is it worth it to plant a veggie garden directly in ground?
is it worth it to plant a veggie garden directly in ground or should i just go with one of the planters from the site? my soil is real bad and would require a lot of working. its hard as clay and filled with rocks.. it would be more accurate to say that i have a bunch of rocks with some bad dirt...
should i just build a few planters (i have the wood and tools handy) and fill with store bought soil or are three advantages to planting directly in the ground?
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Jul 21, 2009. 11:23 AMViolet222
says:
Yep! You'll get bigger, lower-maintenence plants in you stick 'em in the ground. I agree that raised beds might be a good compromise. Regardless, you should see your dirt as an investment in the future--even if you don't intend to stay in your home forever, it's a great way to improve the place for future users.
I live at the beach..sand, salt sad soil!My recommendation would be to start a compost pile and build some raised beds. use a garden fork to start loosening your soil add some store bought compost and soil work the bottom in and begin the cycle.As your compost pile grows add more beds!
Growing your own veggies is a very enjoyable and rewarding hobby. If you are going to be living in the same place for a few years it would be well worth putting in a couple of deep beds and improving the soil year on year.
It will take some time and money investment to start with, but you can look forward to having beds crammed with delicious home-grown vegetables.
The advantage with a deep-bed system is that you can get to all parts of it without walking on it making maintenance so much easier. At the end of each season you put on extra manure and compost to replace the nutrients taken out and after a couple of years you will have a rich, deep, sweet-smelling and incredibly fertile soil. Three deep beds are a good idea as you can have a crop rotation system - Some crops should not be planted in the same place on successive years as diseases and mineral deficiencies can reduce the crop.
Deep beds are relatively easy to make out of old wood and no shortage of information on the internet about building and maintaining them.
It will take some time and money investment to start with, but you can look forward to having beds crammed with delicious home-grown vegetables.
The advantage with a deep-bed system is that you can get to all parts of it without walking on it making maintenance so much easier. At the end of each season you put on extra manure and compost to replace the nutrients taken out and after a couple of years you will have a rich, deep, sweet-smelling and incredibly fertile soil. Three deep beds are a good idea as you can have a crop rotation system - Some crops should not be planted in the same place on successive years as diseases and mineral deficiencies can reduce the crop.
Deep beds are relatively easy to make out of old wood and no shortage of information on the internet about building and maintaining them.
You could compromise - build low walls around your poor soil and fill them with a layer of "bought" soil. The plants will have access to the local water-table, and then at the end of the season you can dig the bought soil into the rough soil and improve it that way. As rickharris said, though, in the long run you are better off improving what you have got, especially if you are planning on staying where you are living for some years.
Improving your soil is worth it and will pay back in future years - Plant potatoes in it they grow in really bad conditions and will break the soil up for you. Next year plant some more veg.
Planter work well and if deep enough you can grow long veg such as carrots. Or try grow bags - a plastic bag full of compost http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/growfruitandveg_usingagrowingbag1.shtml
Planter work well and if deep enough you can grow long veg such as carrots. Or try grow bags - a plastic bag full of compost http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/growfruitandveg_usingagrowingbag1.shtml
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