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Cottage Garden Design, Part III

© Barbara M. Martin

Please note: Thank you for visiting my Cottage Garden topic and reading my columns, published here from February 1997 through spring 2003! This Cottage Garden column was written by Barbara M. Martin and is Copyrighted, including any photos, by Barbara M. Martin. It may not be altered or copied or published elsewhere in whole or in part without specific permission from the author. I regret I am no longer actively editing or contributing to this suite101.com topic as of mid-2003. Happy Gardening!

In recent weeks we have discussed several concepts important to cottage garden design, including enclosure in Part I, and growing a wide variety of plants and working with nature in Part II. This article addresses the hidden and often overlooked importance of nurturing the soil, and next week in Part IV, we will look at "Following Your Heart."

Feed Your Soil Feeding the soil is an often overlooked but terribly important step in gardening, no matter what style you use or what you are trying to grow. Vegetable gardeners tend to do this routinely, but no matter what you grow, you must take care to feed the soil on an ongoing basis of replenishment and renewal.

The densely planted cottage garden requires careful attention to plant health and good plant health absolutely begins with good soil. There is no substitute for it, unfortunately, and no amount of fertilizer can fix the problem of poor soil.

You will remember that nature covers the ground each fall, provides a carpet of leaves to both protect delicate crowns and roots, but also to rot down and feed the soil for the coming year's growth. To mimic that, and to accelerate the process to pay back all that your plants take away, you must replenish the soil.

Old timey gardeners used rotting barnyard manure and straw bedding, plant and kitchen wastes, whatever was at hand. In today's tidier world, we can use compost, aged stable cleanings, grass clippings, chopped leaves, shredded bark or even straw. The material itself is less important than the regular and generous application of it.

Add Organic Matter "Organic matter", for that is what those materials are, can be added almost any time the ground is not frozen. In the beginning, when you prepare your garden for the first time, you can work copious amounts of it into the soil directly. To do this, you can use a tiller or simply fold it into the loosened soil with a spade. Later, you may also mix well-rotted materials into individual planting holes as you add or replace plants. Eventually, with enough organic additions, your soil will be workable with a salad fork, or even bare hands.