A Surefire Way To Growing Vegetables In Your Garden

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• A Surefire Way To Growing Vegetables In Your
  Garden

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• The secret to growing vegetables is in the
  soil.
• Like an epic wine that takes its flavour from
  the land where the grape is grown, vegetables are
  also effected by the soil.

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• The taste of vegetables can be impacted by the
  soil, and the quality of soil that you use. The
  idea that locally-grown produce taste better is
  not just a happy notion to make people feel good
  its a reality.

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• Since you cant get more local than your own
  backyard, create an environment where your
  vegetablesand plants, shrubs and flowerscan not
  only grow, but thrive!

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• bout That Mississauga Soil In Your Backyard
• Fact The natural soil types found in the
  Mississauga area arent necessarily conducive to
  that perfect vegetable garden. Most of the area
  is comprised of three soil compositions, two of
  which are heavy in clay heavy clay and coarse
  clay. These can be difficult to plant in, being
  too heavy or too compact.

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• The rich, organic soil of the Holland Marsh,
  on the other hand, where a full 55 of Ontarios
  produce is grown, is fertile and primed for
  growing produce including carrots, onions,
  parsnip, potatoes, cabbage, beets, tomatoes,
  cucumbers and more!

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• While you might not want to move to the Marsh,
  you can bring soil that is native to that area to
  your home, to enhance your vegetable (and flower
  / shrub) beds.

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• Three Types Of Soil For Your Garden
• Vegetable soilThis should be a combination of
  peat loam, compost and manure, as it is at
  Holland Marsh.

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• A fertile organic soil will be active, in
  that it will contain organic matter that will
  help keep moisture in and keep the soil alive
  with organisms, bacterias and fungi all the
  things that make the soil diverse, and which then
  produce a tasty vegetable.

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• Overseeding soilA combination of peat loam
  and compost, this is a weed free soil that is
  meant to be combined with grass seed, to promote
  grass growth.

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• TopsoilA filler type soil that is best used
  for filling uneven ground areas, creating raised
  beds and landscapes, and as a base for fresh sod.
  Its also good for planting shrubs and trees.

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• When To Plant
• Every spring, the question arises when is it
  okay to start working the soil and begin
  planting? Ignoring for the moment the question of
  air temperature, the issue for soil is moisture.

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• If you start to work the soil too early, it
  will be too wet and dense from thawing and
  snowmelt, as well as spring rains, and will clump.

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• Those clumps dont break down later into the
  smaller, loose dirt particles that you need to
  create air pockets in the ground for plant roots
  to thrive in. If your soil is clumping, its too
  soon.

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• You can test your soil to see if its ready to
  start being tilled and worked take a baseball
  size amount of soil that you think is relatively
  dry and squeeze it until it compacts into an
  actual ball shape.

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• Then drop the ball from about table height. If
  it crumbles into loose soil, your soil is dry
  enough to begin your spring digging. If it breaks
  into large pieces or not at all, its still too
  wet.

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• Preparing Your Soil
• Once youve determined that your soil is dry
  enough to begin digging, you need to clear the
  vegetable beds of any debris that accumulated
  over the winter twigs, rocks, etc

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• Then you can start working your soil, which
  means turning it over and digging down, at least
  10 to 12 inches. Vegetable plants root fairly
  deeply. This is the point where you want to add
  your vegetable soil and work it through the soil
  in the bed.

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• Particularly in the Mississauga area, where
  clay is a major composite of standard soil,
  adding clay-free vegetable soil will aerate the
  existing earth and create the air pockets your
  plants will need to germinate.

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• The active, organic composition of the veggie
  soil will also help to retain necessary moisture
  and nutrients.

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• Creating New Beds?
• If youre new to vegetable gardening or
  creating new beds for the season, you can start
  off on the right foot (or bed!) by making sure
  that you plan for the best outcome!

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• PositioningMany vegetable plants, including
  tomatoes, need a lot of sunlight to grow and to
  keep disease at bay, so placing your beds in
  relatively sunny, well drained areas of your
  garden is ideal.

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• SizingMake sure that your vegetable beds are
  big enough to leave space between your plants.
  Too close together and they will suffocate, get
  overly humid and be prone to more disease. You
  might also find one creating shade over another
  and stunting the growth.

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• The right foundation for any vegetable bed is
  going to be, first and foremost, the soil. The
  right base will retain an appropriate amount of
  moisture while still creating those all-important
  air pockets for roots to germinate and take, and
  will supply nutrients to the seedlings that your
  veggies need.

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• Start with the right base, and youll find it
  easier to grow a steady supply of succulent
  vegetables, all season long.

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• To find out more about soil types, or to
  purchase soil, visit us at www.gardenbag.ca. If
  you live in Mississauga, well deliver your soil
  for free!