It’s roughly 6 weeks till the final frost here in 7b.
I have a spot of grass and ivy that I want to turn into an annual veg garden. I’m waiting on soil nutrient results.
My current plan is to silage tarp all the grass and ivy for 3-4 weeks. Then cover with any needed amendments, 2 inches of compost, 4 inches of wood chips, then tarp again for the remaining 2-3 weeks. When the final frost passes, transplant out my annuals.
After the growing season I’ll cover crop with peas, clover, vetch, oats. Repeat next year.
Does this make sense? Am I missing anything?
Some questions to think about:
As for your general plan if you want to go in-ground, the process would be:
This could be simplified a bit with Raised Beds.
Do have all of those, yard is fenced 6’ fence with 1.5" gap between the bars.
Why till before amendmenting, I would’ve thought you’d till after to mix it in?
No till is an option though. I use cardboard underneath the layers on top (I have an acre no till garden, 8 years in). Tilling can mess up the mycelium. You will need to work on any perennial roots though for some years, but would need to with tilling anyway. You don’t need to mix in amendments. Layering and having the right plants nearby works. Nature is smart :)
With in-ground soil you need to do an initial till to disrupt the roots of whatever is growing on top and soften the depth of the soil to allow roots to take hold easier. You amend it after to ensure that all of the existing top soil is refreshed with nutrients, and allow that compost to help stop it from compacting again. After doing it the first year, it shouldn’t be necessary for many years after and you can just add top soil or whatever amendments you want for awhile until it compacts again.
Depending on the kind of soil, you may even want to till a second time after adding amendment to really mix it all together.