A gardenerd wrote in this week:
“We have very rocky soil in No. Calif. What do I need to start a garden in a small area with bad soil. Thanks, Margo.”
Well, Margo, first of all let me say that you’ve got every gardenerd’s sympathy right now, but there is hope. There are many things you can do to work with (or not work with) rocky soil. Here are a couple of previous blog entries that might help your situation.
This one addresses how you can condition the soil:
http://blog.gardenerd.com/2008/02/29/a-rocky-start-in-paso-robles.aspx
This one gives you details about another great option – raised beds. I always suggest raised beds because regardless of your soil situation, you can bring in the materials you need to have great soil and save yourself a lot of work. Don’t get me wrong, building good raised beds can take some time and elbow grease, but the reward lasts for years and can be tailored to your needs. Plus, if you have a handy carpenter-type person around (wink, nudge) it gives them something to do for you as a wonderful gift. Here is the series we published about our raised bed project:
http://blog.gardenerd.com/2007/10/13/raised-beds–part-1-materials.aspx
http://blog.gardenerd.com/2007/10/28/raised-beds–part-2–design.aspx
http://blog.gardenerd.com/2007/10/28/raised-beds–part-3–if-you-build-it.aspx
http://blog.gardenerd.com/2007/11/04/raised-beds–part-3-continued–if-you-build-it.aspx
Or, you may want to forgo planting in the ground altogether, and try pots:
http://blog.gardenerd.com/2008/10/10/veggies-in-a-pot.aspx
I hope this helps with your soil situation. Good luck and keep us posted on your results.
