Six Easy Steps to Grow Your Own Food

Step One: Prepare the garden by tilling or turning the soil with a spade fork.

 

Step Two: Add compost at a depth of ½ to one inch deep on top of the soil. Also add a good organic fertilizer at the recommended rate. Turn this into the soil to a depth of 2-3 inches. Other soil amendments can be added at this time too. Rake the ground smooth.

 

Step Three: Plant your vegetable starts of seeds. Dig your hole or your shallow trench for your seed. At the bottom of the hole or trench place a small amount of a phosphorus-rich “pop up” fertilizer. I like Garden-Ville’s Rocket Fuel but other things like bone meal or soft rock phosphate will work too. Mix this with the soil at the bottom of the hole. Place the seeds or starts and backfill with worm castings.

 

Step Four: Water in the newly planted plants or seeds a dilute liquid seaweed.

 

Step Five: Mulch your plants (not on top of the seeds!) with your choice of mulch to a depth of 2-3 inches. Newspaper can be used underneath the mulch as a weed deterrent.

 

Step Six: After the third week begin to foliar feed your plants every week or two. I alternate between Medina’s Hasta-Gro 6-12-6 and Neptune’s Harvest Fish/Seaweed blend.

-Steve Bridges