Southern Gardening Guide

Spruce up your garden with fresh ideas and simple how-tos

Raise Your Own Veggies

How to start your own vegetable garden right in your own back yard.

  • Share
  • Yahoo BuzzFacebookTwitterDigg
  • |
  • Print
  • |
  • Email
  • |
  • Add Comment
  • |
Text size:AAA
Building Blocks
Van Chaplin

Building Blocks

“Good soil is the key to a great garden,” says Gene. “If you think you’re going to get serious, save room for at least two compost bins.” Gene adds organic matter to his garden twice a year―in the spring and fall―and amends each time he starts transplants. Dark and rich, the results are visible to the eye.

Good soil can be made even better and bad soil can be improved when you add organic matter. Make your own compost, or purchase it by the bag, as Gene often does. Surprisingly, he’s not picky about what he adds. “Decomposed chicken manure gave me some of the best tomatoes and lettuces I’ve ever had,” he professes.

NextTest Your Soil

Seasonal Crops

Previous Slide Seasonal Crops

Test Your Soil

Next Slide Test Your Soil

4 of 14
Building Blocks

  • Loading comments...

Add your comment

The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.

500 characters remaining

Southern Living > To Go
  • Subscribe
  • Give a Gift
  • Newsletters
  • House Plans
Add Southern Living to:
My Yahoo! My Google My MSN My AOL

Advertisement



Most Popular > Southern Living
1
20 Spring Desserts

These delightful sweets are a tasteful final touch for your spring celebration.

Heavenly Angel Food Cake