You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!
Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
Login
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.
I'm new to this site and I think it's wonderful! I am going to begin growing a vegetable garden on a site that at one time was a crop field of probably corn. It now is over-grown with weeds and brush. I am going to till the soil and add amendments. My questions are 1) should I choose a low place that can be a bit wet or higher ground that I may have to irrigate somehow in summer, and 2) what exactly should I add to the soil?
Spirit, welcome! Before you add anything nutrient-wise, you should probably have your soil tested. Nearly every town has a state extension office that can give you a soil sample kit and instructions for collecting your sample(s), which are then sent to your state land-grant university's ag department for testing. Here in Tennessee, they'll even email you the results (fast and you can print them off, copy and paste them into a garden journal, etc.)
Fertilizers can help temporarily put back whatever your soil is missing, but if it's been over-farmed in the past, one of the best things you can do is add back organic matter - lots the first year and then a new layer every year - over time, it will not only replenish the nutrients but improve its texture - and organic matter will help your soil strike the right balance between drainage and moisture-retention.
