I'm a first-year gardener based in far north Texas (zone 8a), and I'm feeling pretty down about my gardening results. Despite starting with plants that looked healthy, they ended up producing very little. I built two 6x3 raised beds with what I thought was good soil, but it looks like I've run into several problems: my soil is overly alkaline, it's become too compacted, I may not be fertilizing enough, and, well, I might just be missing the mark on this gardening thing. Before I plant my fall crops, which include onions, carrots, and garlic, I want to address these soil issues. Here's what I'm thinking of doing: add peat moss for aeration, elemental sulfur to reduce the alkalinity, rabbit manure for nutrients, and mulch heavily with fallen leaves. Will this approach actually help improve my soil? I'm trying to convince myself (and my husband, who's been a bit judgmental about my investment in the garden) that I'm not failing here. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
2 Answers
As a natural market gardener, it’s not uncommon for raised beds to feel compacted, but it usually takes real heavy traffic to create serious compaction. What you're experiencing likely leans more towards a pH issue with your alkaline soil. My advice is to get some organic compost because it naturally acidifies as it decomposes. Try mixing in a good finished compost, and then top-dress with a few inches of it. It’s also a good idea to consider both well-rotted manure and cover crops to add nutrients and improve soil structure. If it's still warm where you are, water it in well and let it rest over winter. Things should be looking up by spring!
Hey, we’re all in this together, and your husband should relax! Gardening is all about trial and error; no one gets it right every time. You mentioned having issues like drainage and sunlight. What did you actually grow? It sounds like you’ve had mixed results. Last year, I saw both successes and failures in my own garden. I highly suggest adding some worm castings or a good compost product; it really helped my soil. And don’t worry about the rabbit manure being slow to decompose; it’s better to focus on something like well-rotted sheep manure as a quicker fix. Keep it up, and don't let a tough first year discourage you!
I tried growing tomatoes, zucchini, and bell peppers but had very little yield. The tomatoes didn't produce much and the zucchini got attacked by borers. Drainage was an issue too, but I’ve made adjustments for the next round!