More Herbs and Growing Tips – Presto! Make Garden Bed Magic
Herbs and Growing: Before Digging a New Garden
Of course, before you grab the shovel and garden fork, you will have to choose the right placement for your home herb garden. If possible, place your herb garden with a full southern or western exposure so it will get plenty of sun. Only have a northern and eastern exposure? You can still get enough sun if you choose a spot that is away from the shadow of the house or large trees.
How to Make Garden Bed Tips – Step One: Make it Easy on Yourself
Like everything that is worth doing, herbs and growing herb garden plants will reward you ten fold if you do the right preparation for the best garden bed
Using a garden fork to pierce the ground 6-8 inches deep, mark the perimeter of your new garden in your desired shape and size
Using the garden fork in the same way, create a grid inside the entire area of the new garden.
* Important: The grid should be made up of small squares or rectangles, no bigger than 6×8 inches. These will be your clods and you want to keep them a manageable size, because they get heavy very quickly if you make them too big. Trust me, keep the clods small. Don’t be tempted to rush by creating big clods of turf.Using a shovel, begin cutting the grid, one square at a time
Flip each grassy clod upside down carefully so the earth side faces up. Be tidy and organized, and try not to scatter loose soil around your work area. The top-soil attached to those grassy clods is going to be important, so don’t waste it. Keep your clods near.
Spread grassy clods evenly in a wheel barrow or on a drop sheet. Do not stack them.
* Important: The clods should be arranged with their dirt side facing up. Why? You want the soil that is still attached to the clods to dry out and become crumbly and manageable.After the soil, that is attached to the grass clods you put aside, has dried in the sun for a few hours, it is time to get that valuable and nutrient-filled topsoil back into the new garden.
Herbs and Growing – Step Two: Preparing the Best Soil to Start Herb Garden PlantsTake one of the clods you have removed and place it soil side up in the new garden
Begin gently smacking it against the tines of the garden fork to release the soil from the clod so it falls into the new garden
You should be left with a much lighter clump of grass in your hands which you can compost or use to re-sod bald spots on your lawn
Repeat this process with each of the grassy clods. You have now returned the nutrient rich top soil to the garden.
Using a stiff rake gently comb out and remove any grass and roots that have fallen into the garden
Herbs and Growing – Step Three: Adding a Little Something Extra to the Soil
Your garden is almost ready! But before you start your home herb garden, let’s turbo charge that soil you have so carefully prepared. Herbs love well drained, non-heavy soil. You can give them what they want by adding compost or my favorite, seaweed, to the soil.
Cover the new garden with a 2 inch layer of compost or composted garden soil from the plant nursery store
Using a shovel, dig and turn the soil over and repeat until soil and compost is mixed
Using a stiff rake, comb the soil to spread the soil evenly throughout the garden
Guess what? You’re ready to start planting herbs and growing your way to a healthier and more enjoyable life.
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