#soil structure

Now is the time to start your garden plans for the Maritime Northwest climate. Getting a jump on your season can save you a headache or two once the physical planting time comes.

LENGTHY POST AHEAD

GENERAL INFORMATION

Check your garden soil. Preform a pH test and amend your soil if necessary. If you are planning on a diverse pH planting, make sure your planting area and it’s medium is set for the specific vegetation. Ex, blueberries will require a more acidic pH medium than leafy vegetables.

Weed your garden. Seriously. Start weeding now, your produce seedlings will thank you. The less they have to compete with at a young age, the stronger plant you will have.

Turn your soil. Especially the areas that got hit by the 2021 February snowstorm. Turn your soil after weeding your garden. If you need to amend your soil, this is a good time to do it as you will be mixing your amendments throughout your entire growing area.

Start your warm season seeds indoors. If growing potatoes or fava beans, have their growing plot ready to go by March. Sprout your potatoes a week or so prior to planting. If you need to divide a large seed potato, make your cuts are done 2 days minimum prior to planting to reduce the risk of rot. Fava bean (seeds or starts) can go directly into the ground the first week of March as they are cold hardy and can tolerate light frost.

Start pest prevention early. For slugs use copper tapes and salts to deter them from your seedlings. Use cabbage collars on your cabbage seedlings to prevent cabbage root flies from getting at the stems. Net your seedlings in advance for prevent loss to birds. Use floating row covers while seedlings are young to prevent pest damage and to keep some extra warmth. Don’t forget to remove covers as the weather warms up so benifical pollinators can reach your garden.

Check your garden tools are sharp, oiled, and ready for the growing season.

FOR CANNERS ONLY: If you plan on canning your harvest this year, stock up on a case or two of your preferred canning jars. Once canning season is in full swing, items such as lids, rings, jars, pectin, etc. can be difficult to find.

Try something new. Save a small patch of space in your garden to test out a single planting of a crop you have always wanted to grow! If it performs well, you can add it to next year’s plans. If it doesn’t meet you expectations, you didn’t put a large amount of cost into growing the crop and can try something else next year.

SEED COMPANIES

Below is a list of seed companies I trust and use in my garden. My personal favorite are highlighted in green:

Seed Savers Exchange

Territorial Seed Company

Seattle Seed Company

Heritage Harvest Seed

Seeds of Change

Victory Seed Company

MIGardener

Ed Hume Seeds

GENERAL GARDEN FAQ

1 inch of water equals 16 gallons (60.5 liters)

Succession plant crops every 2 weeks for continuous harvest.

Preform a vigilant 4 year crop rotation to prevent disease in your soil.

Plant marigolds among your crops to keep pests away.

Use flash tape and netting to keep birds out of the garden.

Plant flowers and herbs for benifical insects to assist in your gardens pollination. Some of the best flowers for bees are:

Lavender – Lavandula spp.

Rosemary – Rosemarinus officinalis

Sage – Salvia spp.

Coneflower – Echinacea spp.

Sunflower – Helianthus spp.

Redbud – Cercis spp.

Catnip – Nepeta spp.

Penstemon – Penstemon spp.

Lamb’s Ear – Stachys spp.

Verbena – Verbena spp.

Bells of Phacelia – Phacelia spp.

Black-eyed Susan – Rudbeckia spp.

Oregano – Origanum spp.

Yarrow – Achilliea millefolium

Honeywort - Cerinthe major

Ask box is always open on this blog. There is never a need to wait until a Submission Saturday to ask for help with your garden.

Top Tips for Organic Gardening/Farming in September from Maurice Small

Seasons change and helping our soils remain flexible year round is key.

We grow our food in healthy soil all year and September is a key month to renew and enhance our soil by cover cropping.

Cover crops renew our soils by adding nutrients to the top 3 inches and sometimes 18+ inches beneath the surface.

Cover crops to add life and protect soil over the winter include grains such as hairy vetch or winter peas.

The Brassicas family of plants such as radish, mustards and turnips are also well loved by the soil and us as the leaves and roots are edible. If you time it right and you grow in the right region, buckwheat or sesame are viable edible cover crops as well.

Once weeds take root in a field and spread, they become difficult to eradicate. But how are they so successful at overrunning the desired crops?

Weeds and other invasive plants associate with microorganisms found in the soil which support their growth and health. However, it has been found that weeds often interact differently with soil microorganisms than crops do. As a result, the solution to preventing weed growth may lie in altering the soil’s structure through methods such as tillage and herbicide treatments, thus making the soil habitable for the crops alone.

Crop rotation 3, Zone 8B

Raised beds have been amended with compost and a light layer of bone meal. The dominant crop this year will be potatoes and shall take up the entirety of the first bed, both halves.

While turning my soil I found a few volunteer soft neck garlics hidden among the strawberries. They have been transplanted to the back bed.

Potatoes are sitting out in bright light and starting to put off shoots. They will be planted within the month of March.

Today’s Horticulture Learning Unit is on the topic of soil structure in your raised planting beds.

Here in the Maritime Northwest, we see constant rainy Winters and Springs. This rain, paired with the Pacific Oceans influence on the climate, causes our soil to be slightly acidic with an average pH of 6.0. Most garden vegetables won’t mind a pH of this number, however, if one wanted to have their soil a true neutral they could amend their soil with mature compost.

According to the Tilth Allience, “A gram of healthy soil is home to as many as 500 million beings: bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, yeasts, protozoa, algae, etc.*” We as gardener’s try to maintain and assist these organisms by keeping our soils healthy and balanced with the right nutrients and amendments.

When early Spring comes around, it’s time to assess your planting soil and determine the structure and if it needs any amendments. There are generally four (4) soil types.

Clay: heavy, compact soils. Clay soil is rich in nutrients and is very fertile. Retains all water and in summer, will dry out and crack. Slow to warm up.

Sand: light soils lacking in moisture retention. Dries out, drains, and warms up quickly. Usually very acidic and lacking in nutrients. Sandy soil can wash away easily by heavy rains.

Silt: fertile soils with a silky texture. Silt soil drains quickly and holds moisture, but compacts easily if pressed or stepped on.

Loam: a mixture of clay, sandy, and silt soils. Moisture retentiave, fertile, holds its shape, and is easily worked with. Loamy soils are preferred for raised beds.

How can you tell if you have a balanced loamy soil? (Preform this test in sunny weather and not immediately after rain.) Go out into the garden and grab a handful of soil from approximately 1-2 inches beneath the surface. Squeeze it into your hand to form a ball like mass. Toss the compacted soil into the air and catch it in the palm of your hand.

If the mass breaks apart and crumbles in the air (or even in your hand before tossing), you might have too much sand in your soil.

If the mass stays intact and does not break when it hits the palm of your hand (or even splats like mud), you might have too much clay or silt in your soil.

If the mass stay intact in the air, and breaks apart into clumps when it hits the palm of your hand, you have a more balanced soil.

Of course, this simple test is an old farmers trick. If you want a in depth test, you can send a sample of your soil to a soil testing facility. They will be able to give you a in depth report of your soils structure, fertility, and nutrients. The photo below** lists a few soil testing facilities for the Maritime Northwest area.

Cited Sources

*Elliott, Carl, et al. The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide: Planning Calendar for Year-Round Organic Gardening. Seattle Tilth, 2012.