Building a Better Garden with
Less Effort
Ted Lambert, Moira Weldon, Lee Royer
College of
Agriculture and
Natural Resources
Are You Happy W/ Your Garden
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Did it produce the volume you wanted?
Did veggies taste better than store bought?
Did they look perfect?
Was your garden more work then you
thought?
• Did it get taken over by weeds?
• Any watering issues?
Ingredients For First Year Success
• Good, deep soil; add organic matter
• Give your plants the nutrients, water,
and sunlight they need
• Prevent weeds from growing
• Give it a little time each day
• Realize that a perfect harvest is a dream
• ENJOY!
1st Things 1st
• Cleanliness is very important here
• Diseases and insects like to over winter in
plant litter!!!!
• Completely remove all questionable material
• Remove old mulch
• Allow soil to breathe for a few days
• Soil test every 3 years
Testing the Soil
• Well-drained (drainage test)
• Friable - deep, crumbly; allows for maximum root
growth. (squeeze test)
• Test your soil; 6.0-6.8 is preferred pH range!!!
• Good soil test can actually save you money!
• Urban/suburban soils are often low quality soils
• pH must be corrected for healthy plants
Soil Gets Little Respect
• Soil is often an after thought
• It gets compacted when driven on, walked on
and over watered
• It’s left uncovered; there is never bare soil in
nature
• Remember It supports all plant life which in
turns supports animals and of course us
Who Has Ideal Soil
• Not most gardeners!
• Fortunately almost any soil can be made
suitable for a vegetable garden
• At least on a backyard scale
Ideal soil has by volume, half solid matter, half pore
space, with half those pores filled with water.
Mixed organic matter plays an important role.
It glues together small minerals and acts like a
sponge to hold water.
Improving the Soil with
Organic Matter!!
• Regular additions of organic matter will improve soil
structure and create a reservoir of slow-release nutrients
• Sources: manure, compost, shredded leaves, grass
clippings, organic mulches, plant roots, cover crops, buried
kitchen scraps, barn leavings etc.
• Maple leaves break down quickly; oak leaves slowly
decompose
• Large amounts of organic matter may be needed for
several years
“To Till or Not to Till” or Rototillitis
•Benefits of a rototiller:
–great for turning under cover crops, residues, manure
–makes soil loose and weed-free for planting
–can disrupt pest populations in the soil
•Potential problems:
–damaged soil structure
–soil compaction if machine is over-used
–disruption of soil food web
–freshly tilled soil is prone to erosion
–“burns up” organic matter faster
–brings weed seeds to the surface
–extra work
Permanent cover, no compaction, no tillage =
conditions that plants have grown in for eons!!
No Dig and Other Low Effort Gardens
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Lasagna Gardening
Ruth Stout Gardening
“Weedless” Gardening
Square foot Gardening
Instant Gardening
Sheet/Lasagna Compost Your Way to a Fast
Vegetable Garden!
Layer It All In
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If starting a new garden don’t remove sod
Lay cardboard or newspaper down first
2 to 4 inches of leaves, straw (brown matter)
2 to 4 inches of grass clippings (green matter)
Pile it high up (16 inches or more)
Mix in peat moss, kitchen scraps, compost,
manure, etc.
• Cover it in black plastic, poke it, and let it cook all
winter!!!
Raised Beds
some advantages…
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Warm up quickly in the spring
Drain well; less compaction and erosion
Increases rooting depth
Can produce
greater yields per
square foot
• Use fewer
amendments
Are these raised beds?
Develop a Mulch Mentality
• Straw, leaves, grass clippings, wood chips, peat moss,
newspaper, cardboard, etc.
• Plastic, rocks, rubber, etc.
• 2 to 8 inches plus
• No bare soil
• Cover crops?
• Moderates soil temperatures
• Some mulches may confuse pests
• A good layer of mulch=LESS WEEDS
What Else Do You Need
• Sun light plants will do there best with 6 to 8
hours
• Water ideally at base of plant (soaker hoses or
drip lines)
• Keep a look out for insects and diseases
My Garden May/August
Oops!! Garden Mistakes
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Letting weeds go to seed
Over-fertilizing
Saving seeds from hybrid plants
Planting too closely together
Buying plants already in bloom, fruiting or
root bound
• All work and no relaxation makes gardening a
chore!
Resources
• Grow It! Eat It!
http://www.extension.umd.edu/growit
– We have all types of practical food gardening tips and
information. Check out our popular blog!
• Home and Garden Information Center
http://www.extension.umd.edu/hgic
– Here you will find factsheets, photos, and videos. You
can also subscribe to the free monthly e-newsletter.
– We answer gardening questions 24/7…just click
“Ask Maryland’s Garden Experts”
• Maryland Master Gardener Program
http://www.extension.umd.edu/mg
– Consider becoming a trained MG volunteer!
Thank You!
Please take a few minutes to complete a
short survey for today’s class.
Good luck with your garden.
Equal Opportunity Employer/ Equal Access Programs
This program was brought to you by the
Maryland Master Gardener Program
Frederick County
University of Maryland Extension
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