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Easy vegetable growing #5 -- save your soil and your back
September 22, 2009
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Vegetable garden soil 2 - save your soil and your back

First an apology for the lapse in provision of this ezine due to a death in the family, now sorted I can return my focus to my readers and vegetables once more.

In this edition please find an article on soils and the 'less is more approach' together with two topical tips on compost and disease control, and a new web page with answers to various 'vegetable garden questions' posed on the site, together with a summer update on my vegetable garden.

Article 5 - Save your vegetable garden soil and your back

I make no apology for an extra soil article - it is one of the most important things to get right!

The difference is clear as regards good soil management;

  • The techniques discussed so far together with more to come worked well again.
  • Excellent plant growth and no yellowing.
  • Soil is easy to cultivate.
  • Soil has good sustained organic content and building structure.
  • Productivity continues over the years constrast many other plots.

For autumn/ spring cultivation it is common to over cultivate damaging your soil and your back potentially;

  • In the absence of soil compaction 'less is more',
  • Ask yourself why am I cultivating?
  • Only cultivate when you need to and only to the depth necessary for a seedbed.
  • You don't need to dig raised beds once established, or after potatoes have been harvested, or were soil is friable with no compaction. Instead just make a shallow seedbed if planting.
  • Brassica crops do best with firm undug soil with no compaction allowing good rooting and stability against winds.

    Your soil is the foundation for successful vegetable gardening. Look after it well and enjoy the rewards, abuse it and suffer the frustration of poor crops.

    Follow the links for further detailed information on vegetable garden soil and to sign up for my detailed e-book on soils that I plan to publish in December 2009 now many of you have requested more detailed information on soils and their preparation.

    As Featured On Ezine ArticlesBonus articles: As an Expert Author for Ezine articles I publish roughly bi-monthly on a broad range of vegetable gardening topics. Click the graphic to see the current articles there on easy vegetable gardening, making compost, soil preparation and weed control.

    Learnings/ tips from 2008

    If diseases have caught your crops (mildew on curcurbits, spots/ rusts on beans or you had blight on tomatoes and potatoes) remove and burn diseased plants (do NOT compost such diseased material).

    Plan ahead, add plenty of organic matter to your soil this autumn. This is best applied to the soil surface and left for the worms to pull in, but at most mix it into the top 10cm (4") soil. Not only does this maintain good soil but it can help as a mulch keeping weeds down and moisture in. Note the benefits in the next crop. However, remember do not apply organic matter before growing carrots.

    Latest web pages on easy-vegetable-gardening.com
    Update on my vegetable garden - Summer 2009

    2009 has been a bumper year for many crops - with sufficient sunshine crops have grown well;

    • Courgettes and outdoor cucumbers are tremendous allowing storage and gifting respectively.
    • Potatoes have been blessed with few holes and great taste and productivity.
    • 48 globe artichokes were too many, but we enjoyed many.
    • Peas as sugarsnaps and mangetout were delicious.
    • Spring/ summer fruits: strawberries and raspberries were fantastic allowing countless feasts, jam making and freezing as puree.
    • Autumn fruit - joy - we have autumn strawberries to go with our established autumn raspberries - yummee!
    • Our freezer and cupboards are bulging with goodies with more to come.

    Look out for an autumn edition together with a taster from the forthcoming soils e-book.

    If you have any comments or feedback I would be delighted to hear back from you. Please just reply to this e-mail. Thank you.

    Best wishes and happy vegetable gardening.

    Colin (easy-vegetable-gardening.com)

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