Now is the time of year to look around your property to see if you have space for a new bed for flowers or vegetables. Digging up the sod and improving the soil in the fall will give the new bed adequate time to settle and mellow during winter. During the cold months you can decide what you want to order, knowing that your new bed will be ready for spring planting.

        Before digging, lay out the shape of your bed using a garden hose or stakes and string. Then, mark the outline with agricultural lime, spray paint or flour.

        From there:

        • Remove all sod to minimize weeds, using a sharp spade with a short handle. Begin by cutting vertically into the turf, following your outline. Then cut sections about 1 foot square. Thrust the spade under each of these sections to sever the roots.

        Lift each section and shake off the excess soil and place it in a wheelbarrow. Continue cutting and removing sections of the sod. This is hard work, but keep in mind it does not have to be done in one day.

        The pieces of sod can be added to your compost pile, upside down, and in a year or so will make beautiful compost.

        • Using a spading or border fork, roughly dig the entire area, breaking up clods and removing stones. (For a large bed, you may want to use a rototiller.) Remove perennial weeds, such as dandelion and bindweed.

        • Mix in a 2- to 3-inch layer of organic amendments (rotted manure, compost, rotted leaves, peat moss) to improve the texture of the bed. A rule of thumb: A cubic yard of organic matter should cover 100 square feet of a planting bed to a depth of 3 inches. I like to add pea gravel to new beds. Using a shovel, I scatter the gravel randomly over the area. This will facilitate good drainage and make the soil more friable.

        • Add other amendments, such as ground sulphur, to make the bed more acidic or ground limestone to make it alkaline. Many gardeners will apply 4 pounds of superphosphate (0-43-0) per 100 square feet. Wait until spring to add nitrogen and potassium because these may leach too deeply into the soil over winter.

        • Mix the organic material evenly into the new bed by using a spading fork or shovel. Then, use a steel garden rake to smooth the surface of the bed.

        • Cover the new bed with a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch, such as hay, straw or shredded leaves to protect the area from erosion. Most of this mulch will break down by spring. At planting time, simply push aside the remaining mulch, dig holes and add your new plants.
       Contact Tim Morehouse by Web site: www.getmoregarden.com; mail: c/o Cincinnati Enquirer. (If writing, enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope.)

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