of relying on memory, record the names of the products and when you applied them.

Have all underground utilities marked by your municipality before proceeding and keep a record of their locations. Call 8-1-1 to schedule an appointment.

Headings:

Page 1: Ready For Fall?, Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way (The Advantage Of This Latitude), and Succession Planting: Warm, Then Cool Season Vegetables (Peas, Yummy!, Gather Information)

Page 2: Seed or Transplant? (Seeds, Temperature, Transplants, More Favorites), Crops With Ornamental Edible Leaves (Tender Leaf Kales), Crops That Form Heads, Soil Fertility (The Importance of Microbes), Nutritional Benefits, and Ready For the 10 Tips?

Page 3: Tip #1: Move Tender Plants Indoors, Tip #2: “Quick! Cover Up!”, Tip #3: The Hot Water Bottle, Tip #4: Low Tunnels, Tip #5: Deal with the Wind, Tip #6: Add Christmas Lights, Tip #7: I’ll Have a Double

Page 4: Tip #8: A Simple Cold Frame For Cool Season Vegetables, Tip #9: A Lean-To, Tip #10: The Greenhouse, Finally!

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How to Prepare the Soil: An Introduction

Apr23

Along with the early daffodils comes really beautiful weather. It’s been sunny, the birds are singing…not too hot, not too cold. It’s time to prepare the soil. But first, we need to understand it.

Prepare the Soil

Herbs, vegetables, and flowers are going to be living—hopefully, thriving—in your garden for several months. For trees and shrubs, providing a good home will see them through the next decade, or the next century! It pays to give them the best conditions you can provide, and it all starts below the surface of the ground.

Axiom of the day: soil preparation is 90% of your effort.

If that sounds like work to you, you are correct! But you’re reading this presumably because past results have fallen short of expectations, and you want to improve your gardening skills. I’ve played in the “dirt” professionally for 50 years and can honestly assert: successful gardening depends on the health of the soil.

And here’s the good news. Thorough soil preparation will have benefits for many years to come. You won’t have to prepare the soil to this extent again.

The Soil Is Alive

Microbes

Seedlings in prepared soil.

Soil is more complex than meets the eye. There is a dynamic interplay among minerals, organic matter, air, and moisture. Earthworms, insects, nematodes, and tiny microbes also contribute. Healthy soil is teeming with life! These organisms play an important role in how soil functions. Without them, organic matter would not break down into those vital nutrients needed by all plants.

Vast mycelial mats of beneficial fungi, or mycorrhizae, live in close association with roots. Millions—or perhaps a billion—species of these beneficial microbes inhabit soils around the globe, many of which live within or around a particular species’ roots. Researchers estimate that there could be a trillion species of microbes living in air, soil, water, and living organisms.

Soil-borne mycorrhizae have enzymes that can unlock, or chelate, micronutrients tightly bound to soil particles, making them available to plants. These organisms can gather water and provide it to plants even though the plants’ roots don’t have direct access to moisture. And these microbes act as barriers to certain soil pathogens.

Bacillus, Streptomyces, and Pseudomonas are common bacterial microbes. Fungal mycorrhizae, such as Trichoderma, Hebeloma, and Glomus help roots absorb water and phosphorus. Other microbes, such as viruses and archaea, also inhabit the rhizosphere, the area surrounding the roots. Gardeners are familiar with the nitrogen-fixing bacteria (Rhizobium) that increase yields in legumes.

Scientists have only recently begun deciphering the enormous number of microbes and what they do for or to plants. Only a few plant families, including Brassicaeae, do not have associations with fungal mycorrhizae. Blueberries and other plants in the Ericaceae family (azalea, rhododendron) have very limited associations with mycorrhizae.

Microbes benefit from the symbiotic relationship with roots by getting carbohydrates in return. The numbers of microbes inhabiting just a tablespoonful of soil are staggering. Believe it or not, that’s greater than the number of people living on the planet! Of course, not all of these microbes are beneficial; many cause diseases in plants and animals.

Tilth

Nutrient-rich earthworm castings.

Consider yourself lucky if your soil has good tilth, or friability, to begin with. Perhaps all you’ll need to do to prepare it is to add compost, aged manure, or some fertilizer periodically.

Soil stays more biologically active over a long period of time if it is not disturbed by frequent tilling. Beneficial fungi and nematodes are especially sensitive to major disturbances. Simply scratching products into the soil surface and watering them in preserves existing microbial populations in the soil.

There are several soil types distributed throughout the United States. They’re determined primarily by the kind of bedrock beneath the surface, the kinds of vegetation growing there, climate, and management practices employed through the centuries. Minerals from rock, eroded by water and wind, will be deposited downstream or downwind.

Soil Composition

Soil is composed of:

mineral matter (rocks, sand, silt, clay)
organic matter (carbon-containing [once-living] compounds such as compost, aged manure, dead roots, dead organisms). Never use fresh manure; the ammonia content can harm plants, and it might harbor pathogens.
living organisms (such as earthworms, nematodes, microbes, insects)
air
water

Tilth and fertility are determined by relative proportions of these materials. All kinds of soils benefit from the addition of compost and other organic materials. I confess to going a little overboard on these amendments when I prepare the soil. But the plants look great!

You might be fortunate to start with soil that has good tilth. It already has physical characteristics which promote plant growth. Or experience indicates that the roots will need some encouragement to grow beyond the original root ball.

Soil that is a rocky clay, for example, dries to the consistency of brick, and will need lots of amendments to improve drainage and to encourage roots to grow vigorously. On the other hand, sandy soils need materials that will improve water and nutrient retention. Instead of repeatedly failing with plants that can’t adapt to your soil, try starting out with those that can. Working the garden over the years will condition the soil sufficiently so you’ll be able to grow more species.

Biennial foxglove (Digitalis purpurea).

Simply digging a hole in the ground, adding a cupful of compost, and plopping the plant in place won’t do the trick in heavy clay or rocky soils. Depth of topsoil, drainage patterns, ratio of clay to organic matter, air pore space (the space between particles), and, of course, fertility and pH, all enter into the equation.

The rich, black ground in our West Virginia garden needed no amendments at all; the foxgloves grew 7 feet tall! Still, I added organic matter every time new plants went into the ground.

From Awful to Awesome

First, the Awful Bit

Our first house in Maryland sat on the crest of a hill. Sunrises and sunsets were spectacular, but the soil was just awful. It was all clay and shale. Any organic matter that did exist blew away or washed down the slope. That “dirt” refused to yield even to the most enthusiastic shovel.

I created a vegetable garden farther down the slope, next to the greenhouse, that gave us fabulous crops of tomatoes and peppers. Digging in autumn leaves, vegetable scraps from the kitchen, and discarded material from my horticultural business greatly improved the soil. It didn’t take long for decomposition to begin and for the earthworms to show up.

Almost Awesome

A few years later, we moved farther south to a community that had been carved out of an old oak and hickory forest. Although the soil quality was better here than at the previous property, I continued to prepare the soil with every new project for the next 3 decades.

Before planting rhododendrons (like the one in the photo, below) in the afternoon shade, I added peat moss and pine fines to the soil. These materials were not merely thrown on top of the ground. Instead, generous quantities of amendments were incorporated (not layered) into the top 12″ to 18″ of existing soil. Then, I mixed nutrient-rich LeafGro (locally sourced compost) into the top 8″ of loosened soil.

This effort created a well-balanced mixture, composed of existing clay and loam, and the added peat moss, composted pine bark, and compost. After that, the soil remained undisturbed except for top dressings of fertilizer, compost, or mulch.

Rhododendron catawbiense.

I left the ditch behind the shrub border undisturbed, allowing rainwater to travel down the slope. Water that did not drain away would have meant death for the shallowly rooted rhododendrons.

Blueberries must have very acidic conditions, in a range from about 4.3 to 5.3 pH. Rhododendrons, azaleas, and hollies like their pH a bit higher than that, but still on the acidic side. Peat moss and pine fines incorporated into the soil helped provide the acidity and aeration.

This calibrachoa has chlorosis from high pH.

Petunia, calibrachoa, pansy, and viola also benefit from a lower (acidic) pH. Plants growing in soil with closer to neutral pH will have sickly yellowish leaves with green veins (photo, above).

A Shady Oasis

Gradually, most of the back yard grew into a private woodland. Japanese snowbell (Styrax japonica), paperbark maple (Acer griseum), Pieris, Abelia, Viburnum, Kolkwitzia, and a group of monarch birches (Betula maximowicziana) were the main players. And the rhododendrons and existing vegetation, of course.

Mulched pathways meandered under the cool canopy, and all sorts of shrubs and perennials luxuriated in that rich soil. There was a small pond, a greenhouse, and no grass to mow in the back yard. Awesome. (***Update***: As it often happens, subsequent owners of the house altered the property to suit their needs and removed almost all of those plants.)

Monitor Soil Health Over Time

Preparing the soil for vegetables is not difficult, and the results will last for years. Most varieties prosper in improved soil 10 to 14 inches deep. Lettuce and radishes need only 5 or 6 inches.

Using the space efficiently and intensively calls for carefully managing the soil. Vegetables grow quickly, fruit heavily, and, therefore, require frequent additions of nutrients.

Thoroughly preparing the existing soil will pay dividends, spelling the difference between getting a few vegetables from the garden (“Why bother?”) and having a truly abundant harvest (“Take some veggies, please!”). And, if you properly prepare the soil at the start, you’ll never have to repeat the effort to that degree.

Keep in mind, though, that, as organic matter breaks down and is absorbed by plants and other living things, you’ll need to add more compost. For top performance, plants need balanced fertilizers that are appropriate for specific uses, such as for vegetables, flowers, spring flowering bulbs, or the shrub border. That’s in addition to the compost or aged manure you originally used to prepare the soil. Lack of nutrients and compacted soils are among the top reasons for low crop yields.

Soil Testing

Contact your local Master Gardeners program, or the agricultural extension office, for information on soil testing. The results will indicate which amendments to add, and whether the pH is appropriate for the plants you want to grow. The report also includes a breakdown of the soil components: clay, silt, sand, and organic matter. Normally, I add more organic matter than soil tests recommended.

Soil pH is a measure of acidity or alkalinity. Neutral is 7.0, with acidic values below that and alkaline values above 7.0. A simple soil test will indicate pH and nutrient levels. Soil pH affects the availability of nutrients to plant roots, with most vegetables preferring pH levels between 6.0 and 7.3.

Years ago, a landscape client wanted to prepare the soil for a vegetable garden on the property she and her young family had just bought. She expressed concern for “bad things” in the ground, so I suggested that she ask for a lead test in addition to the basic tests. The cost of the basic test is very reasonable, but extra requests will raise the fee. No matter; it’s worth the cost.

The report showed a surprisingly high lead content in the soil, unusual for a newer home. So, you don’t want vegetables growing there! She submitted tests from different areas, and felt confident that the original spot was unique. Something probably had been dumped there before the house was built. Later, the family was going to have the contaminated soil professionally removed.

Lead Paint

In 1977, the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use of lead paint in residential properties. If you live near an industrial region, a busy highway, or where lead paint might be a concern, I strongly advise testing for lead before you prepare the soil. Local zoning authorities should have records on past property use. For more information, contact the National Lead Information Center at 800 424-5323.

Lead poses a serious health risk, especially to young children. There is no level of lead that is considered “safe enough”. And most of us grow our own vegetables for the health benefits, after all.

For now, gather your tools and your help, and pace yourselves. This is not something to be accomplished in the hour before your daughter’s softball game. So, you might as well turn it into a party—arrange for pizza delivery at the end of the day! You certainly will have deserved it.

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