My Husband And I Brought This Place Its Kinda Empty…
Arla Asked
My husband and I brought this place its kinda empty dont have a trees or flowers new neighborhood.and im wondering if theres some organization here in Ky that give some free tree to plant we have a 3 hectares land and its be big help now the tree got so expensive pls help.Thanks
The Gardener’s Answer
Hello, Arla in Kentucky: Congratulations on your new home! Landscaping a blank space can be a challenge and intimidating for some gardeners. If you think of it in sections and do a little bit at a time it will not be so overwhelming. The most important aspect of getting your garden ready to plant is going to be amending your soil. Planting in new construction is very stressful on plant material because in most cases the existing soil has been removed as replaced with low quality soil and it has been compacted by the heavy machinery used to build your home. This means that you will need to add nutrients back to the soil as well as break up the clay to improve the air circulation and drainage. Permatil (expanded slate) is a good product used specifically for this purpose. You should also contact your county cooperative extension service for information on having your soil tested before you start planting. As far as programs in Kentucky that offer free trees you can talk to your county extension agent to see if there are any local programs in place or you can contact the Arbor day foundation as well as the Kentucky division of forestry. They both have programs in place for homeowners; the trees may not be free but the seedlings are very reasonable in terms of price. Keep in mind these are seedlings and will be very small. The Kentucky division of forestry website is: http://forestry.ky.gov/statenurseriesandtreeseedlings/Pages/default.aspx. If you are interested in something larger than a seedling but still inexpensive you can visit your local nurseries. They should have smaller trees that are less expensive. If your new home is in a neighborhood you may also inquire about a tree planting program with the home owners association.
