Newsletters: January-February-March 2010

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Create a Garden Masterpiece

By Jennifer Bronson

The cold, wet days of winter are almost behind us and now is the time to be planning, prepping, and planting for a beautiful show of blooms and a bounty of delicious vegetables.

What do you want your garden to do for you? Will it be a vegetable garden with neatly laid out rows of peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers or a wild border of cottage style, cut-flowers? A mix of veggies and flowers is always my choice because of their mutually beneficial relationship. Once the decision has been made the ground can be worked starting with the addition of a rich, organic material such as mushroom compost or cow manure. Next, look at the space and envision the plants at maturity and how they will work together through size, color, and texture to create your ideal garden. It helps to have a pad and pencil to sketch it out as you brainstorm so you don’t forget your design once the planting begins!

The next, and possibly the most important, step is mulching. It is always easier to do this before planting. First, think about a weed mat. One option, and my favorite, is using newspaper. Make sure to find out what type of ink the newspaper uses before doing this (the Tallahassee Democrat uses soy based inks which are safe for the soil and water). Newspaper is not only a cheap alternative to plastic weed mats, but also benefits the soil as it breaks down. The worms love it and worms equal a healthy garden! Stack it three to four sheets thick over the area, making sure that it overlaps just a bit so weeds can’t sneak through. At this thickness, it should last through the growing season and when it is time to replant you can start the process over! Once the paper is down, mist it with water so it doesn’t blow away as you top it with pine straw, leaf mulch, or wood chips.

Finally, it is time to plant! The beauty of the newspaper as a weed mat is that it is easy to cut through with your trowel as you plant. Carefully pull the mulch and paper back from the spot where your plant or seed will go and be sure not to plant too deep. Once they are all nestled in their spots, feed them with an organic fertilizer: once a week if using liquid or once a month if using granules. Now sit back and watch those babies grow into your own garden masterpiece!

For North Florida planting times, visit solutionsforyourlife.ifas.ufl.edu/lawn_and_garden/calendar.