I always see a lot of people online talking about their "winter cover crops" and gently turning over their compost piles with a pitchfork. That sounds nice, and I'd definitely like to do all of that at some point but I never seem to have the time, or maybe I just need to prioritize better. Anyways, that's definitely not what I have going on in my garden.
If you walked out to my garden spot today, you wouldn't see neat rows ready for planting. You’d see a jungle.
To be honest, I let it go a bit wild after the last harvest much like I do every year, sadly. Right now, I’m staring down a forest of dead careless weed stalks that are easily 4 or 5 foot tall. If you've ever dealt with careless weeds, you know they are tough, stubborn, and grow faster than anything you actually want to eat.
So, my soil prep isn't delicate. It’s a demolition project.
I don't pull these by hand. There are too many and they are too big. I take the riding mower right into the garden and scalp the whole thing. I chop those 5-foot stalks down until everything is as flat as I can get it without mowing up all the dirt that's still standing up on rows.
Once the surface is clear, I bring in the heavy artillery. I run the tiller through the beds multiple times. I want to chop up those root systems and turn all that dead plant matter back into the dirt. In our sandy soil, this also helps fluff everything up before the seeds go in. At least that's what I tell myself every year. Might as well look at the bright side when you're facing a problem you probably should've taken care of months ago right?
I know a lot of gardeners swear by expensive organic bagged compost or specialized vegetable blends, but I keep it simple (and cheaper) and use a plain ol' lawn mix fertilizer from the local farmer's co-op.
I know my method is a bit "rough and tumble" compared to the delicate soil building some folks do. Does anyone else use standard ag/lawn fertilizer on their veggie garden, or am I breaking some unwritten rule?
Let me know how you tackle the winter weeds and what you're feeding your soil to get ready for this year's garden!
If you walked out to my garden spot today, you wouldn't see neat rows ready for planting. You’d see a jungle.
To be honest, I let it go a bit wild after the last harvest much like I do every year, sadly. Right now, I’m staring down a forest of dead careless weed stalks that are easily 4 or 5 foot tall. If you've ever dealt with careless weeds, you know they are tough, stubborn, and grow faster than anything you actually want to eat.
So, my soil prep isn't delicate. It’s a demolition project.
I don't pull these by hand. There are too many and they are too big. I take the riding mower right into the garden and scalp the whole thing. I chop those 5-foot stalks down until everything is as flat as I can get it without mowing up all the dirt that's still standing up on rows.
Once the surface is clear, I bring in the heavy artillery. I run the tiller through the beds multiple times. I want to chop up those root systems and turn all that dead plant matter back into the dirt. In our sandy soil, this also helps fluff everything up before the seeds go in. At least that's what I tell myself every year. Might as well look at the bright side when you're facing a problem you probably should've taken care of months ago right?
I know a lot of gardeners swear by expensive organic bagged compost or specialized vegetable blends, but I keep it simple (and cheaper) and use a plain ol' lawn mix fertilizer from the local farmer's co-op.
- I spread it over the tilled earth.
- I run the tiller one last time to mix it deep into the soil.
- Then, I plant.
I know my method is a bit "rough and tumble" compared to the delicate soil building some folks do. Does anyone else use standard ag/lawn fertilizer on their veggie garden, or am I breaking some unwritten rule?
Let me know how you tackle the winter weeds and what you're feeding your soil to get ready for this year's garden!