Preparing the Patch

While we wait for the weather to warm up and our greenhouse seedlings to be strong enough to plant, there is still a lot to do to prepare the patch. Well prepared soil is necessary for a successful harvest!

Firstly, remove any weeds, unwanted or overgrown plants from your patch, roots, and all. You don’t want anything that will compete against your new young seedlings for water and nutrients. My mint always gets a firm cut back at this time and I will also harvest any remaining Winter crops.

If you are an owner of backyard chickens, this is also a great time to put them to work in the patch for you! If you can confine them to an area that needs work (and you don’t have any other plants that they will destroy) they will do an excellent job at scratching up the soil, removing weeds and naturally fertilising for you with their poop! Most crops do well with a bit of aged chicken manure mixed through the soil at least 1-2 weeks before planting.

If you don’t have chickens, time to get to work yourself, turning the soil and breaking it up with a garden fork or spade. At the same time, mix through some fresh organic vegetable mix or home-made compost.

Finally, make sure you also give the soil a good watering after adding compost and manure. It’s almost time to get planting!