B's Garden Buzz-'Let's Get Started in the Garden'

     Even though the calendar says it’s the end of April, the weather has been more like the end of March.   Once the temperatures warm up and are less erratic the plants will grow like crazy.

     Like prepping a surface before you paint, prep work in the garden isn’t fun but will produce a better outcome.

     If you have never tested your soil, or it has been three or more years since your last test, do that first.  It is important to gather your samples before any fertilizers or amendments are added.  For information how to test your soil go to http://www.ct.gov/caes/cwp/view.asp?a=2836&q=378202.

     In organic landcare a couple of often used mantras are ‘feed the soil, feed the plant’ and ’right plant, right place’.  Soil is teeming with living organisms that interact together in what is termed the soil food web. Their action releases nutrients in the soil to be taken in through plant roots.  Adding organic matter, like compost, feeds these organisms, which in turn feeds the plant.  Synthetic fertilizers, used overtime, disrupts the soil food web and creates an imbalance in the soil.

     ‘Right plant, right place’ is about choosing plants that will thrive in the conditions where they are planted.  Those conditions include, the information from your soil test, the amount of sun and when, the space it needs to fit and your personal preferences. 

     Once you have cleaned out last years plant debris from your garden beds and pruned where needed, an application of slow release organic fertilizer and a 1-2 inch layer of compost is a great start to the growing season.