Planning the Community Patch - Location and Tools

I choose my plot in the lottery on Thursday -- Plot #72.  My guess is I will be hauling water a distance for this location, but I wanted the most sun and the least possibility of competition with trees and the plots on this side of the garden were going to give me that.

That reminded me of something I read on University of Illinois Cooperative Extension website about prepping to garden, so I went to find the article and here are some details that I I found useful and that I will also be implementing on this garden plot.

Location

Choosing a location for your garden is the most important step in the garden planning process. Vegetables need at least 6-8 hours of sunlight for best growth. Leafy vegetables like spinach and lettuce will grow with less sunlight. Herbs need the same amount of light so to grow both together is a good plan.  Select a location as far away as possible from trees and shrubs. The roots of nearby trees and shrubs will rob your vegetables of needed nutrients and water. Good soil with good drainage is needed. Try to have your soil tested if you are unsure of its makeup.  The UofI has a list of possible places you can send a soil sample for testing.  Check them out. 

I do a quick soil test by scooping out a shovel full of soil, about 3 inches below the surface, just a hand shovel depth full.  Place it in a jar 2/3 full of distilled water.  Shake vigorously and allow it to settle.  When it settles (this takes about 24 hours) you will have a visual representation of the makeup of your soil.  A loamy soil will have large heavy items that will settle to the bottom; medium weight aggregate that will settle next; sand that will settle out sometimes with the medium weight; then fine particles which will settle last.  Organic materials will stay floating near or on the top of the water.  

You should strive for an equal mix of the bottom two layers and a thin layer of silt or clay at the top.  If you have too much large heavy matter, then you have rocky soil that will lose moisture quickly.  If you have a high volume of fine particles you will have a clay soil that will retain moisture and have very few pockets of air.  Plants will struggle in that type of soil. Organic matter means the soil is alive and will have more nutrients. A professional soil test is going to help you with those more invisible items in the soil like nutrients and pH levels.  With the results of these two tests you can augment the soil as needed.

Basic Tools

You need to have a selection of basic tools to work your garden.  Fancy is not really required and you can use salvaged and recycled materials for some of the items you need.  For more info on tools, check out the Villa Park Men's Garden Club Website.

1. Hoe: Great for weeding, covering seeds and chopping up the soil.
2. Rake: Used to prepare the seedbed and to break-up large clods of soil. And smooth the mulch, especially after a heavy rain.  Mulch is kinda mobile.
3. Spade: Used to dig up the garden in preparation for planting and for adding organic matter to the soil. 
4. Trowel: Used for digging holes for transplants and breaking up the soil around plants. 
5. Ruler: You can get a school tool plastic ruler or you can cut or mark items you will use around the garden.  I have my rake marked at 6 inch intervals so I can lay it next to a row of plants and get proper spacing without having to carry a ruler too. 
6. Labels:  Each plant should have a label with the name of the vegetable and the date seeded or planted on it.  You can use tongue depressors, popsicle sticks, cut strips of plastic milk cartons, or .  You can also buy metal markers, but something disposable is less work and you don’t have to store it during the winter.  You can write on them with a Sharpie Marker.