The weather here in Indiana has been unseasonably warm – in the 70s all this week. It’s really got me itching to get something in the ground, but our last frost date isn’t until May. I don’t want to risk losing something to frost, so we wait.
In the meantime, we’re getting our prep work done.
Last year was our first year to really have a nice garden here on the homestead. To help it along, we added cow manure to the soil that had been aged about 12 months. Earlier this week we cleaned out the chicken coop and added the shavings to the garden.
I was a little worried about it being too close to planting time and the manure needing more time to age. I consulted my trusty Old Farmer’s Almanac which indicates chicken manure can be added to the vegetable garden in fall or spring so I think we’ll be fine.
I was a little worried about it being too close to planting time and the manure needing more time to age. I consulted my trusty Old Farmer’s Almanac which indicates chicken manure can be added to the vegetable garden in fall or spring so I think we’ll be fine.
 |
| Image Source |
The next time we clean the coop we'll need to have our compost bins ready since the garden will likely be planted. This is the 3rd time we’ve tossed the shavings on the garden since the end of season last fall. I can’t wait to see if there’s a difference in how well our veggies do. I would love to see a noticeable improvement.
 |
| The girls love scratching in the shavings when we toss them out. |
We’ve been able to use the fireplace a good bit this winter, though not as much as I would have liked. The ashes have been collecting in a can in the garage. We’ll need to get them out on the garden soon as well.
One last thing we'll do to help our veggies this year is add some lime to the soil. I recently learned that blossom end rot, which we battled last year, can be caused by a lack of calcium. We plan to add lime to the soil and sprinkle crushed egg shells around the tomato and pepper plants. Hopefully that double-barreled approach will help us avoid the problem this year.
Tell me, how do you prepare your soil for planting? What type(s) of manure to do you add?
We put goat manure on our garden last fall. :) I am hoping for a nice garden this year. The soil here is low in nitrogen and the spots I added manure to last year did spectacular! We have been having the lovely weather, too, so I am taking a chance and starting some of the really early stuff. I planted garlic (I was supposed to do this last fall but forgot!), moved some of my herbs, and might plant peas if I get a chance tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteWe too, took advantage of the nice weather. However we are container gardening this year.....so worst case if they do predict a frost we can hopefully lug in what we have planted so far...we will see..
ReplyDeletePlant peas! They like a little frost :-) We are zone 5a - although we used to be 4b. I always thought I had to wait until at least mid april to plant peas, but I have been daring the past few years and have put out the peas as soon as I can work the soil. They always come up.
ReplyDeleteWe'll be starting soon. I still have one more garden to clean out and get ready. We'll probably plant around Easter (that's when my grandparents always did). What do you use your ashes for?
ReplyDeleteI have read that the ashes are good for the garden! I will be anxious to see how your garden does with all your wonderful amendments! We usually use well-aged horse/goat manure and it seems to do pretty well for us.
ReplyDeleteSounds like some good preps going on. Your plants should be very happy with the compost and chicken manure. After the beautiful weather, I couldn't resist getting a little in the ground here in Maryland, but it was only broccoli and lettuce which should be ok even in a light frost.
ReplyDeleteGood info on when it's ok to add manure. I'm bummed I put some chicken manure on my blueberries this winter. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteSounds wonderful. Dh and I are just planning right now...snow apparently is in this weeks forecast.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Connie
I'm a new follower. Your post was very informative. I'm having trouble finding reliable blog hops so I'm checking out Homestead Blog Hop this week. I hope it's there next week. Doylene
ReplyDeleteWe're in NW Indiana, and we've planted a lot so far! I found a great chart from the Purdue Extention Office that gives earliest planting dates for most vegetables. I was shocked at how many things can be planted in March! If you're interested, here is a link to the PDF:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hort.purdue.edu/hort/ext/Pubs/ho/HO_186.pdf
We have 3 10x4 feet raised beds, plus a few other beds around the yard. We added horse manure and compost to the raised beds last spring, and our plants did well. This year we're just adding more of our homemade compost.
So far we've planted garlic, onions, radishes, daikon, turnips, cauliflower, peas, spinach, beets, leeks, cabbage, leaf and head lettuces, brussel sprouts, kale, carrots and chard. The carrots and chard are a little early according to the chart, but with the nice weather predicted to last until the end of the month, we decided to risk it. I've also planted some herbal flowers in pots, but I can easily move them for a frost. We figure we can throw some old bed sheets over the raised beds if it frosts.
I'm so excited! We've been gardening for the past 3 years, but this is the first year we've been so organized and prepared so early on. I also have peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and a few other things started inside under grow lights. Here's hoping for a great gardening year! Good luck!