Soil Prep for the Fall Garden
Steve Bridges

Fall is on the way and the time to get the fall garden going is now. It may be hard to think about getting out in the waning summer heat and doing the soil preparation. But all good returns require a little upfront investment in faith and hard work. You will be rewarded with some very tasty, chemical free, and nutritious homegrown veggies. It seems the prices in the produce section rival those in the meat department these days. By getting your garden in now, you can be savoring sweet, homegrown dishes at the Thanksgiving table in November.

First, you have to prepare the soil. Here is what I do, once a year, to build the health of the soil. If the ground where you will be planting has never been worked, use a rototiller to break up and loosen the hard-packed soil. If the garden has been worked before, it is best if you use a spade fork and turn the soil over one time to loosen the compacted soil. Now for the addition of the soil amendments that will make your plants thrive. These additions to your soil are the secret of green thumb gardening.

For the existing garden, spread one inch of compost across the top of the ground. For new gardens, spread two inches. This is your most expensive investment, unless you have your own homemade compost. The following soil amendments are not expensive and will go a long ways to growing a great garden. Spread them across the top of the ground as you did your compost. Soft rock phosphate is added for overall plant health and flowering. Greensand is added for micronutrients and good, green foliage. Humate will make all the other things that you are doing work better. Dry molasses feeds the microbial life in the soil and will make your veggies taste better. Cornmeal is a great source on nitrogen. With a spade fork, or your tiller, work all of the above into the top 6-12 inches of soil. For a 500 square foot garden, you have spent about $70.00 on soil amendments.

When planting seed, first soak them for 2-3 hours in liquid seaweed before you plant. When planting starter plants, give them a good soaking of liquid seaweed after you get them in the ground. As the plants grow, you will need to fertilize every week or two. Simply foliar feed them by spraying their leaves with a combination of liquid fish emulsion and seaweed. Mulch your plants. Pine needles work great and are plentiful and free around here. You're on your way to a very successful garden.

So what can you plant? The fall garden lends itself to more variety of garden veggies than the spring garden. You should have planted your tomatoes and peppers back in July. But you can still plant broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, kohlrabi, carrots, mustard and collard greens, chard, kale, garlic, garden peas, spinach, turnips, and potatoes. You can plant most all of these from seed, but most gardeners prefer to purchase little starter plants. They are already up and growing and just waiting for your well-prepared soil. Some you will need to cover when the hard freezes come, but most will be just fine during the light frosts and freezes. Our mild winters allow us to grow a wonderful fall garden. The efforts are small and the rewards are well worth it. The ultimate in fresh, nutritious, and tasty. Homegrown veggies from your own backyard.

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