Tips for Ground Work in your Garden

1. Mulch everything you can to help preserve soil moisture, hold back weeds, and prevent surface crusting. A good thick layer of marsh hay or straw is 3-6 inches. You could also use the leaves available on site. Many gardeners recommend not mulching warm-season veggies like tomatoes, peppers, etc. until the soil has warmed up in spring (June?).


2. To improve germination of late-sown veggies, cover newly planted seeds with a very thin layer of straw or marsh hay. Water lightly to keep surface of soil moist and watch closely for germination. Move straw or marsh hay aside as soon as you see green.


3. Reduce fungal diseases on your veggies (especially the blights on tomato) by mulching them to prevent soil from splashing up on the leaves, which is the main source of infection. Water with a wand or soaker hose instead of a sprinkler. (i.e. don’t get the leaves wet, especially in the evening.)


4. A soaker hose is very useful for watering one part of your garden while you work in another. Run for at least one hour, two is better for large crops. Never leave the water running if you are not in your garden plot. Please do not waste water. It is a precious resource.


5. Raised beds are a great way to organize your garden, but they will cause your soil to dry out faster (their original purpose). Therefore, they may be more suited for the lower areas of Eagle Heights Community Garden that are sometimes too wet in spring and not as useful up on the hill where preserving soil moisture becomes critical in summer.


6. Thickly sow Winter Rye (very cheap) from September through October in areas of your garden that are finished for the year. It will prevent weeds from growing, prevent soil erosion, and improve the soil. Winter Rye may be cut-killed when flowering in late May and used as mulch for transplants, or turned under earlier. It will inhibit germination of smaller seeded veggies (along with weed seeds) for 1-2 weeks after this, so make sure to leave a gap before seeding.


7. Rotenone is one of the most effective organic insecticides if you find yourself desiring one. It works on flea beetles (which fill certain crops with so many “shot-holes” there’s hardly any leaf left), striped cucumber beetle, squash bugs, and most other insect pests. Also try Pyrethrin or Neem as effective organic insecticides. As far as application goes, dusts typically give you better coverage of your crop, but sprays are easier to control, so they’re less likely to drift onto your neighbors garden or yourself.