Saturday, March 1, 2008

Starting the Garden 2008

I've been organically gardening in the mid south for about 8 years (some definitely more successfully than others) in my suburban back yard.  I usually put in two long, narrow beds and employ square foot gardening with companion planting to make the most of my small area.

Square Foot Gardening: A New Way to Garden in Less Space with Less Work explains how to plant items much closer together, often growing items vertically.
Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening teaches the idea that some plants thrive planted with specific others for reasons of pest control and soil or growing conditions. 

The first bed is 4' X 26'.

I prepped the bed at the beginning of March.  First my hubby and son turned the garden over with shovels and then we charged the beds.  I take this term from the book Super Nutrition Gardening for when I apply cottonseed meal and mushroom compost to my garden.  Now we wait...about 3 to 4 weeks.