Start your Garden for Spring NOW

Now is the time to start your garden for next spring.

Granny's Garden School is on a mission to get families growing some of the food they eat, herbs for seasoning and flowers to enjoy. Now is the time to start your garden for next spring.

• Where to put the garden? Anywhere that receives at least 6 hours of sun each day will serve the needs of the plants. A number of small plots are easier to manage than one large one. Plants do not grow well in compacted soil. To eliminate the need to walk in the garden, plots should be no wider than four feet if you have access to both sides and three feet if you only have access to one side. A vegetable patch does not have to be a rectangle in the middle of the yard. It can be any shape you want and as simple as tomato plant next to the deck.

• How to prepare a new garden area that is currently planted with grass? Fall is the best time to get started. Cover the desired area with a thick (1/2" layer of newspaper being careful not to leave any uncovered spots. Cover the newspaper with eight or more inches of compost and let it set until spring. Next spring, plant right in the compost. There is no need to turn the soil. The newspaper will not be completely decomposed and turning the soil will expose weed and grass seeds to the light. You can plant right in the compost and the roots of the plants will work their way through the paper and into the soil below. The paper will continue to decompose and the soil creatures will take care of mixing the soil and compost.

• Where to get the compost? You can make it yourself. All of the leaves falling this time of year will decompose to make great compost. It will take a couple of years if you just let them decompose in a pile. A lawn mower with a bag will speed up the process. The lawn mower will chop the leaves into small pieces. But if you are just getting started and want compost for your new garden now, you will need to buy it unless you have a garden friend willing to share. I suggest doing both. Buy some to get started and start making your own.

You can also join Granny's Backyard Family Garden Project. You can join the project by making a donation of $25 to the garden program. This will entitle you to 10 five gallon buckets of compost from our supply so you can get your garden started this fall. In the spring, you will also receive free seeds and plants and coupons for discounts on more plants, in addition you will receive a coupon so you can buy additional compost from Marvin's Organic Gardens at cost ($15 for a square yard.)