Before I begin waxing poetic, I will give the context that I live in the United States, all of my information is unfortunately going to be wholly biased toward the climate
of the United States, both politically and environmentally.
To get to the real meat of this page, see the navigation bar to the left. Or below, if on mobile.
I have a title in Horticultural science from the state's agriculture extension. My work included collecting research data on native plants, hosting native plant sales, writing columns on insects, and answering emails and phone calls at the extension's help desk.
During my time helping people with their gardens, it became more and more evident to me how important gardening is. Gardening on a small scale in your yard is unlikely to replace the need for grocery stores, I will not contribute to the shaming of people regarding what they eat, how they eat it, and how they acquire it. Gardening is great for supplementing higher quality fruits and vegetables into your diet. But more importantly to me, it is an act of community building and resistance.
The access to your quality of food is heavily determined by how much money you have, where you live, the color of your skin, and whether or not you are disabled.
Gardening, both communally and individually, has a very real impact on improving lives.
I am a physically and neurologically disabled person, I have never subscribed to the individualistic fantasy of "self sufficiency"- we need each other, this is a good thing. That is why I have compiled basic resources here, I want to share them with you. I hope that you will share this knowledge with those in your community as well.
Please send me an email if you have any questions about your plants. I will do my best to help!
To get to the real meat of this page, see the navigation bar to the left. Or below, if on mobile.
I have a title in Horticultural science from the state's agriculture extension. My work included collecting research data on native plants, hosting native plant sales, writing columns on insects, and answering emails and phone calls at the extension's help desk.
During my time helping people with their gardens, it became more and more evident to me how important gardening is. Gardening on a small scale in your yard is unlikely to replace the need for grocery stores, I will not contribute to the shaming of people regarding what they eat, how they eat it, and how they acquire it. Gardening is great for supplementing higher quality fruits and vegetables into your diet. But more importantly to me, it is an act of community building and resistance.
The access to your quality of food is heavily determined by how much money you have, where you live, the color of your skin, and whether or not you are disabled.
Gardening, both communally and individually, has a very real impact on improving lives.
I am a physically and neurologically disabled person, I have never subscribed to the individualistic fantasy of "self sufficiency"- we need each other, this is a good thing. That is why I have compiled basic resources here, I want to share them with you. I hope that you will share this knowledge with those in your community as well.
Please send me an email if you have any questions about your plants. I will do my best to help!
Let's talk about soil!
What does "soil" actually mean?
Soil is a product of climate and biological factors interacting over time with geologic materials- rock and sediment.
Soil consists of four components: air, minerals, water, and decaying organic matter (detritus).
If you want to skip the in depth discussion of minerals, you can usually learn what type of soil you have by sending a soil sample into your local agriculture extension or soil lab.
Here is a list of soil testing facilities in America.
You can also likely find information from googling "What type of soil do I have (insert location)"
When we are trying to determine our soil quality and type, we must take note of it's physical properties:
Color
Texture
Drainage
Color: Soil colors can vary from nearly white, to any shade of brown, black, gray, red, and yellow. The color of a soil alone is not necessarily indicative of its ability host plant life. But the color of our soil can give us hints about the mineral make up.
Light colors on the surface of our soil often indicates a lack of organic matter, lighter soils are often paired with a more coarse and sandy texture. In contrast, a dark soil can be assumed to contain a higher amount of organic matter, but this is not always the case.
Texture:
Texture of a soil is going to be determined by its amount of three factors: Sand, Silt, and Clay.
You can try to determine your soil's texture by doing what is called the "ribbon method", in which you try to roll wet/moist soil into a snake shape, about the size of your index finger. Then you will stretch the soil to form a ribbon. Take note of how it feels.
The drainage of the soil is going to depend on its dominant minerals. As you might imagine, sandy soil is going to hold the least amount of water, with clay retaining the most.
The mineral makeup of your soil is not the only factor that determines how well it can grow plants.
Organic matter within the soil will greatly affect a soil's characteristics and ability to host plant life. Under ideal conditions, bacteria, earthworms, insects, and fungi will all be working to decompose organic matter and convert it into viable nutrients in the soil. Decomposing material can help improve conditions in all soil types.
In sandy soils, decomposed organic matter can improve water retention, binding sand grains together.
In clay soils, decomposed organic matter can help to aerate the sticky and dense clay, allowing better drainage and texture.
What does "soil" actually mean?
Soil is a product of climate and biological factors interacting over time with geologic materials- rock and sediment.
Soil consists of four components: air, minerals, water, and decaying organic matter (detritus).
If you want to skip the in depth discussion of minerals, you can usually learn what type of soil you have by sending a soil sample into your local agriculture extension or soil lab.
Here is a list of soil testing facilities in America.
You can also likely find information from googling "What type of soil do I have (insert location)"
When we are trying to determine our soil quality and type, we must take note of it's physical properties:
Color
Texture
Drainage
Color: Soil colors can vary from nearly white, to any shade of brown, black, gray, red, and yellow. The color of a soil alone is not necessarily indicative of its ability host plant life. But the color of our soil can give us hints about the mineral make up.
Light colors on the surface of our soil often indicates a lack of organic matter, lighter soils are often paired with a more coarse and sandy texture. In contrast, a dark soil can be assumed to contain a higher amount of organic matter, but this is not always the case.
Texture:
Texture of a soil is going to be determined by its amount of three factors: Sand, Silt, and Clay.
You can try to determine your soil's texture by doing what is called the "ribbon method", in which you try to roll wet/moist soil into a snake shape, about the size of your index finger. Then you will stretch the soil to form a ribbon. Take note of how it feels.
| Sand | Loose and single grained; gritty, not sticky. |
| Silt | Smoother than sand, not sticky. |
| Loamy Sand | Gritty and very slighty sticky. |
| Sandy Loam | Gritty, and stickier than loamy sand. | Silt Loam | Smooth like loam, slightly sticky. | Loam | Gritty, smooth, AND slightly sticky. | Clay Loam | Gritty, more sticky than loam, and smooth. | Sandy Clay Loam | Nearly the same as clay loam, but grittier due to more sand. | Silty Clay Loam | Nearly the same as clay loam, but smoother, because it has more silt. | Clay | VERY sticky, almost plastic. Hard to break when dry. | Sandy Clay | Like clay, but more gritty, because it has more sand. | Silty Clay | Like clay, but more smooth, due to more sand. |
The drainage of the soil is going to depend on its dominant minerals. As you might imagine, sandy soil is going to hold the least amount of water, with clay retaining the most.
The mineral makeup of your soil is not the only factor that determines how well it can grow plants.
Organic matter within the soil will greatly affect a soil's characteristics and ability to host plant life. Under ideal conditions, bacteria, earthworms, insects, and fungi will all be working to decompose organic matter and convert it into viable nutrients in the soil. Decomposing material can help improve conditions in all soil types.
In sandy soils, decomposed organic matter can improve water retention, binding sand grains together.
In clay soils, decomposed organic matter can help to aerate the sticky and dense clay, allowing better drainage and texture.
This section will be mostly about what compost is and how to create your own. I will mention briefly now a few
other soil amendments, but I will be addressing compost here.
If you would like to skip this reading and read a quickstart guide on making your own at home, read this.
If you would like to skip all of this and purchase high quality compost from someone else, read this.
Now, onto the basics of composting!
Compost is recycling in its purest form. Bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, and many larger organisms, all work to break down decomposing organic material with the help of air, heat, and moisture. A natural example of composting can be seen when you watch a tree change through the seasons. In the spring and summer, many trees are absorbing nutrients from deep under the soil. In the fall, the tree sheds its leaves, returning those nutrients back to the surface of the soil, to be broken down by its inhabitants.
Other soil amendments such as agricultural minerals and fertilizers do have their own uses- but nothing can truly replace the benefits of compost.
Because it is the product of fully broken down organics, compost contains most, if not all, of the nutrients needed to support plant life. When used properly, it can greatly reduce the need for more supplemented nutrients, such as that from commercial fertilizer. Most importantly, it will bring microbes and detritivores (organisms that eat decaying organic material) to the soil, giving it the foundation for continued fertility.
Making Your Own Compost
Step 1: Choose a site.
You will need an area outdoor that has good drainage, is in the sun, and is convenient enough for you to actually use it.
You can also make your compost inside of a container, I would recommend this, bins and tumblers are great because they deter pests and can help maintain stable levels of heat and moisture.
Step 2: Make the pile.
The perfect compost pile is going to contain roughly 25% "green" material, and 75% "brown" material. You'll want to add some native soil or older compost to help introduce your beneficial microbes, too.
Before we talk about what to throw in your compost, I need to tell you what to never add to your compost bin.
Meat or bones
Dairy products
Pet manure (contains disease organisms)
Charcoal ashes (usually chemically treated)
Any plant treated with pesticides or herbicides
Any plant that was previously sick or diseased
Treated wood
Now we can continue:
Green materials are things like: bread, coffee grounds/filters, eggshells, grass clippings, fruit and vegetable scraps.
Brown materials are things like: dried leaves, chopped or shredded branches, paper towels, straw, shredded paper.
To assemble your compost pile, it's best to add the materials in layers. Typically you will start with leaves or other components from the "brown" category. Add your nitrogen rich "greens", and top it all off with some older compost, or inoculated soil.
Step 3: Maintain The Pile.
The key steps in upkeep of your pile are: turning the pile, watering the pile, and maintaining its temperature.
How often you turn your compost pile is going to depend on where it is stored, the temperature, and the humidity of your environment.
Read about aerating your compost here!
You should be watering your soil enough to keep it consistently moist.
The pile should heat up quickly in the sun, especially if inside something like a plastic tumbler. The ideal temperature range for processing is 90°F to 140°F.
Under ideal conditions, a 3ft x 3ft compost pile can be ready for use in 1-2 months. This will vastly differ based on how large your pile is, and your environmental factors. Unturned compost will also take longer.
Finished compost will have reduced half or more in size, it will be dark and rich in color. Most importantly, finished compost smells good. It smells like rich soil, it does not smell like sour rotting organics or ammonia.
It is never a good idea to introduce unfinished compost into your garden right before planting. It will become a leech of nutrients, not a source.
If you would like to skip this reading and read a quickstart guide on making your own at home, read this.
If you would like to skip all of this and purchase high quality compost from someone else, read this.
Now, onto the basics of composting!
Compost is recycling in its purest form. Bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, and many larger organisms, all work to break down decomposing organic material with the help of air, heat, and moisture. A natural example of composting can be seen when you watch a tree change through the seasons. In the spring and summer, many trees are absorbing nutrients from deep under the soil. In the fall, the tree sheds its leaves, returning those nutrients back to the surface of the soil, to be broken down by its inhabitants.
Other soil amendments such as agricultural minerals and fertilizers do have their own uses- but nothing can truly replace the benefits of compost.
Because it is the product of fully broken down organics, compost contains most, if not all, of the nutrients needed to support plant life. When used properly, it can greatly reduce the need for more supplemented nutrients, such as that from commercial fertilizer. Most importantly, it will bring microbes and detritivores (organisms that eat decaying organic material) to the soil, giving it the foundation for continued fertility.
Making Your Own Compost
Step 1: Choose a site.
You will need an area outdoor that has good drainage, is in the sun, and is convenient enough for you to actually use it.
You can also make your compost inside of a container, I would recommend this, bins and tumblers are great because they deter pests and can help maintain stable levels of heat and moisture.
Step 2: Make the pile.
The perfect compost pile is going to contain roughly 25% "green" material, and 75% "brown" material. You'll want to add some native soil or older compost to help introduce your beneficial microbes, too.
Before we talk about what to throw in your compost, I need to tell you what to never add to your compost bin.
Meat or bones
Dairy products
Pet manure (contains disease organisms)
Charcoal ashes (usually chemically treated)
Any plant treated with pesticides or herbicides
Any plant that was previously sick or diseased
Treated wood
Now we can continue:
Green materials are things like: bread, coffee grounds/filters, eggshells, grass clippings, fruit and vegetable scraps.
Brown materials are things like: dried leaves, chopped or shredded branches, paper towels, straw, shredded paper.
To assemble your compost pile, it's best to add the materials in layers. Typically you will start with leaves or other components from the "brown" category. Add your nitrogen rich "greens", and top it all off with some older compost, or inoculated soil.
Step 3: Maintain The Pile.
The key steps in upkeep of your pile are: turning the pile, watering the pile, and maintaining its temperature.
How often you turn your compost pile is going to depend on where it is stored, the temperature, and the humidity of your environment.
Read about aerating your compost here!
You should be watering your soil enough to keep it consistently moist.
The pile should heat up quickly in the sun, especially if inside something like a plastic tumbler. The ideal temperature range for processing is 90°F to 140°F.
Under ideal conditions, a 3ft x 3ft compost pile can be ready for use in 1-2 months. This will vastly differ based on how large your pile is, and your environmental factors. Unturned compost will also take longer.
Finished compost will have reduced half or more in size, it will be dark and rich in color. Most importantly, finished compost smells good. It smells like rich soil, it does not smell like sour rotting organics or ammonia.
It is never a good idea to introduce unfinished compost into your garden right before planting. It will become a leech of nutrients, not a source.
Alright, we have a basic understanding of soil types and composting, now what do we do with it?
We need to decide where we want to grow our plants. There are three options I would recommend: straight in the ground, in a raised bed, or in a container.
I am only going to discuss creating a raised bed in this section. If you'd like to learn about container planting, there is a good resource here.
There are several factors you should consider when deciding a spot for your raised bed: What do you want to grow? Where is the best spot in your yard for the plants? How do you want to create your raised bed?
Deciding what you are interested in growing will help you determine where and how to create your raised bed. I always recommend beginners to grow vegetables or fruits. It is really exciting to watch them grow, and especially to eat them! When I finally get to taste a tomato or a pepper after watching it grow, it feels like.. Wow! I can really do this. I can nurture a living thing through its life cycle! It is one of the best feelings in the world to me.
I will discuss more how to figure out WHICH vegetables/fruits and herbs to grow depending on where you live in another entry.
Once you have an idea for what you'd like to grow, you need to figure out where the best place to build is. Every organism needs energy to fuel its life processes. Without energy, you cannot sustain yourself. You cannot grow and develop, you cannot reproduce. Plants are the same way. Plants convert light (sunlight or LED, like from an indoor grow light) into glucose (you need this to survive as well).
Plants use glucose for respiration and as a very important building block in their structures. They need this chemical energy to grow and to produce fruits. This is why understanding how much sunlight an area gets is so important.
You can determine the sunlight level of your garden by checking on it throughout the day.
Full sun areas will have direct sunlight hitting them for AT LEAST 6 hours.
Part shade/part sun areas will receive 3-6 hours of direct sunlight in the morning or evening. These areas can be in dappled sunlight or full shade for the rest of the day.
Full shade areas need 3 hours OR LESS of direct sunlight per day.
Now we can explore how to build the raised bed. Building a raised bed from lumber is pretty self explanatory. I would recommend checking out a guide like this. The possibilities for shaping and layering of beds is pretty much endless, though I would advise you keep the beds narrow enough that all the plants can be accessed without needing to climb into the bed. It is not good for the soil to be regularly stepped on!
It's also very important that you avoid using lumber that has older chemical treatments, as these may contain heavy metals or arsenic, which will leech into your soil. Bricks and stone are also good options, but do NOT use cinderblocks. More information on this here.
I want to discuss more in depth accessible raised beds. I enjoy raised beds because I have joint problems (I use mobility aids) and it hurts me to be hunched over like gollum for extended durations.
I also have convulsive seizures, so I must be mindful of where and how I exert myself, especially where sharp objects and surfaces are concerned.
The real difference between an accessible and an inaccessible raised bed lies in its dimensions. Do you want someone with a mobility aid to be able to use the bed? What kind of mobility aid do they use? Will they be the only one using it?
There are different types of mobility aids with different heights. I will be referring to manual and power wheelchairs. This will also only apply to large adults, but I will try to include some research info for kids and little people accessibility when/if I can find some.
LPA accessibility information.
If you are not the wheelchair user, you need to have a discussion with the users of the raised bed before you go building random boxes that may not be usable.
Important questions to ask are: What is the furthest you can comfortably reach?
What are the measurements of your chair?
Let's entertain a hypothetical scenario for a person who sits at 24 inches in their chair. They have a comfortable arm reach of 2 feet.
The length of the bed matters the least for the dimensions, but it is still important. Very long raised beds are taxing to walk/move all the way around to get to another destination, especially in the case of an emergency. Long raised beds will also be substantially more expensive due to lumber costs.
If someone has a comfortable arm reach of 2 feet, we need to make sure the raised bed can be accessed from both sides without needing to reach further or climb inside the bed. This is true for everyone, mobility aid or not. Stepping on the soil will compact it, which is not ideal for growing plants. A good width for this raised bed would be 2-3 feet, 4 feet MAX. Keep in mind, if you want the bed to be used by multiple people, it will be better to keep it smaller to accomodate children and adults with shorter arms. There is nothing wrong with a skinny raised bed, there is a lot wrong with a thick raised bed that people can't reach.
There are a couple options for the HEIGHT of the bed. The higher the raised bed, the more it will cost, both in lumber and planting materials. This is another important factor to consider.
If you want to build a bed that is directly connected to the native soil, the measurements of the wheelchair user are going to determine how tall it must be. Figure out an ideal height that allows someone to bend over and access all areas without having to leave the chair. You can also experiment with building benches around the bed for people to sit and garden.
Another good option for wheelchair users is a specialty bed that is actually constructed off of the ground, with space for the wheelchair to roll partly under it. This opens up possibilities for fun shapes.. like a circle.. Yay.
Beds like these can also be purchased from vendors who are ADA compliant. I do not endorse any vendors and have not purchased from any, but this website provides some examples of products that meet these standards.
Once you have the raised bed, all you need to do is to fill it. There are so many options and techniques to do this. Personally? I just buy whatever dirt from whatever garden center and pour it in the box. I have used the same raised bed for 5 years, at this point the native soil and sterile soil bags from stores have mixed wonderfully, the dirt is dark and smells good and is full of worms. You honestly don't need to be too worried about this when you are just starting out.
But still, if you are anything like me, you will want to research all your options and make an informed decision.
This is a great article by the agriculture extension of Maryland on filling a raised bed.
We need to decide where we want to grow our plants. There are three options I would recommend: straight in the ground, in a raised bed, or in a container.
I am only going to discuss creating a raised bed in this section. If you'd like to learn about container planting, there is a good resource here.
There are several factors you should consider when deciding a spot for your raised bed: What do you want to grow? Where is the best spot in your yard for the plants? How do you want to create your raised bed?
Deciding what you are interested in growing will help you determine where and how to create your raised bed. I always recommend beginners to grow vegetables or fruits. It is really exciting to watch them grow, and especially to eat them! When I finally get to taste a tomato or a pepper after watching it grow, it feels like.. Wow! I can really do this. I can nurture a living thing through its life cycle! It is one of the best feelings in the world to me.
I will discuss more how to figure out WHICH vegetables/fruits and herbs to grow depending on where you live in another entry.
Once you have an idea for what you'd like to grow, you need to figure out where the best place to build is. Every organism needs energy to fuel its life processes. Without energy, you cannot sustain yourself. You cannot grow and develop, you cannot reproduce. Plants are the same way. Plants convert light (sunlight or LED, like from an indoor grow light) into glucose (you need this to survive as well).
Plants use glucose for respiration and as a very important building block in their structures. They need this chemical energy to grow and to produce fruits. This is why understanding how much sunlight an area gets is so important.
You can determine the sunlight level of your garden by checking on it throughout the day.
Full sun areas will have direct sunlight hitting them for AT LEAST 6 hours.
Part shade/part sun areas will receive 3-6 hours of direct sunlight in the morning or evening. These areas can be in dappled sunlight or full shade for the rest of the day.
Full shade areas need 3 hours OR LESS of direct sunlight per day.
Now we can explore how to build the raised bed. Building a raised bed from lumber is pretty self explanatory. I would recommend checking out a guide like this. The possibilities for shaping and layering of beds is pretty much endless, though I would advise you keep the beds narrow enough that all the plants can be accessed without needing to climb into the bed. It is not good for the soil to be regularly stepped on!
It's also very important that you avoid using lumber that has older chemical treatments, as these may contain heavy metals or arsenic, which will leech into your soil. Bricks and stone are also good options, but do NOT use cinderblocks. More information on this here.
I want to discuss more in depth accessible raised beds. I enjoy raised beds because I have joint problems (I use mobility aids) and it hurts me to be hunched over like gollum for extended durations.
I also have convulsive seizures, so I must be mindful of where and how I exert myself, especially where sharp objects and surfaces are concerned.
The real difference between an accessible and an inaccessible raised bed lies in its dimensions. Do you want someone with a mobility aid to be able to use the bed? What kind of mobility aid do they use? Will they be the only one using it?
There are different types of mobility aids with different heights. I will be referring to manual and power wheelchairs. This will also only apply to large adults, but I will try to include some research info for kids and little people accessibility when/if I can find some.
LPA accessibility information.
If you are not the wheelchair user, you need to have a discussion with the users of the raised bed before you go building random boxes that may not be usable.
Important questions to ask are: What is the furthest you can comfortably reach?
What are the measurements of your chair?
Let's entertain a hypothetical scenario for a person who sits at 24 inches in their chair. They have a comfortable arm reach of 2 feet.
The length of the bed matters the least for the dimensions, but it is still important. Very long raised beds are taxing to walk/move all the way around to get to another destination, especially in the case of an emergency. Long raised beds will also be substantially more expensive due to lumber costs.
If someone has a comfortable arm reach of 2 feet, we need to make sure the raised bed can be accessed from both sides without needing to reach further or climb inside the bed. This is true for everyone, mobility aid or not. Stepping on the soil will compact it, which is not ideal for growing plants. A good width for this raised bed would be 2-3 feet, 4 feet MAX. Keep in mind, if you want the bed to be used by multiple people, it will be better to keep it smaller to accomodate children and adults with shorter arms. There is nothing wrong with a skinny raised bed, there is a lot wrong with a thick raised bed that people can't reach.
There are a couple options for the HEIGHT of the bed. The higher the raised bed, the more it will cost, both in lumber and planting materials. This is another important factor to consider.
If you want to build a bed that is directly connected to the native soil, the measurements of the wheelchair user are going to determine how tall it must be. Figure out an ideal height that allows someone to bend over and access all areas without having to leave the chair. You can also experiment with building benches around the bed for people to sit and garden.
Another good option for wheelchair users is a specialty bed that is actually constructed off of the ground, with space for the wheelchair to roll partly under it. This opens up possibilities for fun shapes.. like a circle.. Yay.
Beds like these can also be purchased from vendors who are ADA compliant. I do not endorse any vendors and have not purchased from any, but this website provides some examples of products that meet these standards.
Once you have the raised bed, all you need to do is to fill it. There are so many options and techniques to do this. Personally? I just buy whatever dirt from whatever garden center and pour it in the box. I have used the same raised bed for 5 years, at this point the native soil and sterile soil bags from stores have mixed wonderfully, the dirt is dark and smells good and is full of worms. You honestly don't need to be too worried about this when you are just starting out.
But still, if you are anything like me, you will want to research all your options and make an informed decision.
This is a great article by the agriculture extension of Maryland on filling a raised bed.
talk about rain water catchments and irrigation, sprinklers, maybe landscaping? ramble about how i hate lawns so much
determining what you should grow and why, talk about native and adapted plants and how to find them. how to
figure out how much sunlight an area gets
talk about pathogens and integrated pest management blah blah beneficial insects eat stuff etcetera. love you