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Message
NEW Garden Help needed
Posted on 9/27/19 at 5:12 pm
Posted on 9/27/19 at 5:12 pm
Guys, I have just started my new garden at my new house and have not done one in years. I tilled the ground over the last couple days, which did have some grass in it. I tilled it several times. My questions, what is best way to get tilled up grass out, should I cover it, when should I start making my rows and when can I plant some winter items? It's probably 20' x 40' not raised. I put a couple trucks of top soil with the intent to do my garden. Should I put some peat moss in there. I guess I am looking for guidance to get it started the right way?
This post was edited on 9/27/19 at 5:14 pm
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Posted on 9/27/19 at 6:00 pm to bassrookie
Here is a good reference guide I suggest you purchase and read to get you up to speed Louisiana Home Vegetable Gardening.
I’d also have soil from the new garden area analyzed by the LSU AgCenter. If you’re in the Thibodaux area you can likely stop at the LSU AgCenter extension office to get soil sample boxes and other free vegetable gardening literature. The soil sample box will provide instructions.
Tilled grass removal? I suppose rake and remove by hand - that what I’ve done but I don’t have a garden your size. I’d add as much free organic matter/compost to the garden area as possible - for example old animal manure from stables, straw bales, tree leaf litter, etc. - get the organic matter levels up as high as you can, peat moss is fine but that would be expensive for a garden your size. You can do this all winter in preparation for the spring.
Maybe, just get a portioned of the area amended with composted organic matter and rowed quickly for a winter garden, while adding organic matter and improving the remaining area all winter.
Others will weigh in with good recommendations. Congrats on the new garden - you’re obviously enthused starting with a vegetable garden that size, enthusiasm goes a long way in having a successful start to vegetable gardening.
I’d also have soil from the new garden area analyzed by the LSU AgCenter. If you’re in the Thibodaux area you can likely stop at the LSU AgCenter extension office to get soil sample boxes and other free vegetable gardening literature. The soil sample box will provide instructions.
Tilled grass removal? I suppose rake and remove by hand - that what I’ve done but I don’t have a garden your size. I’d add as much free organic matter/compost to the garden area as possible - for example old animal manure from stables, straw bales, tree leaf litter, etc. - get the organic matter levels up as high as you can, peat moss is fine but that would be expensive for a garden your size. You can do this all winter in preparation for the spring.
Maybe, just get a portioned of the area amended with composted organic matter and rowed quickly for a winter garden, while adding organic matter and improving the remaining area all winter.
Others will weigh in with good recommendations. Congrats on the new garden - you’re obviously enthused starting with a vegetable garden that size, enthusiasm goes a long way in having a successful start to vegetable gardening.
This post was edited on 9/27/19 at 6:05 pm
Posted on 9/27/19 at 7:54 pm to bassrookie
Check out the 2019 Garden Thread on the first page.
As for the grass, if you’ve already tilled, then a rake is your best bet. You will probably be fighting weeds though because of seeds unless you spray something down.
As for the grass, if you’ve already tilled, then a rake is your best bet. You will probably be fighting weeds though because of seeds unless you spray something down.
Posted on 9/27/19 at 9:16 pm to bassrookie
You can try plastic sheeting and solarization to kill the weeds/seeds. Spray it pretty good with water before you put the plastic down and after 4 weeks it should be pretty good.
Posted on 9/28/19 at 1:13 am to bassrookie
Make your rows and then go to your local supermarkets to get as many cardboard boxes as you need to cut them open and lay that down between the rows. On top of that, throw grass clippings, leaves, etc. and that will help keep weeds from coming up between the rows and also help retain moisture in the soil for your plants. Over the course of the fall/winter garden this will break down and you can just till it when spring arrives and you make your spring/summer garden.
There's a lot of things you could put in right now, but also a lot that I grow over the winter that it is just too hot to plant yet. Things like lettuces, spinach and other leafy greens will likely burn up with the heat we're still having.
I have 5 rows 50 ft. long in my back yard and have been doing this for over 20 years at my current house.
ETA: I live near the Canal St. Cemeteries and I get dozens of bags of grass clippings from the grass cutters and also get lots of oak leaves that are left out for trash when they fall. I've added hundreds of bags of each over the years and tilled it under, along with stuff from my compost pile that I make with clippings, leaves, organic kitchen waste and stable waste that includes horse manure, straw and shavings.
The only issue with oak leaves is to get them before the acorns start falling or you'll have hundreds of oak trees sprouting in your garden. Not bad if you're into bansai trees, but a nuisance otherwise, though easily removed.
There's a lot of things you could put in right now, but also a lot that I grow over the winter that it is just too hot to plant yet. Things like lettuces, spinach and other leafy greens will likely burn up with the heat we're still having.
I have 5 rows 50 ft. long in my back yard and have been doing this for over 20 years at my current house.
ETA: I live near the Canal St. Cemeteries and I get dozens of bags of grass clippings from the grass cutters and also get lots of oak leaves that are left out for trash when they fall. I've added hundreds of bags of each over the years and tilled it under, along with stuff from my compost pile that I make with clippings, leaves, organic kitchen waste and stable waste that includes horse manure, straw and shavings.
The only issue with oak leaves is to get them before the acorns start falling or you'll have hundreds of oak trees sprouting in your garden. Not bad if you're into bansai trees, but a nuisance otherwise, though easily removed.
This post was edited on 9/28/19 at 1:42 am
Posted on 9/28/19 at 8:01 am to gumbo2176
Guys, that is some amazing information and greatly appreciated. I live in Chackbay. From what you all are telling me I am in a better spot than what I thought. I know it will be expensive but I think the quicker way to get it started early is to get peat moss, which I was planning on doing next weekend. I didn't want to do that without asking first.
Does the lawn care services in and around area sell or give you compost? I also have a lot of trees in my back yard that I can start a compost pill this winter. I also have neighbors that have cattle where I may be able to get manure from. Would rabbit manure work just a well? I have a couple friend that raise rabbits and I am sure they will not mind me going clean some up for them.
Does the lawn care services in and around area sell or give you compost? I also have a lot of trees in my back yard that I can start a compost pill this winter. I also have neighbors that have cattle where I may be able to get manure from. Would rabbit manure work just a well? I have a couple friend that raise rabbits and I am sure they will not mind me going clean some up for them.
This post was edited on 9/28/19 at 8:03 am
Posted on 9/28/19 at 8:05 am to bassrookie
When I started tilling it this week I asked my wife how big she wanted the garden and her answer was;
"bigger is always better"
"bigger is always better"
Posted on 9/28/19 at 8:06 am to bassrookie
quote:
I also have neighbors that have cattle where I may be able to get manure from. Would rabbit manure work just a well? I have a couple friend that raise rabbits and I am sure they will not mind me going clean some up for them.
Good start right there. Yes, rabbit crap, chicken crap, worm castings, horse stable waste, etc. are all a good starting point.
Add kitchen waste like egg shells, coffee grounds, vegetable peels, but never any meat to your compost pile.
Turn it at least once a week and keep it somewhat damp, but not wet to help it decompose faster. You'd be surprised how hot the interior of a working compost pile gets.
ETA: I don't know of any free finished compost in the N.O. area, but many soil companies do have compost, garden soil and mulch for sale by the cubic yard around me. Some municipalities do offer free compost to their residents, so you may want to check around and a good start would be a good garden center in your area.
This post was edited on 9/28/19 at 8:10 am
Posted on 9/28/19 at 9:59 am to bassrookie
Only caution on lawn clippings is the potential for lawn weed seeds unless you compost it before you use it in the garden, but otherwise it’s a great source of organic matter.
All the animal manures are great for a newly prepared garden, you can a little more selective over time.
Since you are located in LaFourche Parish, here’s a link to the county agents office in Raceland. Call or email them and ask if they know of a free source of compost in the parish. Also ask if there are any Master Gardener Seminar series in your area, if so attend the ones on vegetable gardening.
LINK. Ask to speak to the consumer horticulturist in the office.
Surely you have independently owned retail plant nurseries in Thibodaux and
Vacherie. For a quick start to add organic matter to your garden, most plant nurseries sell “garden soil” in bulk - this is 100% finely ground, composed pine tree limbs, etc with some sand added. You can add this to the garden cheaper than peat moss. In Baton Rouge it sells for about $35 per cubic yard. If you added 4 inches of compost over the entire 20 x 40 area (800 sq ft) and tilled it in - that would be 10 cubic yds of organic matter. Most nurseries will deliver that to you for maybe a $50 delivery fee. This is a just a suggestion for a quick infusion of organic matter since you are “hot to trot”. But over the next few years, add as much free animal manure, leaves, clippings, etc. as you can. You can’t add too much.
All the animal manures are great for a newly prepared garden, you can a little more selective over time.
Since you are located in LaFourche Parish, here’s a link to the county agents office in Raceland. Call or email them and ask if they know of a free source of compost in the parish. Also ask if there are any Master Gardener Seminar series in your area, if so attend the ones on vegetable gardening.
LINK. Ask to speak to the consumer horticulturist in the office.
Surely you have independently owned retail plant nurseries in Thibodaux and
Vacherie. For a quick start to add organic matter to your garden, most plant nurseries sell “garden soil” in bulk - this is 100% finely ground, composed pine tree limbs, etc with some sand added. You can add this to the garden cheaper than peat moss. In Baton Rouge it sells for about $35 per cubic yard. If you added 4 inches of compost over the entire 20 x 40 area (800 sq ft) and tilled it in - that would be 10 cubic yds of organic matter. Most nurseries will deliver that to you for maybe a $50 delivery fee. This is a just a suggestion for a quick infusion of organic matter since you are “hot to trot”. But over the next few years, add as much free animal manure, leaves, clippings, etc. as you can. You can’t add too much.
This post was edited on 9/28/19 at 11:04 am
Posted on 9/28/19 at 10:52 am to bassrookie
These guys have all put you on the right track. Plus things I did was dump about 500 worms (fish bait) in my startup @ strategic points. Then added a ton of the same free organic matter they mention. Leaves, grass clippings, yard trash.
Then once a month I spread a 5 pound sack of cheap Dollar store white sugar over it which draws microbes and worms like mad and they cultivate and turn out great soil. That's carbon. And I feed the bacteria once a month with blood meal and manure. That's nitrogen. And I only add some bone meal fertilizer since I don't need any. And a little peat. You can't see the Microbes and bacteria of course only the result of their work but I have worms that look like small snakes.
Then once a month I spread a 5 pound sack of cheap Dollar store white sugar over it which draws microbes and worms like mad and they cultivate and turn out great soil. That's carbon. And I feed the bacteria once a month with blood meal and manure. That's nitrogen. And I only add some bone meal fertilizer since I don't need any. And a little peat. You can't see the Microbes and bacteria of course only the result of their work but I have worms that look like small snakes.
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