Nu dat je de tuinbouw know-how, is het tijd om het toe te passen en vuil! Hier zijn eenvoudig 1-2-3 stappen om uw tuin groeien.
Lay the Groundwork
Ja, het is zo simpel als het graven van een gat voor de plant en plopping in, maar niet zo slim. Neem de eerste stappen voor de voorbereiding van uw terrein.
1.) Know your home. Keep an eye on soggy spots after showers when selecting the garden site. Track fully sunny and completely shady areas and mark them on a map of your yard, as each plant has its preference.
2.) Set up compost piles now as a future fertilizer for your garden. Start collecting grass clippings after mowing the lawn and toss in any fruit and vegetable peelings. Aim straight into the compost pile for watermelon spitting contests–who knows what may sprout!
3.) Make friends with a rancher for manure and a lumberyard for wood chips or savings. These materials may be needed as soil amendments.
Plot your Plot
1.) Compare seed needs to your sunlight and rainfall maps to select the most appropriate varieties.
2.) Identify how much cultivable space you have. Leave room for walkways, ideally a mower’s width wide. Plan for which plants grow up (will they run into a tree or roof?), down (do you know where underground lines run?), or out (are you okay with them taking over the rest of the garden?).
3.) Draw a map of what you want to plant and stake it out in the yard.
Dig In
1.) A raised bed system is usually recommended. Shovel out a walkway and pile that dirt to create an elevated planting surface.
2.) Clear out weeds and rocks. Expose soil to sunlight to purify it.
3.) Top with mulch to add nutrients.
Sow the Seeds
1.) If starting with seed, radishes are the quickest and easiest plants. You’ll be pulling up plump bulbs in less than a month.
2.) Get a jump-start with seedlings already started by a farmer you trust at the market (as in, you’ve tasted the end results you hope to achieve).
3.) Companion planting, like the classic Italian combo of tomato and basil, are beneficial for pests and make meal-planning after harvest a cinch.
Pick the Fruits of your Labor
Eating is the most rewarding part of the farming process.
1.) Ask for recipes from the farmers you’ve studied under or bought from. In the case of Asian greens, some of the easiest plants to grow leave us confounded in the kitchen.
2.) For continual picking rather than one overwhelmingly abundant harvest, plant a few new seeds every couple weeks.
3.) Even if not directly off your land, eating produce in season can happen year round. Some nerdy chefs created this amazing pie chart to chart pies for every month.
With ice cream and pies, I hope your summer is off to a good start!
Carrie is een milieu-opvoeder, antropoloog, en vertaler. Ze nam haar passies voor ecologische, gezondheid, en vrouwen rechten belangenbehartiging vanuit de kantoren van Washington, D.C. naar de straten van Zuid-Amerika. Nu in Colombia, ze is langzaam open de ogen van vrouwen om de wonderen van "la copita de luna" (Maan Cup) en Keepers.
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