My wife and I would like to plant a garden.

This is our first time, so we are keeping the project small. We would like to grow tomato, okra, and squash.

Probably a touch late, but we are starting our tomatoes indoors tomorrow.

Here is the plan. Please fill me in on anything that needs pointing out.

Soil is very sandy. I can redo the jar test if needed. I misplaced my pics from before.

I plan on tilling in compost. Not sure how much, or how deep is best, so that info would be appreciated.

Also, here is my soil test from late 2010. What should I do for lime?

Also, I would like to organically feed this garden, too. What do you guys use?

Can't wait to get this going!!! Thank you for your help!!!

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Michael, if this is your first shot at gardening and you'd like to learn a bit about soil and OM and compost, you might want to look into the concepts behind "square foot gardening". You'll learn a ton, it is very organizing and it works.

I doubt it is too late to start tomatoes from seeds. Depends on where you live. If you are in Florida , Gulf Coast, Southern NM, AZ or CA a little late but not for most. Tomato seeds take 6 to 8 weeks before you can set outside in planters to harden off, then it takes a week or two to harden them off before transplanting into the beds. You do not even want to transplant until all threats of even a light frost have past. That is mid April to late May for most depending on area.

What soil test?


OK on the compost note th every first thing is make double darn sure it is fully rotted and composted. In other words fully cooked and well done. So much of the store bought stuff is far from finished with with raw manure in it which is breeding plant diseases. Nothing more upsetting to set out all your plants to have them die shortly of some dang disease.

OK when it comes to good compost there is really no such thing as too much. 4 to 6 inches tilled in down to 12 inches is a good place to start. Repeat each season. What I do is each fall after the garden is done, i plant a a green manure crop, Hairy Vetch and let it grow all winter. In mid to late January I smother it with compost. About two weeks before planting turn it over with a fork and it is ready to go. I do not till as it does damage soil texture, but OK to till for the first year or two until the soil is built up with OM.

Since you are talking small. I suggest you read up on and examine raised beds and square foot gardening. Works extremely well for Tomatoes and Okra, plus a whole lot of other veggies. Not so much for squash. FWIW Squash and melons take up a lot of space as they are a vine that grows along the ground.

As for organic fertilizers, there are a ton of them for veggies. However if you are using a lot of compost as suggested, you really do not have to worry about fertilizer so much. One thing to be real careful with tomatoes is do not push a lot of nitrogen on them. If you do all you get is one great big bushy plant and wonder where the tomatoes went. Typically all I do is use no nitrogen fertilizer until the plant sets it first round of fruit. Then i just put 1 T of 10-10-10 around the base, and that is it for the year. If you want to do something special for the mators, when you plant them add a 1 T of Epsom Salt, 1 dried Banana Peel, and a few match heads in the planting hole. Then after they are well established mix 1 T of Epsom Salt, Daconil to label instructions per gallon of water, and 1 T of baby shampoo and give the plants a good misting once a week.

Michael Wise wrote:Probably a touch late, but we are starting our tomatoes indoors tomorrow.

Yeah, no, maybe.
Start tomatoes 6 to 7 weeks before your average last frost date.

Germinate in a warmer temperature (top of the ice box), pot up and then keep the seedlings on the cooler side (garage or porch) so that they get stout and bushy. Maintain 18 hours per day of artificial light.

Sorry folks. Totally forgot to paste the soil test link.

Thanks for all the info. Now I don't feel like I was as far off as I thought I was.

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After reading some Arkansas U ag. info, I think I will wait 'til the first or second week of Feb. before I start the tomatoes.

At least I wasn't late.

I'm going to check out our local counties compost program. $25 a ton.

Is smell a reliable indicator of compost readiness?

Or maybe I should stick to a reliable garden center until I know what I'm looking at for real.

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Thank you very much, Morph.

And everyone else, as well.

I'm going to take pics from the beginning to end. Success or failure.

Wish I had documented my lawn better, so I will make sure to document this for future reference.

Lucky me has a friend in the neighborhood that I talk to from time to time when I walk the dog. Saw him yesterday and he shared with me a very detailed journal of planting times, conditions, and results of those for a variety of vegetables. Nice help for a newb.

He was the one that told me about the county compost program.

He has had good luck with it in the past, but I still want to know for myself that it is done.

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Michael Wise wrote: Lucky me has a friend in the neighborhood that I talk to from time to time when I walk the dog. Saw him yesterday and he shared with me a very detailed journal of planting times, conditions, and results of those for a variety of vegetables. Nice help for a newb.

That *IS* a person to make friends with!

Gardener's will help other gardeners ... share secrets to their success. Ask this person which variety of tomato they have had their best crop with. Ask about taste, sweetness, tartness, less juice/more meat, things that you like and want from a tomato. Ask about production, which ones they have never had any luck with .... ask about their experiences with both heirlooms and hybrids in your climate.

And chances are, once you show interest, this person might share some seeds with you, (if they save their seeds)

Good luck, Mike!

Well if you are in Arkansas unless you live Southeast of of Little Rock (sorry about that if you do) you do not want to set out mators until tax day or later. If you are up in NW AR around Uncle Wallyville then May 1.

So ole TW is familiar with Pine Bluff and the surrounding parts. The armpit of Arkansas.

I'm closer to Little Rock, thank God. Technically Hensley, but about 1000 feet from Little Rock zip code.

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Michael Wise wrote:So ole TW is familiar with Pine Bluff and the surrounding parts.

Unfortunately you are correct, I spent a lifetime there one week. If you are around LR I would not set out any plants until tax time. so you still have 10 weeks or so.

Since I'm one of dem suthern, thawed out folk, I'm planning on sending off soil for analysis next week.

Is it OK to till in the compost and then take the sample? Or should I just send a sample before I do ANYTHING to the soil?

I don't know if this is a legitimate concern, but I thought I should check anyway. I'm not too proud to sound dumb.

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Sample BEFORE doing any amending to the soil. When you get the results, you go from there.

(ya wouldn't take high pressure medicine unless the Dr. checked you first, right?)

Thank you, Gary.

I don't know why I considered compost any different than lime or other nutrients that I wouldn't want to add on a whim.

I appreciate the help.

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