Mother Earth News - The Mother Earth News Guide to Vegetable Gardening: Building and Maintaining Healthy Soil * Wise Watering * Pest Control Strategies * Home Composting * Dozens of Growing Guides for Fruits and

by Susan Sides

I farm the soil that yields my food. I shared creation. Kings can do no more. Ancient Chinese Proverb

I F YOURE COMING to this book with some garden know-how already under your belt, then you already have a good idea of what youre in for when it comes to growing! If youve picked up this book because youre just getting into gardening, then congratulations! And welcome to the 44 percent of American families who share an addiction that we euphemistically call a hobby. Oh, youll hear the same old rationalizations from most of us: were gardening to save money, to keep fit, to put good food on the table, or to spend time outdoors. And those reasons might have provided motivation when we were at the same beginning gardening stage as you.

As youll come to know, though, what makes us pull out our tools year after year is the sheer wonder of sticking that pinhead-sized little ball of a broccoli seed into the ground andta-da!eventually harvesting something that holds up the hollandaise. Big crop, little cropit doesnt matter really. As much fuss is made when just one fine head ripens as when we cart off bushels.

In short, its being smack-dab in the middle of a real-life miracle that makes this pastime pretty hard to resist. Who can get enough of it? Building a cabinet or piecing a quilt just isnt quite the same. Only gardening (and having children) lets you stand so close to the miracle of life that, like the ancient Chinese proverb quoted on the facing page says, you feel as if youre sharing in creation.

Yes, welcome to gardening. None of us can ever claim to really know the territory. Were all learning as we grow. Each years a mysterya renewed challengeduring which youll reap plenty of mouth-watering vegetables at the very least. Whats more important, youll occasionally have the opportunity to feel like the only person who ever saw a honeybee wake up after spending the night on a morning glory, or the only soul whos seen the wind rattle a corn leaf, making the plant appear to be scratching its own back. And like a brand-new parent, youll be blind to the beauty of any broccoli other than your own.

GETTING STARTED

When learning to ride a bicycle, you dont read up on aerodynamics, physics, gravity, and inertia. Instead, you simply ask someone how to start, steer, and stop the thing, then hop on and give it a go. And you keep hopping on until youre pedaling vertically. The same goes for gardening. You might want to find at least one neighbor whos gardened in your area awhile and pester him or her to death (the odds are great that most gardeners wont mind at all). Then simply go get your fingernails dirty. To get you started, I offer the following basic advice. (Youll have to find the neighbor yourself.)

1. Learn your climate zone: its on that little map youll see in seed catalogs or some gardening books. Climate zones are bands where weather conditions (average rainfall and temperature) fall into the same range, and seed catalogs will list (by number) which ones are suitable for certain plants.

2. Memorize your first and last frost dates: planting times for everything from radish seeds to fruit trees depend on when frosts occur in your location.

3. Know your soils makeup: have a soil test done. (See .)

4. Be aware of available warm- and cool-weather crops: some vegetables grow best in warm weather and some in cool.

5. Look into local clubs: check the library or chamber of commerce for a list of garden-related clubs, organic growers organizations, and native plant societies. They are widespread, and their members will be more than willing to help you get started.

Soil testing is the map to any good fertilization program; it tells you how to get there from here.

SOIL FERTILIZATION

Soil testing is the map to any good fertilization program; it tells you how to get there from here. Its all too easy to waste money and risk nutrient imbalances by guessing at what your soil needs. Labs whose personnel are not chemically oriented will give custom-tailored recommendations in terms of compost and such natural amendments as rock powders and animal bone, and blood byproducts that are dried, ground, and bagged. These additives break down more slowly than synthetic fertilizers, are gentler to plants and soil, and are much less likely to be leached away.

Best of all, natural soil-testing firms speak a language you can understand. Granted, the local agricultural extension service, home kits, and many standard labs are much cheaperbut will you know what to do with all those unexplained numbers and equations?

Fall is the best time to send samples for evaluation, and you should plan to prepare for next years garden this autumn. I guarantee the results will be quicker than in this years unavoidable last-minute spring rush.

With clean utensils, and without touching the soil with your hands, gather samples at a depth of from 6 to 8 inches, and do so in ten to fifteen places around the garden. Mix the soil thoroughly to create a composite specimen. Secure at least a pound of dirt in a plastic bag enclosed in a small but sturdy box, and mail it off. To continue your soil journey, youll find much more, starting shown .

GARDENING TOOLS

Ill bet a quart of fresh raspberries that no two sheds in America contain the exact same set of garden tools. My neighbors traditional hoe has a deep, smooth gully worn in the handle from years of use. I, however, tended to avoid hoes until I discovered the more recently introduced stirrup kind.

Equip yourself with at least the basics, some of which you may already have. You can always add more equipment if and as the need (or, lets face it, simple covetousness) arises. For starters, round up a wheelbarrow, leaf rake, garden rake, trowel, soil-turning tool of choice (motorized tiller or garden fork), spade, hoe, and sharp knife (for harvesting, cutting twine, etc.). Add some quality hoses, a few sprinklers, and a hose attachment (such as a fan sprayer or, better yet, a watering wand) for watering by hand. Youll also need a hammer, pegs, and twine for laying out lines and patterns, plant tags, a file for keeping a sharp edge on things, buckets (plastic are often free for the asking), and an assortment of empty containers (coffee cans, milk jugs, and such).

After youve obtained the basics, anything you can imaginefrom the practical to the absurdis out there for your pleasure. Im pretty sure I can forgo ornate brass faucet handles and copper watering cans, but dont ask me to give up my soft-spray nozzle attachment, hand pruners, or minimum-maximum thermometer.

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