If You Aren't Square Foot Gardening, You Are CRAZY!

This time of year comes and I want to be out in the dirt as much as possible.  I want to dig and plant and dig some more.  However, with my recent change in work, I'm now working most weekends.  This is the time my husband and I used to set aside in spring to get the garden going. This morning, I woke up late and had a lazy Sunday off from work.  At about 1:30ish after fighting with the hub about a project, I went outside to clean the clover out of the garden from last year.

Last year, we built two square foot gardens the right way.  We put down cardboard and then topped it with soil and peat and vermiculite just the way it said in the square foot gardening book.  The year prior to last we kind of did the square foot thing, but in a more lackadaisical way.  We failed two years ago, miserably, however last year I think we would have done better had we known how to garden.  You see, no one tells you when to start picking.  So we spent the majority of our time thinking our items needed time to grow and by the time we were picking them, they had already gone to seed.  This year, we are wiser.

So today, hub says, "There's no way you are going to have time to plant today.  That garden bed needs so much work, you are going to be out there cleaning it out forever!"  He ate his words, for one hour later my garden was cleaned out and spring seeds were planted.  Honestly, this was the easiest space to weed and plant.  I don't know why more people aren't using this method!

Tomorrow, I plant some swiss chard and I begin to tend to my containers..... Let Garden Season START!

The First of Three LONG Days!

Tonight was the first link in our Memorial Day Marathon (MDM). My daughter had her last day performance at school. That ate up our morning. The afternoon we spent running around doing menial tasks that needed to be done, but had NOTHING to do with our MDM. About 7ish we caught our stride and began the weekend from hell.

For Mother's Day this year, we bought my mom a cedar raised bed garden. She has MS but loves to garden. My husband found a raised bed square foot garden on legs. It is the perfect height for people in wheel chairs. Although she isn't in one yet, she uses her walker that has a seat to do most things. Gardening is no exception. This evening, hub and I built her garden bed and she asked us to Tung Oil it as she wishes for it not to naturally grey. It looks GREAT!

I also was able to plant my three tiered planter. OK, so one errand we ran today was to the garden center for the flowers for my planter. I opted this year for a wide variety of colors..... orange, yellow and red are my main colors, however, I mixed in some purple, white and a few pinks. Sounds strange, but I really like how they came together.

I had a few extra plants left, so I dug out the cowboy boots I found last year at the good will. They were half priced and I had to have them. Last February, hub and I went to New Mexico for a vacation.... just the two of us. I fell in love with the southwestern look. When I came home, I went searching for some cowboy boots to serve as planters. Lo and behold I FOUND THEM!!! I planted ornamental peppers in them last year, but this year I added some vibrant flowers. The juxtaposition of the color against the grey boot is GORGEOUS!

Before the sun fully setted, I managed to pull weeds from an area of my yard that I don't think I've EVER touched in the 3 years we have lived here. In that area I sprinkled some wild flower seeds as well as planted a few rows of sunflowers. I hope they sprout and grow! I also was able to get some carrots into my garden. More, much more, to do in the next few days! Stay tuned!

New Garden Bed Achieved!

Today was one of those days that if I could start it all over again, I would. I had a million things keeping me from getting out into my garden beginning with the last day of work being done on my basement, followed by needing to meet up with a friend for Easter candy, followed by a trip to the garden center where my kids and husband realized they were hungry, followed by a stop at a local restaurant. FINALLY, we got back home somewhere around 5:30 p.m. and began our garden.

Earlier in the day, we snapped together our brand new Vermont Cedar raised bed garden. My husband found this link and he said he couldn't buy the wood for the asking price which also included shipping. ( http://www.gardenraisedbeds.com/ ) One thing I am disappointed in is that the 4x8 ends up measuring somewhere about 39 inches x 87 inches because of the mortise and tendon joints. This means I have about a quarter of a square which runs down one short side and down one long side. I've reserved this spot for carrots since you can pack them in to a small space. Aside from the size being a bit off for square foot gardening, the construction is nice, the wood is great, and the shipping was fast. Not to mention the price was also very, very good.

At the garden center, we bought peat moss, manure and vermiculite. All three in equal parts is "Mel's Mix". I was hesitant on using the vermiculite as it is a form of asbestos, but last year I didn't and my garden soil is crap this year. So sticking with the "rules" I caved and got it.

The guy at the garden center also talked me into a few fertilizers. One ironically is epsom salt. I've used this for years as a soak in the tub and once as a "gall bladder cleanse" (NOT RECOMMENDED!). But apparently this "salt" is also good for plants. I also bought Monty's Joy Juice and Osmocote. All three together supposedly make you an excellent gardener. And hell, let's be real. I NEED THAT!

When we got home with all of our miracle working gardening "tools" at 5:30 p.m. we began dumping the peat, vermiculite and manure all together. We stirred it by hand and even had the kids helping until they smelled the manure. Matt and the kids drilled some screws into the frame so I could use string and make my squares. Lastly, I planted spring crops. Lettuce, Scallions, Leeks, Spinach, Brussel Sprouts, etc.

My husband says if this fails, I should give up as a gardener. I hate to admit he is right, but he is. Honestly, if I kill these plants, I may just give up all together. But then, maybe not..... digging in the dirt is addictive!

Cold Weather Crops

Monday of this week we had such beautiful weather that I busted out my gardening shoes and went to work in my overgrown patch of land. The last few years I've grown tomatoes, herbs, peppers and a few other things in this specific patch. This year it seems, it has become my cold weather crop patch.

In the fall of 2009, I planted two different types of garlic in this patch. Using the square foot method, I believe I currently have about 5 or 6 squares dedicated to Garlic. Given my husband eats tons of it and I use it to help cure colds, I feel like we should be growing more. I guess we'll see what happens.

As I mentioned before, monday was BEAUTIFUL! So I went out, pulled weeds and planted some bush beans and some spinach. I'd like to get some lettuce in the ground as well but need to take stock of what kind of seeds I have on hand. Since I am relatively new..... OK brand spankin' new with this whole "spring crop" thing, I need to do some research to see what grows here in the spring. I thought beets did, but saw the label for my beets that said "after the last frost"..... I am confused. As soon as I sort thru this, I'll post what can be grown in zone 5/6 in the spring. Till then.....

Happy Gardening!