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My wife and I recently moved to the Cruso area. We'd like to start our first garden this Spring (2017). I was hoping to get some pointers on two vegetable garden questions:
1. Is there a forum or other online resource for vegetable gardening in WNC? Waynesville area, perhaps?
2. What is good enrichment addition for a new garden (Tomatoes, Cukes, Squash, Spinach, Carrots & Onions)?
3. What is a good cover crop to use a portion of a new garden that will be unused for 1 year?
Some facts for questions #2 & #3:
New garden is about 14' x 30' in size. We'll truck in top soil, but I plan to intermix with some compost material. We plan to grow some simple vegetables (Tomatoes, Cukes, Squash, Spinach, Carrots & Onions) this year on about 1/2 of the area and nothing in the Winter. We'll start fairly small this year, so I would like to plant a cover crop on the other 1/2 garden area for this year (until Spring 2018).
I do pretty well with three small gardens approx 5000 sq ft and try to keep it as organic as possible. One for corn, one area for beens and the other for tomatoes, peppers squashes, beets and such. Much better tasting and healthier. Although some will fight me to the death on this.
This will be my/our first garden. So our expectations are tempered by that fact that up to now, we've successfully killed every plant we've tried to grow. And by "killed," I don't mean "harvested." ;-)
So we'll start pretty small and eventually expand the garden.
That said, we do have a group of apple trees (5 or 6, I think) on the other side of the yard that have been prolific producers the past 2 years. But that's definitely no thanks to anything we did. lol! There's plenty of room for more trees there, so I'm planning to add 3 more trees this Spring. I don't know anything about apple trees, so I'm not sure which type to get, but I would like some variety. I had some suggestions for Fuji, Gala and Pink Lady apple trees - maybe I'll try one of each.
See if your county offers a Master Gardener Program. Or maybe a neighboring county. I did this with the State of New Jersey. Volunteered for 4 years after. Learned a lot. Made a lot of friends. Neighbors always asking me questions.
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Learn your soil. Learn how to amend it if necessary. Learn about soil pH.
Sunlight. I keep telling folks, if you don't have the daily sun that the plant you are trying to grow requires then find another plant.
Always buy the best plant stock you can find. The best seeds. And the most expensive might not be the best. Better results in the end.
And last. When plainting trees, bushes, ground cover, etc.. I now only use indigenous. Works best in the end. You will not be struggling with a non local plant. Also looks better as everything fits in.
Good soil amendments are BioChar and humus. Usually find these in bags at garden centers in the spring. Keep in mind that with amendments and fertilizer you are actually feeding the micro organisms that make the whole thing work.
Also, the most important thing I have learned in decades of gardening: plant everything high out of the ground. This is especially true for trees. Plant them in a mound of soil well above grade level. The eventual root flare is actually an extension of the trunk and thus needs to breathe.
Yes flatwood ! - I have an old textbook showing pictures of success vs failure of planting too low. "Rot of crown root structure" if too low. I plant too high I am sure but with mulching and eventually forest liter when planting in the woods I am doing the best I can.
Great Post !
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