DEREK FELL'S ADVICE TO THE BEGINNING VEGETABLE GARDENER

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With a small first-time garden, instead of an oversized plot, you can [1] pay more attention to conditioning the soil, [2] keep weeds in check easier, and [3] learn more about pest control. Thus, my first piece of advice to the beginning vegetable gardener is: "A small area well cared for will yield more than a large plot that is neglected."

SOIL PREPARATION

Good soil (light, fluffy, and well-drained) is the foundation of any successful garden, no matter how large or small. I'd estimate that 75% of all problems encountered by first-time gardeners?whether the problem in question is disease, pests, lack of vigor, poor germination, or poor flavor?can be traced directly to the condition of the soil.

When you begin a garden, you need to prepare the earth in three ways: [1] Dig it up (and dig deep). [2] Remove tough weed roots, stones, and/or other debris. [3] Work lots of well-decomposed organic matter into the ground.

Many books recommend peat moss as the organic matter to spade into a vegetable patch . . . but that can be terribly expensive. Compost made from kitchen and/or garden wastes is far better, as is well-rotted manure from a barn or stable.

(I've never had any trouble locating animal wastes to use as compost. Cities and suburbs are surrounded by farms with stables and cow barns that give rise to tons of manure. What's more, farm owners are usually glad to see an enthusiastic gardener put these wastes to use. Once you've found a suitable supply of manure, arrange to go in with a pickup, or else plan on carting the goods home in bag-loads.)

No matter what kind of soil you have, compost will work wonders for it. (It wasn't until I spread well-decomposed horse manure over my garden?and spaded it in to a depth of five inches?that I started to see a difference in the performance of my plants.) Compost lends body and water-holding capacity to sandy earth, and helps to break up cold, sticky, clayey ground.

And, of course, do be sure your garden area is well-drained. If the soon-to-be vegetable patch is water-logged or difficult to dry out, for heaven's sake put down a layer of crushed stone and build a raised bed!

MORE ABOUT WHAT COMPOST CAN AND CANNOT DO

There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about what a compost can and cannot do. For instance, some "experts" maintain that, while compost is a good soil conditioner, it has little or no value as plant food. Actually, it all depends on how the compost is made.

If a compost is prepared from nutrient-bearing materials, it certainly can act as both a soil conditioner AND a fertilizer. Manure-supplemented compost, for instance, generally contains plenty of nitrogen (necessary for leafy plant growth). And fireplace ashes mixed into a compost heap can supply a garden with an abundance of potash (for good plant grooming and resistance to disease).

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