Seasoned gardeners share tips with first-timers
Many Islanders have decided to start their first garden this year. Whether it is because of a prolonged amount of time spent at home or to take more control over their food production, the reasons vary.
Garden centres are dealing with an influx of seedling orders from home gardeners and fielding plenty of questions from first timers.
Carina Phillips with Seaspray Organic Co-op has been tending her organic farm near Morell, P.E.I., for 11 years. Kyle Panton is a chef and part owner of One Vision Farm in Belfast.
Both shared advice for new gardeners.
PREPARING THE EARTH
“There are a couple ways to go about it,” says Phillips.
The lasagna method is when a gardener covers a layer of cardboard with compost and dirt, then adds water so the materials start to decompose into the soil. The compost fertilizes the soil and the layer of cardboard helps reduce weeds. The cardboard also attracts worms.
“It’s the same principle as when you have a tarp down on your lawn,” said Phillips about the cardboard attracting worms. “They love that dark environment. You’re inviting them to come through the cardboard and into the compost to break it up and add more organic matter to your garden.”
“If you’re going to just till in your garden, add in a little compost to start and maybe a sprinkle of lime because P.E.I. soil tends to be a little acidic,” she says.
Fertile soil will have a neutral PH value of about six. She recommends getting a soil test in the spring or fall to learn your soil’s fertility levels.
Panton says a raised-bed garden could reduce work.
“This way you can avoid tilling in a garden,” said Panton, adding building a raised garden bed can be as easy as building a simple wood box frame, setting the box on top of a tarp, then filling the box with potting soil.
This method will reduce weeds and even if you use potting soil, it will still be beneficial to add fertilizer, he added.
“Preferably manure,” he says.
STRATEGIC PLANTING
“It’s good to be aware of what part of your lawn gets the most sun and how it changes throughout the day,” says Phillips.
But shade can be good too.
“If you have big trees around, you can still plant some things in the shade,” he added.
Plants such as lettuce, spinach, roots or herbs such as cilantro and dill will actually benefit from a bit of shade.
“In the heat of the summer those things tend to want to go to seed really quickly before you get the chance to harvest them. So, if you put them in the shade, it will give you more of a harvest window,” says Phillips.
Other plants, like tomatoes and peppers, love and need as much sun as possible, she added.
Panton recommends thinking about what plants might block shade from another when they are full-grown and arranging your garden accordingly.
WHAT TO PLANT, WHEN
Phillips suggests choosing companion plant pairings for your garden to help prevent pests.
“Basil repels some of the pests tomatoes get like aphids.”
Planting marigolds around your garden can also prevent certain insects from munching on your vegetables before you do.
Phillips looks to the full moon in June to indicate when she can plant seeds or transplants directly into the garden.
“After that full moon in June, usually the almanac says weather is more likely to be frost-free.”
It’s best to start plants that are sensitive to the cold, such as tomatoes and peppers, inside.
Cold-hardy plants like radish, lettuce, kale, spring onions and sweet peas can be started outside right away.
A little closer to summer, carrots, beets and swiss chard can be directly seeded. So can cucumbers, summer squash or winter squash.
Both recommend slowly acclimating plants that have started to grow indoors to outdoor conditions by placing the plants outside during the day and taking them inside at night. This should be done for about a week.
TAKE CARE
A garden takes a small amount of consistent care throughout the summer.
“It’s a lot of observations and maybe a couple of hours a week,” says Phillips. “Definitely tending to weeds is important, the tasks are always changing because of the environment. If it’s dry it needs water, if it’s wet, then it doesn’t.”
Catching any problems like pests early could help reduce their impact on the garden, too.
ENJOY THE PROCESS
“There’s not a better feeling than growing your own food,” says Panton. “We encourage people to garden all the time and most of the time people say ‘Oh my god I can’t believe I haven’t been doing this my whole life.’”