By Kitti Cooper
Special to Gulf Coast Media

Why should you think about your summer gardenduring our “winter”?

In the sunny Deep South, where the weather can betough and the soil is different in every backyard,there is a simple trick for better gardens — amendingthe soil. This means adding dark compost and darkamendments of soil to the dirt to make it better forplants. Let’s explore why this matters, especially in the South.

Amending soil with beneficial organic nutrients takes time for it to break down. When you add fertil-izer, compost, etc., to your garden, it is never an in-stant fix and needs time to absorb/spread by at leasta month. By amending your soil now, it makes yoursoils nutrients readily accessible by having time tobreak down and set in soil to provide all the nutrientsto your summer garden starts.

UNDERSTANDING SOIL FIXING:

It’s about making the soil healthier, richer in nutri-ents and better for plants. In the South, where thesoil can be sandy or red clay, fixing it is like a multi-vitamin to help plants grow.

GOOD FOR PLANT FOOD:

Southern soil is usually always lacking on nitrogenand nutrients. Fixing the soil helps add the right foodfor plants, making sure they get what they need togrow strong. Something more particular to our growzone is to understand that when temperatures areabove 90 degrees, nitrogen begins to deplete by 50%meaning that the 10-10-10 fertilizer you add to yourplants/trees above that 90 degree temp would actual-ly just be a 5-5-5. With our hot temperatures, this isalso why amending your soil yearly is even more im-portant.

BALANCING THE SOIL’S MOOD:

Soil has a mood called pH, and plants have prefer-ences.

On the coastal areas such as Baldwin County, oursoil tends to have a very low pH due to our sandy top-soil that is highly weather with our climate extremes.Add lime, which contains calcium (our main reasonfor blossom end rot on tomatoes), and magnesiumsuch as Epsom salt. Keep in mind its about adding theperfect mix; too much nitrogen can do more damagethan good stunting growth, only producing leaves butno fruit or kill the plant. Use compost or amendmentsto make it easy to not overfertilize, such as using asynthetic fertilizer.

I always suggest getting a soil test done prior toadding any compost or amendments. This can bedone by printing and following instructions by the Al-abama Extension office and mailing the sample. Allthe directions and information can be found at the Al-abama Extension office website.

HOME SOIL TESTING – RULE OF THUMB WHENUSING FRESH ANIMAL MANURE:

Birds such as chickens: Their manure needs to sitfor a year because it is what’s called “hot,” way toohigh of nitrogen.

Hooved animals such as cows or horses: Let theirmanure sit for three months to “cool” off, and it’s agreat source of compost because of their grass feddiet.

Rabbits: Their manure can be used instantly.

Worm castings, aka worm poop, is my go-to foramendments at our farm. It has great antifungalproperties, lots of micronutrients and is great at cor-recting almost all soil issues.

A happy healthy plant that is getting its multivita-mins will have a much better chance of fighting offdiseases, bouncing back from pest damage and sur-viving our wild weather.

Happy gardening! May your Christmas be fruitfuland your new year full. Cheers to a wonderful holidayseason from Cooper Farm!

There’s very little that is pretty about a garden in winter, unless it is covered with a blanket of pristine snow. Occasionally, a red cardinal will visit, giving the dreary scene a splash of color and a faint promise of spring. There’s also a rabbit that lives under the storage cottage and shows up at the kitchen door, as if to ask “What’s for lunch?”

Winter days however are a perfect time to begin planning ahead for the garden scene you hope to create when spring arrives. You have probably already perused the spring garden catalogs, giving you new ideas about the trees, flowers, or vegetables you hope to plant.

So, what can you do now to get the best results for your spring and summer garden?

Soil preparation is your first step toward having a successful show in your garden. That involves using natural ingredients and adding organic fertilizers. You may also want to shake up the earth with some tilling. This is also the time to plant bigger trees and shade plants. March is the perfect time to plant pansies. Mid to late April is the prime time to plant all other spring flowers.

If you are planning a vegetable garden, it’s crucial to have your soil tested. Veggie gardens thrive when the soil is mixed with mulch or mushroom compost. The County Extension office will test your soil, according to the Oklahoma State University Extension staff.

Another tip from the Extension Service is to map out your garden on graph paper before you start planting and remember to allow space for your plants to grow. Tulsa’s Southwood Nursery garden staff also suggests “Keep your garden simple, if you’re a novice gardener. Start small to avoid garden frustration.”

On a field trip to the Linnaeus Teaching Garden in Tulsa, our tour guide suggested: “Consider the size of garden appropriate for you. Gardens require maintenance. Don’t over-crowd. Space plants properly. Over time, this leads to excessive pruning and poor plant performance.”

Other tips included:

• Plan for all four seasons when choosing garden plants.

• Consider using native trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants, which thrive in hot weather.

• Pay attention to the garden’s traffic paths.

• Finally, enhance your garden with visual attractions — fountains, garden art, decorative pots or urns.

Micki J. Shelton is a Muskogee native and master gardener.

Nothing beats the taste of fresh produce picked right from the garden. A fresh homemade salad, a delicious side dish or toppings for a cheeseburger, garden-fresh produce is the best.

Novice gardeners who are contemplating installing a new vegetable garden this year should consider a number of factors, including site selection, removing existing vegetation and soil preparation.

When choosing a site for a garden, think about sun exposure, soil, air flow and water supply. A garden needs at least six hours of direct sunlight every day. Choose a site with southern exposure. Well-drained soil with a pH level of 6.6 is optimal for gardening success. Even though the garden is outdoors, air flow is important. Try to avoid choosing a site in a low-lying area because they tend to collect cold air which slows germination and plant development in the spring.

Something else to consider is choosing a site away from any established trees and shrubs, especially walnut trees. Walnuts exude a substance called juglone from their roots which is allelopathic, meaning it can kill other plants. Tomatoes and other solanaceous plants are highly sensitive to juglone.

We know natural irrigation isn’t a sure thing in Oklahoma, so be sure to locate the new garden close to a water source.

With a new garden site, it’s important to start with a clean slate by removing existing vegetation and controlling weeds. Ideally this should be done the summer prior to planting, but it’s not too late. Chemical methods such as applying herbicides will get rid of vegetation, but also consider non-chemical methods such as solarization and smothering. Solarization is a simple technique that captures radiant heat energy from the sun and uses that heat to kill seedlings and weed seeds, along with some soil-borne disease organisms. Solarization can also be combined with the application of soil amendments and fertilizers. In fact, solarization can speed up decomposition of organic matter, releasing soluble nutrients into the soil. To smother weeds, cover the soil with black plastic or several layers of newspaper, cardboard or carpet.

Whatever method is used, it is ideal to control perennial weeds before establishing a new garden. It will be much easier to manage them before the area is planted with vegetables.

Once the vegetation is removed, till the soil to loosen it. This is a good time to enrich the soil by adding manure or other organic material. It’s a good idea to do a soil test as part of your garden preparation. It is easier to amend soils and add nutrients before planting, rather than after. Soil tests collect information on soil nutrients and pH.

The proper way to collect soil samples is available online in this Oklahoma State University Extension publication, Soil Testing … The Right First Step.

Soil sample bags are available at your local OSU Extension county office, where soil samples may also be submitted. The samples are sent to the OSU Soil, Water, and Forage Analytical Laboratory for testing. Tests cost $10 each and evaluate soil pH, nitrate nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium contents. You can also request micronutrient tests as well as organic matter content and other specific tests. Test results include fertilizer recommendations specific to the type of vegetation growing on the site. Be sure to mark the proper space on the sample label indicating the type of area sampled, such as turf or garden.

David Hillock is a consumer horticulturalist with Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension.

A environment friendly and healthy way of gardening. Organic Gardening is away of gardening in harmony with nature. Growing a healthy and productive crop in a way that is healthier for both you and the environment [http://www.organicheirloomgardening.com/waterandsoil.html].

John Yazo

[http://www.organicheirloomgardening.com]