GardenHacker:
not your typical seedy site...

Planning is Everything

Planning is essential for all hacks. Seems counter-hack, doesn't it? Hacks are often off-the-cuff quick little things you do to get things done in the shortest amount of time, but planning can take only a short while, giving you a roadmap to implement several hacks that save you lots of time. Unhacking a hack is a counter-hack, I guess... Well, anyway:

• From the Oregon State University Extension Service, a great overview with this great oversight: "... Air Drainage: Air drainage is very important and often overlooked. Because cold air is colder and denser than warm air, it flows like water down gullies and valleys. This cold air dams up behind obstacles and settles in low spots. ..." Full PDF
• Rutgers University has a nice capsule for planning your garden, with a lot of basic information, including the real estate basic - location location location, and "...Once you've decided where the garden will go, it's time to choose which vegetables to grow. First, make a list of those vegetables you like. Next, put a plan down on paper. This will help you make the best use of space and will save time when planting by showing you exactly where to place your seeds and transplants. The plan should include the following information: garden size, space between rows and within rows, crops and varieties, planting dates, seeded crops, and transplanted crops. ..." PDF available as well in the upper left hand corner. Link to "Planning a Vegetable Garden"
• From GardenWeb.com, an easy assessment of soil conditions, and what to do with them "...The three main constituents of soil are sand, silt and clay. Sand has the largest particles and clay has the smallest, which is why it packs so tightly together. Silt particles are of intermediate size. An ideal garden soil, or loam, would be about 40% sand, 40% silt and 20% clay. The easiest way to see what type of soil you have is to dig a few holes and take some samples. There are a number of simple tests you can do to determine the composition of soil. One method is to take a fistful of soil and squeeze it into a ball. If it is unable to hold its shape, your soil is probably too loose, or sandy. Now try to break the ball apart by pressing on it with your thumb. A good soil will break apart readily; if not, you probably have too much clay in your soil. Another method is to take a couple of cups of soil and put them in a half-gallon jar half filled with water. Agitate the mixture until all the soil is in suspension and then let it settle overnight. The next day you will see that three distinct layers have formed: sand at the bottom, then the silt and at the top a layer of clay. ..." Link to "Preparing a New Garden"