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New Gardener Questions
Hello! I have a few questions before I start my garden. I live in Southern California, Zones 8-10.
I have a 5 1/2' x 13' space that gets full sunlight for at least 8 hours in which to start my garden, this will be an in-ground garden. The soil is very moist (not overly wet), has no sand and is slightly compacted, it is currently home to grass and a small rosemary plant. How do I prepare the soil?
I would also like to begin composting... I have a 4' x 20' area at the back of my yard, where grass doesn't grow, for my composting area. What type of container is a good place to start? Do you know of any good composting websites?
This is going to be an organic garden and I am interested in using plants as deterrents for bugs. Does anyone else do this and , if so, what type of plants do you use?
TIA!
Re: New Gardener Questions
I can answer your second two questions.
Composting - look a few threads down. There's a composting question. I put a like to a website for beginners and composting.
Plants as pest management - That's called companion planting. Do a google search for it or for the "[plants you want] + companion plants" Here's one chart you can look at. I'm sure there are many others out there.
Good luck and happy planting!
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buy a copy of the edible garden by sunset magazine. as a relatively new gardener this was by far the most useful book i found. it covers everything: how to test your soil's acidity, amending the soil, prevent pests, all kinds of stuff. sunset's western gardener is also a very valuable resource. check out french intensive gardening... i double dug the soil since were digging out the garden for the first time and i think it really helped.
we got ladybugs and preying mantis pods to put in our garden. they don't all stay once they hatch but enough do to help with pest control. there are tons of books and web sites that will help you with pest management for organic gardens. another thing i recommend is look into companion planting, which is basically tomatoes and basil "like" each other and they grow better together. there are tons of plant combinations like this, including flowers. also, check out sunset magazine at the library... they have tons of gardening tips, designs, etc. from now (or will soon) 'til thanksgiving. oh, and if you can, definitely plant heirloom tomatoes. we did and they were amazing!!!