I’m a new homeowner and wanted to start a garden in my new yard. I amended my soil with what my gardening store nearby recommended and tilled the ground while removing most rocks. About a three weeks ago I planted some tomatoes, peppers, and strawberries. I water everyday and sometimes at night as the ground seems to dry out fast where I am at. Any help on how to make the plants do better would be appreciated. If you need more info about stuff just ask as I don’t really know what is and isn’t important info yet. Thank you
New to gardening and need help
- Thread starter im1085
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I’m in Southern California. They told me mixing in a soil called harvest supreme would help add more nutrients to my planting area as where we are has a lot of clay in the soil naturally
Welcome im1085.
All those strawbs need the outer leaves taken off and just the middle bit - 'the crown' - left with maybe one or two of the youngest leaves left on. Make sure the crown is not buried. Then water them. You've been a bit preemptive with all the plantings because generally gardeners take more time to prepare the soil than to plant the plants.
All those strawbs need the outer leaves taken off and just the middle bit - 'the crown' - left with maybe one or two of the youngest leaves left on. Make sure the crown is not buried. Then water them. You've been a bit preemptive with all the plantings because generally gardeners take more time to prepare the soil than to plant the plants.
Ok I’ll do that thanks. What could I do to prepare the soil more for the future. Also if you could let me know the reason I need to trim the outer leaves off as well so I can know what to look for in the future. Thanks again
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The strawbs need an eight inch high mound to ensure drainage. They are planted one food apart on top of the mound. The mound therefore is about five or six foot long and about a foot wide. It is usually composed of compost forked into your soil and then raked into shape.
The tomato needs the bottom four leaves cut off at the stem and good soil mounded up around the stem to help support the plant.
The pepper could use the same treatment as the tom. That top shoot needs to sprout. Both of them need to be watered so when building the mound allow for a slight depression around the plant stem. I hope the other members will give you more help tomorrow. You will need a lot of compost so consider a truck delivery from the landscape suppliers. Good gardening.
The pepper could use the same treatment as the tom. That top shoot needs to sprout. Both of them need to be watered so when building the mound allow for a slight depression around the plant stem. I hope the other members will give you more help tomorrow. You will need a lot of compost so consider a truck delivery from the landscape suppliers. Good gardening.
Thank you for all the responses! They’ve given me a lot of insight into what I need to do going forward.
Meadowlark
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Yes, I think we need to keep this "redback " around. Some really good advice given there.
Thanks for the compliment Meadowlark.
im1085 the first stage is to plan your new garden. Go to Google maps or Google earth and get an aerial photo of your land. Don't show it here because we are all unlocated. Also find the lowest spot on your land. All the heavy rainfall will end up at this low point. You need to check if you can connect to the municipal street drainage, either by asking a plumber/drainer or speaking to the local authorities.
With the Google plan of your place mark the low point as a wetland/bog/swale. Be sure to keep the drainage heading towards this spot.
Find the north point on the map and know that the sun in winter is mostly in the southern sky. So locate your garden in the spot that gets the most sun in winter. Now you can have fun planning that sunny spot to be as big or small as you like and to include flowering plants, perennial crops and annual crops.
Just know that the next main planting season is Fall - sometime around September. You're a bit late to plant in summer now. You have July and August to plan your garden beds and access paths, your fruit trees and seating spots, your chicken coops and snoozing spots. Don't forget gardening is for your mental as well as your physical health. Sometime before the end of August you will need to import good organic manure/compost or soil.
im1085 the first stage is to plan your new garden. Go to Google maps or Google earth and get an aerial photo of your land. Don't show it here because we are all unlocated. Also find the lowest spot on your land. All the heavy rainfall will end up at this low point. You need to check if you can connect to the municipal street drainage, either by asking a plumber/drainer or speaking to the local authorities.
With the Google plan of your place mark the low point as a wetland/bog/swale. Be sure to keep the drainage heading towards this spot.
Find the north point on the map and know that the sun in winter is mostly in the southern sky. So locate your garden in the spot that gets the most sun in winter. Now you can have fun planning that sunny spot to be as big or small as you like and to include flowering plants, perennial crops and annual crops.
Just know that the next main planting season is Fall - sometime around September. You're a bit late to plant in summer now. You have July and August to plan your garden beds and access paths, your fruit trees and seating spots, your chicken coops and snoozing spots. Don't forget gardening is for your mental as well as your physical health. Sometime before the end of August you will need to import good organic manure/compost or soil.
I forgot to ask if you're on the coast or in the mountains. Do you get frosts and/or snow in the winter?
Thank you! I think my spot I’ve chosen is the best area in my yard for a garden according to the info you gave at least I got lucky on that point haha. Are you saying it would be better for me to scrap what I have and focus on my fall garden for better results? If so do you have any good suggestions for good beginner fall plants. Also about the soil is there a certain ratio I should be going for of soil to natural dirt I should be going for. Sorry for all the questions
Near the coast. It can get pretty cold at night so a little frost but not much. Never any snow
Well done.
I'm Australian so go to the organic topic below and ask for advice on the best soil for Californian home gardeners. There is a landscape supplies place 15 minutes' drive away and I just phone them up and ask the blokes I know there to deliver 5 cubic yards of manure. That is delivered within a day and tipped in my drive. It's an eight-foot circle of manure about four foot high so you need a driveway to leave it on for about four weeks whilst you wheelbarrow it to your beds.
BTW you need a wheelbarrow, spade, rake and fork to start with.
I dump the manure, undiluted, as a three-inch-high topping to all my beds. I leave it there until the rain comes and softens the soil below and then fork it in as I need the bed. Soil is the most important part of gardening so you will be adding compost, leaf mulch, micronutrients, worm wee, fish emulsion and all the organic fertilizers to the soil as time goes by.
As for the tomato and strawberries you have already planted - I would build up a collar of the fertilizer (above) around the neck of the tomato and pepper. I would build the strawberry mound as well and transplant the strawbs into the mound remembering to keep the crown clear of the soil.
Then I would contemplate what else to plant in conjunction with the cook (if that's not you).
Late summer plants (no frosts, harvest to march /april) - potatoes, onion, garlic, leek, beans, carrots, turnips, radish, beets, lettuces, basil, thyme, oregano, fennel, dill, and more. Choose the ones with shortest growing season and some that are all season plants like carrot and lettuce.
Tomatoes, corn, strawbs are the vegetables that taste most like cardboard when shop bought so they are worth growing at home.
Good luck and keep us posted.