Working in the Potager

I have a potager in my back yard.  A potager is a French kitchen garden that contains vegetables, herbs, fruits and/or flowers.  It usually is made up of small rectangular, square and triangle shaped beds separated by stone or brick path ways.  It is usually bordered by a clipped hedge.  My potager contains 10 rectangle shaped beds.  I used river rock in the pathways and the front of each row of beds is bordered with a boxwood hedge.  I designed and built this garden about 15 years ago, long before I knew it was called a potager. 

Today I worked in Bed 10 where I have squash planted.  First I had to weed the bed using my trusty hoe. 

Next I spread Preen to try to prevent some future weeding.  I am not an organic gardener.  I do not use insecticides but I do use herbicides.

Last year I had the soil tested in the potager.  My pH is too high and I had almost no nitrogen in the soil.  They recommended I use Ammonium Sulfate to lower the pH and raise the nitrogen.  I also add compost  when I have it on hand.

I am supposed to use this once a month during the growing season but rarely do I get it applied that often. You have to use this sparingly because a little goes a long way.  Better to use less otherwise you will have a lot of green leaves and very few vegetables.

Next I take the water hose and water directly on the center of each squash plant.  This makes the adult squash bugs run and I can pick them up with gloved hands and SQUISH 'em.

So that was my day working in the potager.  I am not advertising for Preen or Hi Yield but simply showing you what I use.  Hope you are enjoying your summer.  Have a good weekend.

Until next time,