Today was the first warm weekend day this year and my neighbors were out cleaning the debris off their lawns. A few days back, we had winds gusting up to sixty-one miles per hour; my grill cover rolled down the street, luckily to be returned before the rain began.
With the warm weather, our thoughts at sustainable spoon have turned towards gardening and the organic vegetables and fruits we will be eating this summer. Many of us start planting seed indoors in the month of March to get them ready to be planted in April and May.
However before we begin planting our garden, we need to evaluate our soil. Is it to acid? Is it to alkaline? Is the texture right for the vegetables we have chosen? Unless, you have a degree in soil composition, it is best to get your soil tested. Checking on the internet, I received over 50,000 hits looking for soil testers. There are home test kits offered by Ace Hardware, Lowes and Home Depot among others. You can also send your soil away to a local cooperative extension, which is relatively inexpensive, and will give you good results.
When I did this last, my soil report stated is was on the acid side around five, below the neutral rating of seven. This is good for my Azaleas, American Holly Bush and Dogwood trees; it was a little low for my vegetable garden, which should be in the mid six range. The report suggested adding lime to the soil to correct this imbalance. Lime can be purchase at your local garden supply center or hardware store but talk to the helpful people to get the right mix.
If you, like me wait until the last minute, you may not be planting your garden for six to ten weeks from now however you need to amend your soil now so that it has time to adjust before growing season. For organic gardens to grow well, they need the proper soil.
This is also a good time to start planning your garden and figuring out what vegetables you plan to grow and how to best arrange them in the garden. I have just started to read One Magic Square by Lolo Houbein which she describes how to plant an organic garden in a three foot square. It has great descriptions on how plants can be placed so they grow appropriately.
Having an organic garden is a great way to be sustainable and a great project of the whole family.
Enjoy.