Planting a Garden

PPT. by, Robin D. Seamon

What are things you need to do to start and keep a garden?

1.Layout

2.Protection

3.Soil

4.Weed & Water

5. Fertilizer

6. Harvest

Layout:

•Sun comes up in the East & sets in the West. Plant your garden so that it gets the most sun.

•Put taller plants towards the back

•Put those that need the most water together & those who can use less water together

•Add some herbs & pretty flowers!

Protection: Insects & other animals will love your garden too so you need to protect it. Herbivores: animals that eat plants

Rabbit, deer, turtle, raccoon, mole, vole, aphids, beetles, weevils, crows,

•Pesticide: chemical that kills or repels herbivores; dangerous poison

•Things that ‘smell’ human/dangerous: soap, hair, old hose, marigolds

•Things that make noise or move: pie tin, hang shiny ribbons

•Fences: bury a fence, fence around perimeter

•Scarecrow: looks human!

Water Schedule:

•Plants need plenty of water BUT:

•Too much water will give the plant root rot & it will die.

•Too little water will dry out the plant; it can wilt, die, or produce few fruits & vegetables

•Make a schedule: 2-3 times a week to water during the hot summer

•Mulch to keep soil from drying out

Weed schedule: Weed weekly because weeds grow fast and take your plants’ nutrients, water,& sunlight space.

• Chemical treatment: using an herbicide to kill unwanted weeds (Round-up); dangerous poisons

• Organic treatment:

1.hand weed once each week.

2.Spiders, ladybugs, praying mantis, earthworms

SOIL:

P: Phosphorous (root growth)

N: Nitrogen (green)

K: Potassium (flower)

PH: soil acidity or alkalinity

0------------7--------------14

Acid Neutral Alkaline

Acid Acid up down

Sulfur calcium

Aluminum limesulfate

http://www.biconet.com/testing/GIFs/st-t2.jpg

Color: tell us soil history, fertility, content

Horizon profile: layers

Infiltration: how well does water flow through? (sand=easy, loam=spongy, clay=hard)

Temperature: different seeds need different temperatures to germinate (warm, cool)

Structure: what is IN the soil?

Texture: tells us the sand, silt, clay ratio

http://susty.com/image/soil-cross-section-side-by-side-carbon-rich-depleted-eroded-earth-rust-colored-deep-black-grass-photo.jpg

CL, o, r, p, t

Cl: climate

O: organisms living in it (earthworms, fungus, microbes

R: relief, slope of the land (think erosion & deposistion)

P: parent material (decayed material: plants/animals; compost; rocks)

T: time (young, old soils)

http://www.hylandseeds.com/images/soil%20photo.jpg

SOIL COLOR:

Red: iron oxides (rust)

Grey: elevated water tables & reduced iron

Black: organic material, manganese, iron sulfides

White: carbonate or salts

Yellow: goethite (type of iron) or pure sulfur (rare)

Fertilizer: puts nutrients into the soil for plants

• Chemical fertilizer: man-made mixture of important nutrients (like in Miracle Gro)

1. (K) Potassium (helps flowering)

2. (P) Phosphorous (helps growth)

3. (N) Nitrogen (helps plant stay green)

• Organic fertilizer: using a mixture of decayed plant and animal matter to supply needed nutrients

1.Make a compost pile: pile up plant & food scraps (not milk or meat!!)… all things that decay.

2.Use manure

Harvest: gathering of the fruits & vegetables when they are ripe.

• Different plants are mature at different times of the year. Know when each is ready to harvest:

• Harvest Schedule LINK

LAB Activity: Design a garden using these plants. Remember to think about layout, pest-protection, fertilizer, weed & water schedule, & harvest times.

8 tomato plants (stakes & ties)

16 corn seeds

3 squash plants (mound)

4 cucumber plants (vine)

12 carrot seeds

4 cabbage plants

6 legumes (peas/beans… bush or vine)

bean

cabbage

corn

tomato

carrot

cucumbersquash

1. Chlorophyll absorbs light from the sun

2. Sun’s energy splits water molecule into hydrogen & oxygen

3. Hydrogen joins carbon dioxide to make food (sugar/glucose)

4. Sugar carried through the plant; oxygen is released into the air

H2O O2CO2 =+ + C6 H12 O26 6 6