Churning Up The Dirt
Finally, we can sink the old pitchfork or shovel in and find dirt, and no ice, going down through the topsoil. If your soil has started to dry out, it may be time to start preparing it for the upcoming season. This is the most important thing you can do: Prepare your garden site.
In new or previously dormant areas, soil tests are highly recommended. They are available through our state’s agricultural extension service or commercially, at garden centers. These are most precise and specify PH (ideally, 6.5-7.0), Soil Type and recommendations for mineral balance. Three basic soil types are sand, silt and clay. Sandy soils fail to hold water, while clay sheds water most slowly, facilitating rot and decay. All soil types will benefit from tilling in manure and compost.
Most of us in Goshen have to deal with clay. After all, Goshen originated as a pottery center. Good, pure clay can be found near the shores and beneath Dog Pond, for instance. This fine, soft, dense clay won’t do your garden any good without working in sand and compost. However, beware! Sand from the town’s public works areas may have salt and or ‘ice melt’ chemicals worked in, and would be harmful to anaerobic bacteria and earthworms, that support composting. I don’t suggest adding this sand before checking in town. Carpenter’s sand is advisable, though it may be an added expense.
The work begins by clearing your garden plot of all plant matter from the previous season. Then, ‘stoning’ the area. That is, removing all rocks and stones that have been pushed to the surface by the freezing soil over the winter. Remove the ones large enough to impede tilling. The initial tilling may bring up old roots as well as additional rocks, which must also be removed.
Next, we bring in ‘Brown and Green Compost’; brown compost is composed of dried shredded leaves and plant matter, sawdust and ash, pine needles, hay, and straw; green compost may consist of last year’s grass clippings, sea and lake weed, kitchen vegetable scraps , including egg shells, tea and coffee grinds. This is covered by a layer of seasoned manure and dried before tilling thoroughly. Fertilizers and minerals are best added directly during planting. Another option is to purchase quality compost at local garden centers.
If you are working a large plot, you might consider several raised beds. They allow you to define, enrich and concentrate on specific growing areas, and are particularly beneficial for root crops. They also leave you accessible walkways for weeding, cultivating, fertilizing, trimming and harvesting. They may be a little easier on your back. Wide walkways and higher raised beds can even be wheelchair accessible. While there are several commercial kits available, you might choose to build your own using leftover construction materials. These you can adapt to your own garden needs. Whether or not you use raised beds, be sure to make paths and walkways wide enough for to work your planting beds. We like to be able to make a lawnmower pass, which saves time later, keeping the weeds down, and allows us to bring in wagons and carts of plants, tools or fertilizers throughout the growing season.
Choose an area alongside your garden for a couple panels of cold frames which can be created by framing a small area with several bricks or cinderblocks, filling that sunny spot with a mix of topsoil and manure, and covered by old windows or translucent acrylic panels. Cold frames are great for giving plants and summer flowers an early start, before transplanting.
