What is the most easiest way to prepare land (which hasn't been used for long time) for planting?
Question:we bought house in sydney with big front & back yard.the land is so hard.I want to do some landscaping.How much does it cost for professional landsacping service?I am on a tight budget.can some body give me idea about hiring equipment for planting.How should I prepare bed for gardening?
Answers:
I am a sort of "Natural" gardener and here's what I've done to prepare my garden beds: First of all, I do not dig out the sod in the area. I cover it with black plastic (if it is in the spring or summer) or start adding layers of organic matter and let it all cook and rot over the fall and winter..
I use shredded paper, peanut shells, worm castings, kelp,
hamster cage bedding that is 100% pine, leaf mulch and about 7 layers of newspaper on top. Wet everything down well and leave it over the winter.
In the Spring or summer I'd do the same as above EXCEPT leave out the newspaper layering because you are going to want to work the soil immediately... You can also use sawdust instead of the hamster bedding but it can only be from raw, natural wood, no varnish, no paint.
Purchase a Garden Claw at your local home improvement store or check online at Target.com or Kmart.com. This will be the most useful tool you'll ever use and it saves time and your back!!
Till the soil with your Garden Claw and keep wetting it down each day.
Before planting, buy a 40lb. bag of Milorganite, some bags of sterilized compost and manure (enough to add about a 2 inch cover of the area), and a block of Canadian peat. Layer the compost and manure and peat into the soil. Now you are ready to plant. After planting liberally spread some Milorganite over entire garden. Use the Milorganite every month. Make sure you seal the bag up tight if you do not use it all. It will decompose fast and smell bad. (Use the remainder of the Milorganite around trees, on your lawn, anywhere. It will not burn anything and breaks down quickly.
Lastly, go to a Sporting Goods store that sells bait and buy some red worms. Toss them into your garden. They will happily help break down the organic matter and add some of their own!
Worm castings can be found at local hardware stores. I've only been able to find kelp at GardensAlive.com...
Good luck and enjoy your garden! It will be a very rewarding experience...
The earth sounds like it is clay soil for it to be that hard. The day before water it for with a sprinkler for 15 min. the next day check and make sure the earth is not sticky..taht is when you dig into it the crumbles away from the shovel the rent or use a tiller to loosen the earth. Then add lots and lots of ammendment and stur it up with the earth so it is light and fluffy. Then mix in fertlizer and then plant.
I don't know about professional service but once you've mowed your law take the dead grass clippings put it on the soil and till it in the ground.
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