Garden Preparation
How do I prepare my garden?
Growing fresh food is fun, and with a little planning, you will increase your success. In an effort to help you prepare before you receive your plants, we have summarized some helpful information about our various offerings.
Ideally, the site preparation would happen the summer or fall before your spring planting. If you are unable to do this, begin preparing as early in the spring as possible. You can manually remove sod to prepare your garden, or you may want to apply Roundup™ when grass is 4”-6” tall to create a row for your plants. The Roundup™ will kill the sod and therefore roto-till in much easier.
Below are some brief tips to assist you. A detailed planting guide will be included with your order when you receive your shipment.
Strawberry Plants
Start with a sunny, weed free location. Strawberries grow well in a variety of soils, as long as they are well drained. Where there is no natural drainage, it is advisable to plant on raised beds. Thoroughly prepare the soil to a depth of 8-12”. Soil pH should be 6.5-6.8 for best growth.
Avoid soils where previous crops have included potatoes, tomatoes, peppers or strawberries, as these crops may host soil fungus diseases such as Virticillium Wilt, which in turn may infect your newly planted strawberries.
Three 10ft. rows will accommodate 25 plants. Allow 3-4ft. between rows.
Raspberry and Blackberry Plants
Choose a sunny location with a deep loamy soil. Heavy silts and clay soils should be avoided because of poor growth and lower yields, or should be formed into raised beds to provide adequate drainage. Thoroughly till soil and eliminate perennial weeds. Soil pH should be 6.0-6.8 for best results.
Good drainage and an adequate supply of moisture are essential. It is not advisable to plant raspberries in ground where tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant or raspberries have previously grown; raspberries are susceptible to soil-borne diseases that these crops may carry.
A 25-30ft. row will accommodate 10 plants. Allow 8”-12” between rows.
Blueberry Plants
It is very important that Blueberries have a soil pH of 4.5-4.8, and they will perform best in a sunny, weed free location. For best production, at least 2 varieties should be planted for cross-pollination. Any combination of varieties will work.
A 10ft. row will accommodate 3 plants. Allow 8-12ft. between rows.
Currant and Gooseberry Plants
Select a sunny location, but avoid southern facing slopes since intense sun may injure the plants. Soil pH should be between 6.0-6.3.
For cross-pollination, it is recommended that 2 different varieties of black currants be planted.
A 10’ row will accommodate 3 plants. Allow 6ft. between rows.
Rhubarb
Rhubarb is very easy to grow! Select a sunny, weed free location and prepare your soil well. Soil pH should be 6.0-6.8.
A 6ft. row will accommodate 3 plants. Allow 5-6ft. between rows.
Horseradish Roots
A few roots will last a lifetime! Select a sunny, weed free location and balance soil pH to 6.2-6.7.
Horseradish is an extremely vigorous plant and given a small amount of attention, will flourish in most any garden situation.
A 4ft. row will accommodate 5 plants. Allow 3ft. between rows.
Sandra Berry Vine
This vine will grow well in sandy or clay soil, as long as it is well drained. Young plants (1-3yrs.) need protection from the sun. Older plants prefer full sun, but will grow fine in sun or shade. Sandra Berry Vines require a pole, trellis or wall to climb. Soil pH should be 6.5-7.0.
Because plants may contain uneven percentages of male and females parts, 2 or more plants are recommended for best production.
A 7ft. row will accommodate 3 plants. Allow 8-12ft. between rows.