Originally Posted by
woodman
I didn't watch any of the videos but some important things to consider when first starting out are:
-Get the ph of the soil right. Get it tested if need be. Ashes will sweeten the soil and sawdust will sour it.
-Water. Duh.
-Don't add leaves to the soil, they contain compounds that inhibit growth until they are very well composted.
-You must have at least 8 hours of sun a day, so get the site laid out right.
-Don't plant near walnut trees, they put out a compound called juglone that inhibits plant growth in many plants.
-NPK....nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium; gotta have em, so get a good amount of manure in the soil early but be careful not to burn the plants with too much fresh manure. Soaking manure in water and making manure 'tea' is a tried and true way to get good plant health.
-You will have better luck if your soil has organic material so if sandy; amend with compost/manure. If heavy clay; amend with compost/manure
-Don't weed when the soil is very moist; it upsets the roots. Pull the weeds out at a heavy angle away from the plants so the roots of the plants aren't compromised.
-Keep the fucking deer out and that goes for rabbits, gophers, chickens, ducks and a slew of other varmints.
-burn plant remains at end of season and plant in different spots from year to year so pests aren't in place to ruin the same crop they ate last year.
I guess I could go on and on but who would listen?
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^Chicken manure is 'hot', so you must compost it first or make manure tea with it. It is very good though. Rabbit manure is excellent and I'm told sheep manure is 'the shit'.
I have had so much trouble with moles! One year they discovered that they could travel down freshly planted corn rows, must have been easier to navigate, and eat all the sprouts. I was growing potatoes once in mounds of straw and they were doing awesome; a damn gopher/gophers got in there and ate them all. I have had deer come through my garden and take a bite out of each pumpkin. Just a quick taste!
I have found effective and cheap deer fencing both online and at home depot. It is 7 foot tall woven vinyl and does an excellent job.