Top Tips
Planning
Vegetable gardening requires good and careful planning like any other job. Use proper spacing between plants for good air circulat...
| Gardening in a Small Space
Using space efficiently in a small garden takes a little extra planning. First, try to plant space-efficient and continuous-bearin...
efficient | Beans
If you plant in mid- to late spring, beans continue to set through most of the summer if you keep picking them. For best flavor, p...
|
Biodynamics
(anthroposophy, holistic, Rudolf Steiner)Based on the work of Rudolf Steiner, also known as anthroposophy, it is an holistic approach to agriculture. Lunar cycles are used to decide when to sow and plant.
pH
(Acid, Alkaline.)This a scale indicating whether your
soil is acid (low
pH) or alkaline (high
pH). Most soils fall between 4-8. Acid has the ranking 1-7, but
soil is called acid below 6.5; Alkaline is 7-14 but
soil is called alkaline above 7.3. The scale is logarithmic, so a figure differs by ten times the next value on the scale.
Plants are sensitive to
pH with veg liking
soil that is 6.5-7, and fruit like 6-6.5. Plants that like acid conditions (Blueberry, rhododendron, Camellia, Azalea, Magnolia) will tolerate to 5.5 or 4.5, plants that tolerate calcium (Clematis, Dianthus, Scabious, Viburnun, Brassicas) will grow in
soil up to 8.
You can use all sorts of test equipment to see what
soil you have, and it can vary within the garden.
Plants that are not happy in a
soil will not grow, so look around to see what grows for an initial assessment of your
soil type.
Worms do not like an acid
soil.