General Tips
Sowing Depth
- Tiny seeds like basil and most herbs = barely covered, then press down to restore capillary action of soil.
- Small seeds like carrot = 1/2 inch.
- Larger small seeds like spinach, beet, chard, radish, and okra = 3/4 inch.
- Large seeds like legumes, corn = 4 times their largest dimension.
Fertility Needs
Minimum soil fertility requirements are based on type of plant.
Plant Spacing
More space lets the root system grow larger, producing a stronger plant and more nutritious, better tasting fruit. Backyard gardens are often very limited in space, so this becomes a compromise. Tightly spaced plants will require frequent water to survive. Hi-res pictures CHART 1 and CHART 2. See also, the column 'spacing' in the chart on the 'plant information' page.
Progressive Thinning
Even if it seems counter-productive to cut down plants that you just planted, the process of thinning out your plants will help the remaining plants live a much more productive life. When your plants sprout, immediately thin seedlings so none of them are touching. Once the plants start competing for light, thin again so that none of the plants are touching each other. Continue this process until you thin the plants to their optimal spacing, choosing the strongest plant to survive each time.
My Preferred Methods
Organic
Chemicals cause problems, learn how nature performs and reacts and work to recreate natural solutions. Focus on healthy soil with lots of bio activity and diversity. Treat the problem, not the symptoms.
Intensive
Maximize plant output per square foot of land, take advantage of vertical growth using trellises. Lots of plants growing in a small space. Requires more input (requires the use of irrigation and fertilizer). I generally follow the recommended spacing from "Square Foot Gardening".
No-Till
Leave the roots of your plants in the ground, just cut the stem off at the ground level, instead of pulling out the plants or tilling up the soil each season. (exception: completely pull up diseased plants and throw them away) The new plants will use existing paths created by old plant roots that are decaying to ease new plant growth. This method encourages soil activity, (doesn't disturb the worms), and keeps the organic material in the soil longer.
Heavy Mulch
Nature doesn't leave the soil bare and neither should gardeners! A thick layer of shredded leaves, pine needles or other mulch material retains moisture, regulates temperatures, insulates, creates compost, encourages soil biology, and prevents weeds. (note, it is generally advisable to avoid using woody materials as mulch in your garden beds, but you can't argue with the results as seen on the Back to Eden film)
Shade Cloth
The sun gets too intense for many plants in the Texas summers. Use of 60% shade cloth gives these plants a break from the blisterning intensity.
Start Seeds Indoors
Seed germination, Grow lights, when to start,
Hardening Off
exposure to real sun, wind, cold weather
Other Tricks I've Tried
Tire Stacks
Start 3 or 4 potatoes in some soil in a tire. Once the plants get tall, pile on more dirt and another tire. In a season, you should be able to stack 3 or 4 tires high, multiplying the output of the potato crop by the end of the season. See these websites for more information: Website1, Website2
What DOESN'T work:
Don't fully cover the plants with dirt. They won't survive. Only cover about half the plant at a time, then wait a few weeks.
Don't use hay (by itself) It starts to compost and gets very hot, killing any plants growing in it.
Trellis / Vertical Crops
When growing space is limited, you can save a lot of precious space by 'going vertical'. Most people put cages around tomatoes to keep them from becoming a big ground cover bush, but you can also train squash, watermelon and cantaloupe to grow up instead of out, saving you lots of soil space.
Pruning Tomato Plants
Tomatoes will grow to be a big bushy clump on the ground unless you support them, but another trick to maximize your yield of fruit per area of soil is to keep the sucker vines pruned.
Tools
It will save you a bunch of time and effort if you use quality tools and put a proper edge on your hoe and shovel. I use an electric grinder to start with and then keep it sharp with a hand file.
Make the Best Use of the Area
Companion Planting
One of the many things native Americans figured out was the Three Sisters Garden (Corn, Beans, Squash)
Click here for a chart of common companion planting suggestions
Succession Planting
From wikipedia.org:
In agriculture, succession planting refers to several planting methods that increase crop availability during a growing season by making efficient use of space and timing.
There are four basic approaches, that can also be combined:
- Two or more crops in succession: After one crop is harvested, another is planted in the same space. The length of the growing season, climate, and crop selection are key factors. For example, a cool season spring crop could be followed by a heat-loving summer crop.
- Same crop, successive plantings: Several smaller plantings are made at timed intervals, rather than all at once. The plants mature at staggered dates, establishing acontinuous harvest over an extended period. Lettuce and other salad greens are common crops for this approach.
- Two or more crops simultaneously: Non-competing crops, often with different maturity dates, are planted together in various patterns. Intercropping is one pattern approach; companion planting is a related, complementary practice.
- Same crop, different maturity dates: Several varieties are selected, with different maturity dates: early, main season, late. Planted at the same time, the varieties mature one after the other over the season.
Guilds (Permaculture term)
Notes/Lessons Learned:
Start seedings early, provide with strong enough light to grow thick, harden off properly before transplanting, plant twice as many seeds as you think you will need to allow for animals and other problems.
See also: Steve's Lessons Learned