# Planning on a garden for next spring.....



## Shaky (May 21, 2004)

Just moved to a location that I can actually put in a garden. My dad always had an awesome garden, but during my teenaged years gardening was the last thing on my mind so nothing about it stuck!
Now I've been wanting to get into it, but dont really know where or when to start. Anyone want to to give a first timer some tips?

The area I have planned is grass over hard gumbo. Fairly good drainage and good sun almost all day with a few shaded areas in the evening.


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## cva34 (Dec 22, 2008)

*First Garden*

Time to start is now//Get grass off/a few pick up loads of compost/and equal coarse sand//Till or plow or dig in with shovel.If you got access to Manure few loads won"t hurt......All depends on how BIG..Till often enough to keep grass and weeds in check Maybe mid winter get soil test and add accordingly....Kinda in your mind you want about 33% original soil/33% sand/33% compost....These are crude numbers but a starting point ..esp with GUMBO..It makes it tillable and not pack so bad..Of course with 7 month head start cotton hulls /decomposing hay/wood chips /sawdust could go in too..If you got lots trees around it might be worthwhile to take a sharpshooter and work your way around ..Just shoving it adap to cut roots coming into garden..Its slow but a little here and there and in a week or two your done or month..Once I had a ditchwitch rented for another project ..I went around My Garden with it Wow worked great...Best of LUCK


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## Pivo and kolache (Mar 13, 2014)

With gumbo you are almost going to have to plow it just to get it broken up and get any type of depth. Once you do that let it dry and then come back and till or disc it. Manure or gin trash can be added but I think I would get a soil test first. You can contact your county extension agent and he can send you a soil test kit, which you will send off to TAMU and upon getting the results send them back to your extension agent. He or she will be able to really help you with what is best to add and what is best for your area


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## topwaterczech (Jun 20, 2014)

I was just like you 4 years ago. A good tiller will be a wise investment. My first garden didn't produce much but each year its gotten better and its very rewarding. Good luck too you!


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## SwampRat (Jul 30, 2004)

The soil we have is poor for gardening and so I dismantled the aged landscape timbers from the kiddy area of our yard and made a raised bed garden with two boards high. Now, I did skim off the grass first and tilled in mushroom compost for the first round. Probably 80% compost vs tilled material. Since then I've replaced the compost a couple of times and now have leaf compost mulch from one of the landscape companies on the north side (forget the name)....If I had full sun, I would have a smokin' garden....oh well.

Things I've learned.
- Full sun is highly desired...(Neighbor's tree eliminates ALL wintertime sun for me)
- automatic watering system is the cat's meow.
- keep your tree leaves from fall clean-up to use as topping in spring/summer.
- mushroom compost is awesome the first year, good the second year, meh the third year.
- termites will eat through wooden tomato stakes, almost before the tomatoes are ripe.
- termites DO NOT eat rebar and PVC
- winter gardens can be very productive (lettuce, radish, onions, cabbage, garlic, cilantro, etc.)


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## Ready.Fire.Aim (Sep 22, 2009)

I recommend raised box beds. 

I have row-gardened up to 2 acres with a tractor. I have transitioned from 60 HP tractor to 8HP Troybuilt then to ten raised box beds 4x16 ft by 16". 
You don't have to build that high. 

Use 2x10s and limit to 4 ft wide so you can reach across. 

Kill the grass, till or turnover with a spade. Backfill with a bulk delivery of garden mix or Rose soil from a landscape supply company. 

I order 16 yds of Madisonville compost and blend with Colorado River dredged sand. 

Start with two and grow what you like. Then add more. 

PM if you have any questioned

Have fun,
RFA


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

All good advise.The main thing to do is get started and just do it.


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## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

Do you live in the country or the city? Does anyone near by have a tractor that could plow where the garden will go? How big will the garden be? We need this info to give you the right answer for your situation.

Ideally, if you could get it plowed, dried, and then disc it now, You could still plant a cover crop right away, like Meadowlark does. Look for some of his past posts on cover crops. Then when this gets plowed under with any other soil builders, you would be starting from a very good position.

Top soil is very good stuff, but it is difficult to rototill under with an average sized machine. If you have to scrap it off to rototill, you are wasting some great soil building material.

Tell us more about your plans and location.


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## Shaky (May 21, 2004)

The total area I'm thinking about is approx 50 yards long by 20 yards wide. I dont plan on using the whole area for a garden, would rather start small. Main things I would like to grow are tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, cucumbers and sweet corn. Also a patch of blackberries. I dont have access to tractor but could either purchase or rent a tiller to do my initial prep.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

The initial prep is probably going to be your hardest effort...because of the gumbo soil. I think if it were me I'd tackle it like this:

1) mow it as short as you possibly can
2) bring in a tractor and plow/disc it good
3) get a load of good top soil and spread it over the area
4) come back with the tractor and disc it again

At this point, you should be able to handle the area with a garden tiller, which I recommend you purchase. It will make your work load much easier. 

When you have completed these steps, then you are ready to start soil building, which is a continuous process with no end. Add compost, plant cover crops as Dick mentioned above...but most importantly avoid letting the ground set uncovered and go to seed in weeds. 

The fall garden can really be a joy in southern Texas. You can plant onions and various green veggies and carry them through the winter, all the while building that soil. 

Good luck...it is a journey and not a destination.


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## redexpress (Apr 5, 2010)

I think I would start with a couple raised beds, leaving room for traditional plowed garden. I used 1" x 6" x 6' cedar fence pickets. I cut the dog ear ends off square. Built the beds 3' x 6', 2 pickets high. Used 1" x 4" pointed stakes to hold the pickets up. One stake on each end and one midway. 
If you want more garden either expand with more beds or plow ground. May start asking around if someone nearby has a PTO driven tiller & tractor that will till a garden. Ask at feed stores, nurseries, etc.
The beds are great. I had never done them before. Fewer weeds and you can mix your soils like you want.


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## Shaky (May 21, 2004)

Sounds like a raised bed would be the ticket, I have been known to way overdo things at times so a few raised beds will limit me to see if this is something I really really want to pursue. If it is I can always just remove the bed borders and incorporate into ground beds at a later date. Tganks for all the advice so far but please keep it coming, it's definately appreciated!


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