Q&A for How to Prepare the Soil for a Vegetable Garden

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How can I get rid of red ants in my organic garden?

Community Answer

Diatomaceous earth is a naturally occurring, soft, siliceous sedimentary rock that is easily crumbled into a fine white to off-white powder. This is a natural insect repellent and works very well on the fire ants in Florida.

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While digging up my potatoes, I found at least 15 white larvae. How do I clean my soil for the next season?

Community Answer

Rake used coffee grounds through the soil, at least 6 inches deep. If your plants are vulnerable to acidity, throw in some agricultural lime.

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What should we do to the earth to enable us to plant in a virgin vegetable plot for this year?

Community Answer

Find out what your soil is missing (get the soil tested) and add whatever it is missing. Or buy bags of peat moss, various compost, and aged chicken or other animal manure. Mix in 13-13-13 fertilizer. Work into the soil at least six inches (15 cm). It would be better if you break up the soil deeper, about 12" (30 cm). If the soil is dry, you may want to water the soil and wait a few days before planting. Make sure you have mulch available for when the plants start producing, because fertilizing mulch before putting it around your plants might be needed mid-growing season. Mulch, compost, and aged manure will not burn plant roots and helps buffer fertilizer while conditioning any soil.

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How do I use compost?

Donagan

Top Answerer

Use it as you would any other fertilizer.

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Question

Do peas and beans need lime?

Community Answer

It depends on your soil quality. Lime might help acidic soil conditions, or maybe heavy clay.

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How do I make a vegetable garden in a very short time?

Community Answer

Clear out some space in your flower garden or shrubbery, break up the soil, fertilize with a light fertilizer (13-13-13), work it in, or buy potting soil and work it in to your cleared space. Plant radishes. If you have room plant watercress or mints right under the other plants. Within 21 days you should be harvesting radishes and able to cut off some mint or watercress as long as you are getting some sunlight and it is over 60 degrees F. Bib Lettuce also sprouts and grows fairly quickly. You do have to check and water before soil dries out more than an inch (stick finger in soil, if it's dry, water).

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What do I need to do to prepare a raised bed vegetable garden?

Community Answer

Just follow the same steps as in this article, only apply it to your hanging garden.

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Question

What is the best fertilizer to use for planting vegetable seeds?

Community Answer

All purpose fertilizer labeled N (Nitrogen) P (Phosphorus) K (Potassium) 20-20-20, to be exact.

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How do I keep cats from using my garden bed as a litter box?

Community Answer

There are a few ways you can go about this. Check out this article on How to Keep Cats Out of a Garden .

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Question

On step 5, do I spread fertilizer around and then add compost on top of it?

Community Answer

Yes. Personally, I use a tiller to till in the manure mixed with fertilizer (for the top six inches or so). As the growing season proceeds, you may need to add more fertilizer, depending on your initial soil quality, the plants you're using, water quality, etc.

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When is the best time to plant pumpkin seeds?

Community Answer

Spring to late summer or fall. Don't plant when you're experiencing cold outdoors.

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Question

Is sandy soil good for gardening?

Rowena

Community Answer

Any soil is good for gardening, its just that you have to prepare the soil to match the soil type. To make the sandy soil ready for gardening, add organic matter to make the soil loam-like.

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