How to Start an Organic Garden With Deer Fence
Healthy, nutrient-rich organic soil is the most important factor in growing a vigorous, prolific garden. Building up garden soil is a time-consuming process, sometimes taking several years until a garden plot is considered to have reached its full potential. If you are just starting an organic home garden or converting an existing garden plot to organic farming methods, in addition to establishing a fence or barrier to keep out deer and wildlife, soil enhancement will have the greatest effect on the quality of your harvest. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Garden gloves
- Shovel
- Rake
- Garden tiller or tractor
- Organic compost
- Organic Mulch
- Black plastic sheeting
Instructions
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Choose a full sun, well drained location for your garden plot. If you are starting a new garden choose virgin soil that has not been previously treated with chemicals. Clear the area, and till. Remove all weeds, rocks and roots. Till again to a depth of 18 inches, breaking up all dirt clods. (Some gardeners elect to build raised garden beds and fill them with purchased organic soil.)
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Amend the soil with organic compost or organic mulch. Straw, dried leaves and grass clippings, shredded newspaper, aged non-treated sawdust and coffee grounds and peat moss can be used for this purpose. Add enough compost, mulch or aged manure from herbivores (cows, horses, lamas, goats and sheep) to change the soil composition until it is approximately one-third compost. Cultivate and till well.
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Get rid of all the chemicals, pesticides, herbicides and commercial fertilizers in your garden shed. They contain noxious toxins that you do not want to feed your family. Organic gardening uses only naturally occurring materials. There are many benefits of adding organic matter or compost to amend the soil. The soil condition, and structure of soil is improved, organic soil provides better aeration and soil temperatures. Organic soil supports beneficial living microorganisms, improves the ability of the soil to hold water and nutrients and buffers the soil from chemical imbalances.
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Select fruit and vegetable varieties with the best insect and disease resistance. Select early maturing crops. The sooner plants mature and produce, the less time insects and diseases have to damage the plants. Late season vegetables are more prone to pest infestations, mildew and disease. Deer are more likely to dine on your vegetables later in the season when there is not as much wild fresh greenery available.
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Plant sage and marigolds throughout the garden to ward off many insect pests. Planting dill attracts the tomato hornworm so plant tomatoes at a considerable distance from dill plants. Some plants fare best when planted together. Consider these combinations: beans-potatoes; cauliflower-spinach; carrots-peas; corn-cucumbers; turnips-peas; beets-cabbage; beets-kohlrabi; spinach-eggplant and corn-beans.
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Watch out for deer, birds and other wildlife that like to nibble on your garden. Deer can jump an amazingly tall fence. Deer fences, wire cages, netting and natural deterrents may be required to protect your harvest. Sprinkle cayenne pepper on the soil to repel pests. Purchase predator scents from carnivores at your local hunting supply store. Sprinkle around the outside perimeter of the garden to frighten away deer.
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Put the garden to sleep for the winter. Just leave all dead and dying plants, clippings and rotted or damaged fruits and vegetables in the garden. Cover with a 12- to 18-inch layer of compost, manure and organic mulch. Cover the entire garden with a layer of heavy, black plastic sheeting. Weigh down the plastic with rocks or wooden planks. In the spring, till this decomposing organic material into the soil.
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Tips & Warnings
Manure used on the garden should be well aged, at least a year or more. Green manure contains a high concentration of ammonia which will burn roots on tender, young garden plants.
