| Fencing and Soil Amendments |
| Maureen Gilmer installs Victorian-inspired fencing to the space and adds a variety of amendments to the soil. |
From "Weekend Gardening"
episode WKG-404 |
|
|
Six hours into its rehabilitation, this garden space is getting a new lease on life: old vegetation and fencing have been removed, and the soil has been tilled in preparation for the addition of amendments.
Time spent so far: 6 hours.1. Victorian-inspired fencing with an arched top is used to define and protect the garden. The density at the lower part of the fence acts as a guard to protect the garden from small animals (figure A). 2. The fencing is installed flush with the soil line; prongs on the base of this type of fencing should be pushed into the soil to further secure the fence (figure B).
With the fence in place, Maureen turns her attention to the soil.- One of the basic components of organic gardening is manure that has been composted and sterilized. Along with being one of the cheapest amendments available to organic gardeners, amendments in the manure help the structure of the soil, keeping it loose and friable (figure C).
- Chicken or poultry manure is also available as an amendment. Because it's a slightly "hotter" amendment there's more of a chance of overamending the soil since the fertility in one bag of chicken manure is roughly equivalent to five bags of steer manure.
- Organic compost is now easily available to the gardener. Woody content in the compost is excellent for opening up clay soil. The woody materials don't break down so fast, and because they hold soil particles apart, letting water and nutrients through the soil, they help plants to thrive (figure D).
| 
)
)
)
)
