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The path to a great garden every year is to 're-peat' some simple steps
To create a healthy vegetable or flower garden year after year, you need soil that's full of organic matter. While this type of soil is hard to come by naturally, the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA) advises that there are a few things you can do each year to improve your soil's condition. 1. First analyze your soil's texture. If it runs through your fingers, it's too sandy, which will allow water and nutrients to drain off too quickly. If the soil is thick, lumpy and clinging, you probably have a high clay content. Plant roots will have a hard time penetrating this and may starve from lack of air and water. You can give your garden a fighting chance by improving the texture of the soil. 2. Next, the CSPMA recommends that you dig an inch of organic material such as peat moss, along with some compost, into the top six inches of your garden soil in the spring before planting, and again in the fall after harvesting. Peat moss has the unique ability to bind sandy soil and loosen clay soil. Its unique cell structure helps regulate moisture and air around plant roots, creating ideal growing conditions. The improved soil texture not only creates a healthy environment for all of your plants, but also will make weeding less of a hassle. 3. Once your soil is in shape, it is time to choose the types of plants and vegetables you want to use. If you are an inexperienced gardener, you may want to consult your local extension agent or garden center on which varieties are best for the zone you live in. Every gardener dreams of a garden bursting with succulent vegetables and glowing with color, from spring through to the fall. To cut down on the weeding, watering and feeding necessary to make that dream a reality, "re-peat" every season to properly prepare your soil. By this we mean that you should dig in one inch of peat into your garden every year, either in the spring or the fall. To order free brochures on "How to…with peat moss" and other gardening tips, send a self-addressed, unstamped, business-sized envelope to: Peat Moss, Box 385102, Minneapolis, MN, 55438; E-mail cspma@peatmoss. com.
The Canadian peat industry is committed to making peat moss a sustainable resource. Only one acre in every 6,000 is harvested and when harvesting stops, the bogs are restored to functioning peatlands. For more information on peat and the environment, visit the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association's Web site at www.peatmoss. com.
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