This post is dedicated to Ghost, the Garden Cat. He was always my helper in the garden, but he particularly liked to get in the way during this stage of the game.
You’ll want to wait and do this after the ground has thawed.
Vegetables need good, rich soil to grow well. Most Colorado soil is very dense and full of clay—it will need to be amended with some good stuff to make your plants are happy. Check out the soil in your planned garden area—dig down a foot or so. CAN you dig down a foot or so? If not, you definitely need soil amendment—I’d double the numbers listed below. Any earth worms in there? If so, congrats! Earth worms are our friends! Your soil is probably in pretty good shape. You can buy a soil testing kit if you want to know exactly how good your soil is, what’s in it, what the Ph level is, etc., but that’s all a bit too scientific for me. I’d rather just get in there and start digging.
Ingredients needed for soil amendment: Soil Pep, Vermiculite (optional), Fertilizer, and Compost (not shown)
Shopping List:
- Compost: Any kind of compost is fine, but I suggest mixing a few kinds together. You can also add a bag or two of manure into this mix. Whatever kind you use, mix them together in a wheel barrow before spreading it. I suggest using about one bag per 25 square feet.
- Soil Pep: I am a huge believer in Soil Pep—it’s kind of a mix of bark and other decomposable natural stuff, but it’s not compost. It does a great job in breaking up tough soil and keeping it light and loose. You can find it at pretty much any garden center or nursery, but I haven’t seen it at a big box store. One bag is usually good for about 50 square feet. Added garden nerd bonus: the Soil Pep you use in your garden this year will break down before next year and further amend the soil! Woohoo! And look what I just got in my email box this morning–a SP coupon!
- Fertilizer: There are lots of fertilizers out there, but I use one called Colorado’s Own Vegetable Food—it’s good for all kinds of veggies. It’s in a orange bag, and the numbers on the bottom are 5-10-5 (sorry I don’t have a photo yet). Go to Echter’s for this. (If you haven’t been to Mecca—I mean Echter’s—yet, go. Just go. I apologize now for the damage it will do to your check book. (I am sure that will be the subject of a future post.)) One bag of fertilizer should be enough, unless you have a huge plot you are planting. It should say on the bag how big of an area it will cover. Extra is not bad here—you will use more later in the season. (more…)
Raising the Root 