Preparing the soil for the garden means creating a healthy and favorable environment for the growth of vegetables. The procedure can be long and challenging, especially if you have to work with hand tools, but if you take the time to follow the correct procedure, the results will reward the effort. To create a new garden, you have to plan it, prepare the soil and finally make the porche, the kind of slightly raised "flower beds" in which vegetables are grown instead of flowers.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Choosing the Best Venue
Step 1. Choose a sunny area
If you have a large area available, decide which vegetables you want to grow and find the perfect place; if you have limited space, it is the place that determines what is best to plant. Ideally, you should find a location that is exposed to the sun for at least six hours a day; evaluate the different options and choose the cultivar accordingly.
The geographical position helps to define the type of plants and / or vegetables to grow; look for those that develop well based on the climate of your region
Step 2. Check where the underground household supply facilities are located
Once you have identified the ideal place, make sure you can use it; it would not be fun to realize that your new garden just created must be destroyed to provide for any interventions on the underground pipes. Call or contact household utilities and inquire about the location of the pipes in your garden.
You should also inquire about irrigation systems
Step 3. Mark the chosen area
Once you are satisfied that you can use a certain surface, define it clearly. Invest some time in planning the exact size of your garden; determine how many vegetables you want to grow and how much space they need. Then go to the hardware store or paint shop, buy the specific paint for land and use it to delimit the area established for the vegetable garden.
You can also use a can of spray chalk, but the paint usually resists moisture better
Part 2 of 3: Preparing the Ground
Step 1. Kill the existing vegetation
You must remove and kill the grass present in the area you have defined for your purpose. You should start this process during the fall and winter so that the soil is ready for spring. If there is woody material present, get rid of it with shears or a chainsaw; grass and common centocchio are easier to manage because they can be cut with a lawn mower; weeds can be plucked, although there are easier ways to eliminate them. You can kill weeds and any other vegetation with newspaper.
Step 2. Cover the area with newspaper
If you want to completely kill every plant present, you have to cover the future garden with this material, which is able to block the sunlight. Usually, the ink on these sheets is not harmful to the soil, but avoid using magazines full of advertisements on glossy and coated paper; then cover the newspaper sheets with a thick layer of compost and leave them on the ground until spring.
Four or five newspaper sheets should suffice
Step 3. Examine the terrain you need to work
You need a combination of mud, sand and clay; you have to be able to squeeze some earth and form a ball which then crumbles easily. If there is too much clay, the soil will not flake off; if there is too much sand, you can't compact it well and make a ball out of it. It also checks the pH using a commercial kit or by sending a sample to an analytical laboratory.
Test the pH of the soil using a specific kit that you find on the market, a red cabbage or a mixture of white vinegar and baking soda
Step 4. Change the soil pH
You can proceed by adding a few inches of nutritious soil to the new garden. If the existing soil is not fertile enough to ensure the development of healthy vegetables, you should create a mixture of compost and potting soil to spread a few centimeters deep and mix with the existing soil.
You can correct the acidity or alkalinity of the soil by adding limestone or sulfur depending on the results you want to achieve
Step 5. Aerate the soil
Use a tiller, spade / shovel, or pitchfork to loosen the soil. The spade or shovel is more suitable if the ground has never been worked before and is quite hard; the earth should be moist but not too soggy, it should crack, look moist and not stick to tools. If it's not hydrated enough, you can add water with a garden hose; move it up to about 30cm deep, although it is still better to get to 50cm if you can dig.
- If the soil is too wet, it creates clumps when aerated.
- When it is too dry it becomes difficult to dig and move.
Part 3 of 3: Prepare the Garden
Step 1. Fill the defined area with biological material
Once the soil is aerated, you need to add some organic matter or compost; spread it 5-7 cm over the whole garden, then move the soil again to mix it with the new substances. Do not use compost that is too fine or has a consistency similar to sand, as it could break down too quickly; the ideal one should have large pieces and other smaller pieces.
The purpose of the biological material or compost is to enrich the soil with nutrients and improve its structure
Step 2. Rake the surface
Once the compost has been added, you need to level the soil until it becomes flat; no large stones or branches should remain in the ground.
Step 3. Once the soil is in place, apply a thick layer of mulch
This material prevents weeds from growing and helps the soil retain moisture, as well as giving the area a neat appearance.
Step 4. Opt for a raised porch if it is difficult to keep the ground groomed
If you are unable to organize the garden as you planned, this can be a valid alternative, especially if the soil is very humid and heavy, as it allows the water to drain better. To create raised cultivable spaces, you can use wooden edges or stones to be placed around the perimeter of the garden and at a certain height, so that they can contain well-compacted soil. With the raised vegetable garden there is no need to dig and aerate the soil first.
