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rotted manure, leaf mold, compost or humus.

3. Add fertilizer. Sprinkle a complete granular fertilizer over the entire bed, following rates recommended on the label. Mix in well.

4. Rake the bed smooth, removing any rocks that surface. Add any paths and a border to give a finished look and help keep the soil in place.

Preparing a new vegetable garden site

1. Remove weeds and rocks from the garden site. If necessary, use a spade to remove existing grass.

2. Spread a thick layer of compost or aged manure and granular fertilizer over the site and hoe in.

3. Rake the area smooth and form furrows for row plantings or build mounds with basins. Lay stones, bricks or planks for a path.

Seasonal tips

Autumn: Preparing

Plan your spring garden and, if possible, prepare the site before winter sets in. This will give the organic materials in the soil plenty of time to begin breaking down.

Spring: Preparing and sowing

If you did not prepare your bed in autumn, start preparing it as soon as the ground warms and the soil become friable (about the same time you start sowing most seeds indoors).

Summer: Maintaining

If plants do not appear to be growing well, test your soil and adjust by adding soil additives as needed.

If recent rains have made the soil soggy, hold off on preparing your planting site. You can do more harm than good if the soil is sticky and hard to work. Instead, let the soil dry to a crumbly consistency before mixing in any additives.

Once the soil has been worked and the bed is edged and in final form, water the area over several days and wait for the weeds to sprout. Then, with a minimum of trampling, pull out all the small weeds. This saves work later when the garden is planted, especially if you plant seeds.

Prevent weeds from growing in walkways or between plantings with weed matt fabric. This porous, lightweight material stops almost all weeds from sprouting. Lay out and pin the fabric down after you have prepared the site. Use a mulch to hide the material.

Learn more about this author, Janette Peel.
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