The key to successful gardening is in the health of the soil. Following are the methods and materials that we use in our successful demonstration gardens, along with alternatives. There are many different ways to be successful at organic gardening. Try various routes and find the ones that work for you. These recommendations can be used in growing vegetables, annual and perennial flower gardens as well as herb gardens. Experiment and Have Fun!!!
Initial Soil Preparation
Ideally, a vegetable, flower or herb bed should contain amended soil
at least 12-18 inches deep. Only dig in the soil when it is slightly
moist. Working the soil when it is very wet or dry can ruin the soil
texture for years. The rule of thumb is to only work the soil when
it has moisture content like that of a wrung-out sponge.
Deep, Blackland Prairie Soil
A hefty amount of good quality compost such as Lady Bug Revitalizer™, All American Turkey Compost™, or Farm Style™ Compost should be worked into the soil prior to planting vegetables, annuals, perennials and herbs. 40 to 50 percent compost is ideal for starters. For example if you are amending twelve inches of soil with compost, add about six inches of compost and dig in! You may want to consider adding a 1 to 3 inch layer of Super Natural Expanded Shale™ in addition to one of the compost listed above and work into a depth of 6 to 8 inches. You will only need to add Super Natural Expanded Shale™ once and it will hold up to 38% of its moisture content.Thin, Edwards Plateau Soil
If you live west of Austin towards the Hill Country you probably have a thin layer of native soil on top of solid limestone or caliche rock. In this area, a raised bed is needed for vegetable, flower, and herb gardens. For best results, add compost to the native soil first, as described above. Then add our Lady Bug Hill Country Garden Soil, Rose Magic™ or Square Foot Gardening Blend™ to create an amended bed with a total depth of at least 12 inches. Go ahead and slightly mix in the Lady Bug soil to the amended native soil to make the bed more homogenous.
Secondary Soil Preparation
Now that the soil has the right proportion of organic matter and
proper depth, it is time to add more nutrients. Even if you use our
high quality compost and soil, vegetable, flowers and herbs need
additional fertilizer. We work in
Lady Bug Garden Pep™ Cottonseed Meal
to our beds every season before planting veggies.
Garden Pep™
Cottonseed Meal adds the proper ratio of nitrogen, phosphorous, and
potassium to get plants off to a good start, while somewhat
acidifying our alkaline soil. At the same time,
Lady Bug Glittering
Greensand™ can be worked in to add iron and potassium, along with
other trace minerals.
Glittering Greensand™ also has the ability to
improve the texture of the soil. When planting flowers as well as
tomatoes, peppers, or other fruiting veggies,
Lady Bug Flower Power™
may be used instead of the
Garden Pep™ Cottonseed Meal. Another great
step in improving the soil before or after planting is to spray the
soil with a soil activator, such as
Lady Bug Terra Tonic™, Medina or
Medina Plus. To maintain soil health, spray once each season.
Planting Time!
Now for the fun part – it is planting time! Plant the tallest
vegetables (or herbs or flowers) on the north side of the bed and
the shortest on the south side. In addition, plan ahead for crop
rotation. Crop rotation means that members of the tomato family
should not be planted in the same area for two years. This helps to
prevent the buildup of diseases and pests common to a particular
vegetable family. Therefore, it is best to plant all members of the
same family together, and plant them in a different location for the
next two years. Here is a list of common vegetable plant families:
| Beet Family Beet Spinach Swiss Chard |
Cucurbit Family Cucumber Melons Pumpkin Squash |
Tomato Family Pepper Potato Tomato |
Crucifer Family Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Cabbage Cauliflower |
Kale Kohlrabi Radish Turnip |
At planting time we like to add our Pachamama Worm Castings™. Make a hole then add at least ½ cup for transplants and ½ tablespoon for seeds. Then we sprinkle a light application of Lady Bug Flower Power™ 4-6-4 or All Purpose 8-2-4 on top of the soil and work in to the top few inches. Only tomatoes can be planted deeply – the stem may be buried in the soil and will produce more roots. Other vegetables and all flowers and herbs should be planted with their root ball level with the garden soil. The finishing touch is very important; add at least three inches of mulch. Mulch holds moisture, keeps out weeds, moderates soil temperatures, keeps soil softer, and can help prevent some diseases. Lady Bug Sylvan Formula™ is a mulch containing compost, minerals and more. Never allow the mulch to touch the stem of the plant, in order to avoid rotting the stem. Always remember to rake back the mulch at the end of the season and do not mix it into the soil.
Finally water in the new plantings with Lady Bug John’s Recipe™. The seaweed in John’s Recipe™ has naturally occurring plant hormones that help new transplants get over transplant shock and stimulate root growth. The fish emulsion in John’s Recipe™ gives the new plant a quick boost of nutrients; the Medina Soil Activator improves the soil, the molasses provides potassium and for beneficial microorganisms, the humate helps breakdown fertilizers to make them more readily available to the plant.
Maintenance
During the growing season, every four to six weeks, sidedress the
plants with the appropriate fertilizer. For leafy greens use the
All
Purpose 8-2-4 Fertilizer or
Garden Pep™ Cottonseed Meal. For fruiting
vegetables use the Flower Power™. In addition you may want to use the
John’s Recipe™ every two weeks as a foliar spray before 10 a.m.
Letting the Vegetable Garden Rest
When a vegetable garden is not in use, we plant cover crops. Plant
Hairy Vetch, Clovers, Austrian Winter Peas, or Elbon Ryein the cool
season. In the warm season, plant Buckwheat, Purple Hull Peas
Cowpeas. About two weeks before you are ready to amend the beds with
compost for the new season or before the cover crop sets seed, dig
it into the soil and allow it to decompose. When it is time to begin
a new season of gardening in these beds, add only about 30% compost
this time, along with the complete array of fertilizers and soil
amendments too.
Remember to have fun and we will see you in the Garden!!!