First outdoor gardening, looking for tips and ideas

8 years ago

I am going to start a garden for vegetables. I haven't chosen what vegetables yet. Asparagus is at the top of my list. I live in Wisconsin where apparently March-April is the best time for many vegetable seeds to be planted after the last frost. Currently it looks as if we are just about over the the 32F weather lows. I am determining the best location for my garden. I have wire fencing to keep pests and rabbits out. I plan to make the garden atleast 15' x 20', if not larger. I would like to create enough crops to last an entire year for 3 people. The location I am looking at using is right on the edge of a wooded area but where there is sun light. I do not know if the soil would be good for vegetables. The soil is moist and full of broken down plant matter from years of trees and bushes that were cleared from the area. It is at the top of an incline also. We have naturally growing ginseng in the wooded area just behind where I plan to put the garden (I stay clear of the Ginseng until I fully understand about harvesting it). The reason why I chose this area is because the soil is apparently good enough for natural Ginseng to grow. There are multiple pine trees in the surrounding area but a large open view for sunlight. 20 or 30 feet away from the garden is a corn field. I am not sure if that fertilizer would bleed in to my garden soil or not. We also have an airplane that swoops over the cornfield across the road spraying chemicals (hopefully not Round-Up but I'm sure that neighbor uses Round-Up corn seed). I have access to cow dung if that is perhaps ideal for natural fertilizer. I am having stomach problems that affect my daily life so I am trying to eat less acidic foods and meats and heading for a more organic approach to aid in my digestion. I am a 32 year old male and planting a garden is something out of my typical realm of skills. Although I did have experience at about 14 years old working at a plant conservatory, those skills are long lost.

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Comments (5)

Labradors
8 years ago
It sounds good!

Just a couple of comments. If your neighbour sprays Round-up, you would have to be aware of "herbicide drift" which is when it blows onto your crops. Tomatoes are particularly susceptible to this, so it would be wise to plant them far away from your neighbour.

Cow manure is great, but it should be "aged", that is well broken down, never fresh because that could burn your plants.

I'm sure others will have lots of ideas for you.

Happy growing!

Linda
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DIY Guy
Original Author
8 years ago
The cornfield where the herbicide is sprayed is atleast a large football field away. The garage also blocks direct wind from hitting the garden. Is there any way to determine what soil is the best for a garden? I don't have any sophisticated testing equipment for checking soil acidity.
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two25acres
8 years ago
I'm in SE Wisconsin myself and all I can offer is to ask what kind of trees are in the wooded area. I ask only because I just tore out 8 beds that were affected by neighbors recently planted black walnut trees which are abundant here. I have about 50 of them on our property as well. We have built 2 new beds - 4 x 16 and about 30" tall. Closest black walnut tree is about 50 yards away now.
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digdirt2
8 years ago
"Asparagus is at the top of my list"

Ok, gus is normally given a bed/dedicated area of its own away from the rest of the crops. It is a perennial crop and doesn't tolerate competition or disturbance once established (takes about 3 years) and has different nutrient and water needs than some other crops. So for best results find it its own little corner of the world to grow and plan to use crowns rather than seed.

" I would like to create enough crops to last an entire year for 3 people."

So are you planning on learning food canning or just growing produce for the freezer? I ask because canning requires a bit different planting plans and because with that goal you will likely need a bigger garden than you have planned.

"The location I am looking at using is right on the edge of a wooded area but where there is sun light. There are multiple pine trees in the surrounding area but a large open view for sunlight."

Have you been able to determine exactly how many hours of direct sunlight this area will get. When a clearing is surround by trees the hours of actual sun exposure is usually limited. Also keep in mind that the sun's relative position to those trees and your garden moves daily. So the sun exposure you are getting right now is not the same as it will be a month or two or three from now.

" I do not know if the soil would be good for vegetables."

That means getting a soil test done. Contact your local county extension office for how to do that.

" I do not know if the soil would be good for vegetables."

Incline gardening has some unique challenges - gravity effects on water, etc. so if any leveling can be done it will be worth the work.

"I am not sure if that fertilizer would bleed in to my garden soil or
not. We also have an airplane that swoops over the cornfield across the
road spraying chemicals"

Then you are going to need to talk to them and investigate exactly what is being used and when. Chemical drift and soil run-off are real problems for gardeners so you need to know exactly what you will be dealing with up front so you can prepare for it.

Hope this is some help.

Dave
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daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
8 years ago
The possibility of chemical drift is worrisome. You need to find out what they're spraying. One might wonder what the foliage you have on your plot right now looks like. Bear in mind that glyphosate mainly acts on broadleaf foliage so yellowing and dying foliage might indicate its presence. It is largely not absorbed through roots, so ginseng roots would be pretty immune to it. Even if the ginseng foliage is killed, they'll sprout back up. 20 feet away from a field being sprayed by airplane is zilch for overspray. If that field is getting it, you're going to get it too. I should say that a major spray for cornfields is actually fungicide, which may or may not be a good thing for you.

This would be good to pin down before you make much of an investment in this plot.
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First outdoor gardening, looking for tips and ideas

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Labradors

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First outdoor gardening, looking for tips and ideas

Comments (5)

Labradors

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two25acres

digdirt2

daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)

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DIY Guy
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