As you may have read from last months newsletter, we have decided to try a new attempt (for us) to reduce weeds, pests and diseases from our gardens. This effort involves covering the beds with plastic and letting the sun ‘cook’ the soil to remove or reduce these garden plagues! The actual method is called soil solarization.
The process sounds simple enough. Remove plant debris, till the soil, cover with clear plastic, leave in place for 6-8 weeks to let the sun do its thing and voila – clean garden soil. This series of articles will document my efforts to achieve this gardening feat!
We are starting with 4 of our 8 large raised beds. So first effort was to clean out the beds. No small task as we started with a pretty big mess! But we persevered and got all of the old plant material out. This included a large comfrey plant, one entire bed of blackberries, a couple artichokes, cucumbers, melons, lots of elephant garlic, a few miscellaneous herbs, a tomato plant and a few peppers. And of course, an abundance of nut-sedge, bermudagrass, euphorbias and other lovely weeds and grasses! (the first two being a large part in the decision to tackle this project!)
Once cleaned out, my wonderful husband tilled 2 of the 4 beds while I was visiting family. We decided to experiment by not tilling the other 2 as a comparison (and save him the extra work!). Once cleaned/tilled, it was a simple matter of raking the beds smooth to make sure there were no rocks or sticks poking up that could puncture the plastic.
And the
n it was time! Time to cover with this ‘miracle’ plastic that is going to make our future gardening chores a breeze…..we hope! Now for the plastic. We are supposed to use ‘clear’ plastic. In my research, it was suggested to use 4 mil thickness. So after scouring the internet, I ordered a roll of 10’x100′ clear 4mil plastic. Some reviews indicated it wasn’t entirely clear but I was hopeful. FYI, I paid $30 for this roll. And no, it is NOT exactly clear! But it will have to do!
All of our beds are raised beds, so securing the plastic was a bit of a head scratcher. We knew that the plastic could easily tear using rocks and that 2×4’s may not be heavy enough in high winds. So we settled on making a channel just on the inside of the beds, put a layer of compost over the plastic in the channel and then laid t-posts on the compost for added weight. Works like a charm! One bed did not have the stone border so we were able to lay 2×6’s down on the plastic for that one and it is holding well.
It had rained the day prior to laying the plastic so we knew there was ample moisture, which is needed to help with the solarization process. Within an hour of laying the plastic, we noticed beads of water already accumulating on the plastic! This meant HEAT! Yay, we are on our way!
Or so we hope! One little problem has since arisen that we did not fully consider. While plastic retains the needed moisture UNDER the plastic, it also creates a bit of an issue on TOP of the plastic when it rains! Oops, so we now have a bit of a swimming pool in one of the beds! Hindsight says we should have mounded the soil better and fortunately it is in just 1 of the 4 beds. (We will leave this water during this Harvey induced rain spell and then I will make efforts to drain it.) I suspect this experiment isn’t over in teaching us many things!
me to get busy in the garden! While February certainly felt like March by the temperatures, it’s now REALLY time to get busy digging in the dirt! There is still plenty of time to get winter chores completed and begin the exciting spring planting!
For the vegetable garden, hopefully you have prepared your beds with some addition of compost or other organic matter. Onions should already be in, but you may still get a decent crop if you get them in asap. Start a new perennial asparagus bed by planting crowns now. Just remember it takes a full 3 years to begin harvesting. Set out artichoke plants this month. March is the time to be direct seed beans, peas, greens, radishes, and beets. There is still time to get in a good crop of lettuce, too. Tomato transplants can go in the garden as well by mid-March but be prepared to protect them if we get a good cold snap – which we all know is a good possibility!
Consider starting an herb garden if you haven’t already! There is nothing like fresh herbs to go along with all the wonderful fresh veggies from the garden! Perennial herbs such as oregano, sage, thyme and Mexican mint marigold are great for beginners. As with most herbs, they will need good soil drainage and full sun. Cilantro and dill like the cooler temperatures so plant from seed now. Parsley and fennel are great additions as well.
As the Fall sets in and perennials start to die back, the temptation to trim that ‘ugly’ death matter down to the ground can send us searching for the pruners. But WAIT! There are many reasons you may want to wait until late Winter to remove what you perceive to be unacceptable appearances.
Free bird seed – Flower heads from many perennials are a great source of food for our feathered friends! Echinacea, Sunflowers and many ornamental grasses can sustain many birds over the cold months! Let them eat seeds!
Four members of the Somervell County Master Gardeners Association made the trek to College Station on Friday, June 17 for the Groundbreaking Ceremony for The Gardens at A&M. Shirley Smith, Donna Hagar, Julie Conner and Mary Ann Steele were among the many Master Gardeners from throughout Texas attending this momentous occasion. Having raised over $135,000 towards the naming rights of the Earth-Kind® Teaching Garden, Texas Master Gardeners were among many other founding donors embracing the beginnings of this incredible undertaking.
Master Gardeners Donna Hagar and Shirley Smith met with Trey Sexton and Debi Bly on Wednesday, Feb 18 to begin formulating plans for the installation of a Community Garden located on the new Papa’s Pantry Food Bank Property.