Prepping garden beds for the season

In many parts of the United States, Spring is the time for prepping garden beds for the season. Therefore, I thought it would be helpful to share a few tips for getting your garden beds ready for planting. My focus will primarily be on getting ready to plant vegetables in a clean garden bed. However, these steps are also beneficial for flower beds.

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Planning

The first step is to have a plan. Now, I usually do my planning well in advance of getting the beds ready. However, it’s worth mentioning. What do I mean when I say have a plan? Well, it’s about knowing what you are going to plant and where you are going to plant it. No matter how big or small your garden, a plan is helpful because it gets you organized.

A plan also helps me prioritize. I have 13 garden beds to prepare each year. Some beds will contain cool-season vegetables and others will contain warm-season vegetables. Knowing what’s going where helps me prioritize which beds to prep first.  

Inspection

Ok, so you have a plan. The next step is to take a walk around your garden. This will give you an idea of how much work there is to do to get the garden beds ready. Things to look for:

• Did you clean the beds at the end of the prior season? If not, is there old plant material that needs to be removed?
• Did you plant a cover crop? If so, incorporate that cover crop into the soil.
• Are weeds growing in your garden beds? Plan to dig up those weeds by hand. Yes, time-consuming but your soil will thank you (see tilling below).
• Do you need to add soil to any of your beds?
• Does anything within the garden require repair? For example, this year, I need to rewire my electric fence.

Depending upon the size of your garden, it might be handy to have a notebook with you as you walk around the garden.

Clean up

Now you are ready to clean up whatever was identified in the inspection step. The good news is that you can prioritize based on your plan. I usually start by planting cool-season vegetables in April. In late May or early June, I plant warm-season vegetables. To limit the amount of work, I start with only cleaning the beds in which I plant cool-season vegetables.

Clean up is hard work. Therefore, remember to take a 5-minute rest every 30 minutes and do a few stretches. Setting a timer on your cell phone can be helpful. At least it is for me. That 5-minute rest is very restorative. What a great feeling when you complete prepping your garden beds!

Tilling

Tilling is a popular topic these days. With the question being, to till or not to till. Well, I think there is a happy medium known as low till. But let me back up and explain tillage. Tillage is the process of agitating the soil by some mechanical means. Mechanical can be via hand tools such as broadforks, rakes, hoes, or shovels. In addition, mechanical methods such as rototilling and plowing.

Tillage impacts soil health. Soil is full of a dynamic array of microorganisms that include both bacteria and fungi. Too much tillage can weaken the ability of these microorganisms to do their work (improve the nutrient content of crops to enhance their resistance to disease).

The soil will be more productive the less we disturb these microorganisms. Therefore, no or low tillage is better for soil health. My approach is to use a tool called a broadfork (pictured above) to loosen and aerate the soil in each of my garden beds.

Soil Testing

Whatever the size of your garden (except container gardening), I recommend getting a soil test at the end of your first garden season. The soil test will provide the pH of the soil and indicate any amendments needed. Contact your County Extension Office for help in obtaining a soil test. The USDA’s interactive extension map will help you locate your state’s main extension office with a simple click on your state.

Organic Matter Application

When creating and maintaining a vegetable garden, the soil is the most important aspect. Having the right soil will create benefits not only for the plants you grow but also for the environment. One way to keep soil healthy is to apply a 2–3-inch layer of organic matter at least once a year. Here are three sources of organic matter:

• Compost is made by the decomposition of materials such as leaves, grass clippings, and vegetable scraps. Making your own compost saves on the cost of having to use fertilizer and reduces the amount of waste going to landfills.
• Cover crops are planted for soil improvement, not for harvest. Grains, grasses, and legumes are types of cover crops. ‘Green manure’ is another name for cover crops. Late summer/early fall is the most common time to plant.
• Manures supply plant nutrients such as Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P), and Potassium (K) and provide organic matter that conditions the soil. The most common type of manure for the home gardener is composted cow and poultry manure. Apply manures 2 weeks before you plant the bed, working the composted manure into the first few inches of soil. Never use fresh manure and never use manure from cats or dogs.

I make my own compost and have two compost piles. One pile I’m actively adding to and the second pile I use during the current season. Twice a year, I apply a 2-inch layer of compost to the beds in my garden. Once in the spring before planting and once in the fall after the beds are cleaned.

Special consideration

There is one type of soil conditioner that you should not apply to your garden. Soil conditioners that contain biosolid sludge. Biosolid sludge has been shown to contain a man-made chemical called PFAS or “forever chemicals” that aren’t good for you or the environment. Milorganite is an example of a product that contains biosolid sludge. Read the labels of any fertilizer or compost you purchase and look for the term “biosolid” or sewage sludge on the list of ingredients. If you see that, don’t purchase the product. Here is a link to more information on sewage sludge.

Garden Paths

Examine the paths between your garden beds to determine whether mulch needs to be applied. While it certainly isn’t required to mulch the paths, I like to do this to control weeds around the garden beds. Mulch paths with straw, wood chips, stones, cardboard, and/or leaves (to name a few).

Garden Tools

Last, but not least, make sure the various tools used in the garden are in good shape. Now, by tools, I don’t only mean hand tools, rakes, and shovels. Let’s look at additional garden tools.

• Containers for plants and flowers. Examine your containers. If you didn’t sterilize them at the end of last season, then do it now. Clean containers in a mixture of 9 parts water to one part bleach.
• Row covers are great for protecting plants from cooler temperatures and from pests. Check the condition of your row covers. While row covers last for a few years, they can get holes in the fabric. If there are holes, believe me, pests will find their way to your plants. Replace those covers that need replacing.
• Check out your plant supports. Are cages for tomatoes in good shape? How are your trellises for peas, beans, and cucumbers? Again, clean or replace whatever needs to be done.
• Examine your irrigation system. That includes hoses, sprinklers, soaker hoses, and drip irrigation. Just make sure everything is in good order.

Those are the most important considerations for prepping garden beds for planting. Next, the fun begins with establishing your plants in the garden. Good luck with your garden season. I wish you joy, fun, and a great harvest.

Additional Information

You may find these posts to be of interest as you plan your vegetable garden.

• Creating and maintaining an organic vegetable garden – Part One
• Creating and maintaining an organic vegetable garden – Part Two
• How to use floating row cover in your organic garden
• Managing garden pests with an integrated approach
• Companion planting for pest management in the vegetable garden
• Getting started with seeds, 4 secrets for successful seed starting
• Five pieces of planning advice for the vegetable gardener