Dirt Garden

Dirt, in that it's not hydroponic. This time, we're using (making) soil and planting in a more tradition sense.


Also, how to recycle all of those rocks you dig up! This whole project cost less than $50 which includes plants, compost, trellis stakes, soil and edge banding.

Step 1 Hardware and Software

Very simple tools - nothing fancy.

1. Spade - to cut through grass layer and dig
2. Rake - leveling and grass removal
3. Trowel - small holes for planting

The Software

1. Compost
2. Top Soil
3. Fertilizer
4. Plants - see next section

Comments

[goatgirly]

my cats would track the dirt into the pool but, pretty.

[awang8]

Wow, this is a really interesting instrucable about making garden patches! just one error, you forgot to mention that be pruning diseised parts of a plant can significantly help the plant back to recovery. After all, you don't want it to spread do you? Just don't chuck it in the compost...

[royalestel]

This a really good and comprehensive gardening tutorial. Have you heard of the double dig method of soil prep?

[Shark500]

double dig method? please do explain

[trebuchet03]

Single digging is digging one spade blade deep.... Double digging is doing two spade lengths deep :) I could be wrong, but that's how it was explained to me :P If I double dig, I'll get pretty close to the water table :P Plus, my soil turns into compact limestone clay stuff after about 14 inches or so (you may have seen yellowish stuff in my soil)

[royalestel]

Double digging is a method developed by "Ecology Action" and written about by John Jeavons. 1)Basically, you dig a trench 1 foot deep, removing all that soil to another place. 2)Loosen the second foot of soil in the trench with a fork, trying not to mix the striated layers up. Just raise the dirt up and let it slide back down. 3)You dig a 1 foot trench in the next section of the garden bed, placing this dirt on top of the first trench you dug. You also try not to mix up the striated layers. 4)Loosen the second foot of soil in your second trench as befor and continue to the end of your garden bed. By the time you reach the end of the garden your soil will be aerated and loose, but the organisms in your soil won't be mixed up too badly. This method seems to really increase vegetable yields and plant growth. So, anyway, may not be appropriate for your case, but there you go.

[secretmachines]

Instructable please! I heard about this method at an urban gardening conference. "Never till your soil or you'll till 'til the day you die!"

[Full Frontal Graphic]

There's a good explanation here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biointensive#The_system

bearing in mind that [WP:NOT] 'wikipedia is not a how-to'... there's good references from that article.

[lordhazzard]

*and splash* umm having that close to all hats salty chlorine water isnt a good idea* ... no bombing anymore in that pool....

[trebuchet03]

Naw, it really hasn't been a problem :) The grass was surviving just fine before anyway :p But keep in mind it's mostly non kid types using that pool :)

[sinistir7]

dame! youve got a pool! Wow and why are you not swimming in it 24/7 i would be i f i had one!

[Doctor What]

Your pool is already up and running? We haven't even removed the cover. We got snow last week.

[lordhazzard]

good instructable though!

[HAL 9000]

Hooray! I'll be the first to say that I'm a bit of a Luddite (I've been hunting with a sling, and i use my grandfather's slide rule), I've looked into hydroponics and it gets pretty complicated. It's great if you have no room for digging and planting (apartment?), i guess, but this has much more appeal to me. Thanks for bringing back simplicity. Dirt + Plants. Shovel + rake. Awesome.

[kirnex]

Great instructable. Very thorough and I bet your flowerbed was beautiful all summer!

To fellow gardeners (in case it's news): A word of caution about watering in the evening (I picked up this tidbit from personal experience). Evening watering allows water to sit in the soil and at the base & on the foliage of your plants longer, which can result in an increase in bacterial, viral and fungal diseases. It can also cause an increase in nasty pests like snails and slugs (I learned the hard way!) If you choose to water in the evening, you might want to supplement with a good disease-preventing agent--as well as some form of pest control--every week or so, or as directed by the product's usage guidelines. It really sucks to do all that hard work and then see something happen to your pretty plants because of something easily controlled.

"They" say the best time to water lawns and gardens is early in the morning, just as or after the sun comes up. If you don't have an automatic irrigation system set up, that really sucks for a lot of us. Later in the day (especially in the summer) and the water tends to evaporate before it can reach vital root systems to do your plants any good. I learned that the hard way, too.

You probably already know all this, but maybe it will help someone else out there. :-)

[osibisa]

very nice. I wish it weren't september... I plant morning glory seeds quite late in summer, (july) into the pots of my umbrella and fig tree which summer outside, and construct a bamboo tepee over top, for the vines- this way I have flowers and green indoors until past Christmas. very welcome, if you are in the north, like me. And, in an apartment.

[Weallliveintheyellowsubmarine]

I love to garden.

[badass_inc]

(removed by author or community request)

[trebuchet03]

Thanks! I do appreciate comments from fellow garden lovers :)

[Tool Using Animal]

Very nice sir, I'll caution you that it is rather late in the season for petunias but you should be good for 3 or so months or until the weather gets hot. BTW I'm working on an instructable where I'll be mentioning tomatoes adventitious roots, darn you. Which variety of tomato did you plant?

[trebuchet03]

My dad picked out the tomato varieties.... 6 plants, 5 varieties o.0 Can't remember off hand :P I'm counting on those tomato plants to provide a bit of shade a little later.... But, there's no "when the weather gets hot" - it's 80+ outside today :P

[Tool Using Animal]

Well normally it's around June when petunias completely die off from the heat and humidity, so you'll have them for awhile at least.

[trebuchet03]

Yep - that's all we're looking for really :) And when they go - those bush roses will take over :)

[Shark500]

OH MY GOD THERE'S A GIANT CRAB NEAR YOUR POOL DRAIN!

http://www.instructables.com/id/FOG55G9C5NEZ7C9C4V/

I have seen this once before. Quick follow this instructable http://www.instructables.com/id/E6CTLIOGKOEWZMGWBP/?ALLSTEPS
You melt the butter, I'll pray.

[trebuchet03]

Wow... really good eye :P Yes, that marks the "safe zone" at 8.5ft for diving and marks a good spot when we take our scuba gear out for refreshers and to play around :P There's also a shark caricature (sp?) on the wall (the one I'm sitting on). The pool had to have it's interior re-coated, so we added some mosaic tiles for fun :P

[Shark500]

Wait, it's really a crab? I thought it was just some leaves. Woo Shark500: 1 SFPD: 0

[trebuchet03]

here they are :P Pardon the carpet in the water.... the wind picked up today o.0 And leaves! There's no winning with the trees around :)