How does your Garden Grow?

Thanks for asking! LOL. My garden is doing very well. Finally! It seems like all the local veggie gardens are way ahead of mine. But I keep reminding myself that they all planted early because we had an unseasonably warm, sunny, and beautiful spring. I was unable to plant until May 27th. So I'm not really behind...everyone else's gardens are early! Hey, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

Still, I am pleased with most of my garden. The peppers went into a bit of transfer shock but they are starting to come around. Cailey's Science Fair Beans have produced their first green beans.

Doesn't she look proud?

In our "high rise" (the really deep raised beds) the corn is growing very quickly now. The Potatoes, Onions and Carrots also seem to be very happy. I'm very curious to see what the harvest will look like. We've never tried potatoes and onions so it's all very new. Meanwhile, we've never had a successful corn crop and last year our carrots were very short because they needed a deeper bed. So, this year we're keeping our fingers crossed!

The lettuce was planted in small batches to ensure a longer more even harvest but as you can see the first batch looks really nice. And it taste really wonderful in our homemade buffalo chicken wraps and it made an excellent green bean salad with dijon vinegar dressing. Yum!

The cucumbers are starting to flower which is a good thing. But they began to cling to each other. Twisting around each other. So I decided that the cucumbers needed a trellis to climb. I kind of like how it looks. Hopefully, they're "cling" to the new supports the way they were clinging to each other.

After picking Cailey's Beans I realized that the "bush" beans I planted were climbing up the "beans" sign. So I decided to give them new trellis supports too.

I've already harvested our first round of radishes. To which my greedy hubby started rubbing his hands greedily, "Rosy Radish Relish." So having just enough for one batch I guess I know what I'm supposed to do! Then he asked how many radish seeds we still had. I showed him the nearly full envelope and his evil brain formulated a new plan. One that ended with me and Shan planting all of the seeds in every available unused bit of dirt. I figure that we planted over 300!

Not to be outdone my flower beds are being very showy as well. The Daylilies are simply beautiful and making arrangements with them is quite fun.

Guess Who Won The Mulch War...

Not me. Hubby had his heart set on red mulch. So we went to Backyard Farmer and he got 3 yards (approx.) from Brian~who keeps promising that the ice cream is on it's way! LOL. I find the red mulch to be very modern and if you haven't guessed by now I'm an old fashioned country gal myself. But Hubby has done a bunch of manual labor so I let him win the Mulch War. YES, I let him win! It may take me a while to get used to but I have to admit it looks tons better than the weedy walkway.

Before and After

The weed fabric continues over my new flower beds. I have a lot of Siberian Iris and Daylilies to go into the new beds. I think I'll build a bench in one of the new beds. It would be nice to have a place to sit to enjoy both the flowers and the veggies.

Plans, Plans, Plans...So many Plans, So little Time!

Veggies: The Good, The Bad & The UGLY

The Veggie Garden has been planted for 10 days now. I wish I was more enthusiastic about it. But like all of my garden attempts~The first year is never as successful as I hope, wish or dream it to be!

We've had some Good: Green Beans! Near the bottom of the Rustic Trellis!

Lettuce Seedlings Everywhere! (Wild Child "helped" with planting.)

Potatoes! First attempt at growing Potatoes for anyone in my family! So far...So Good!

We've had some Bad:

Unexpected Frost takes it's toll on my Precious Peppers!

And we've got plenty of the Ugly:

Is there anything Uglier than a plant killed by frost? My poor Peppers!

Still Gardening without my SuperPowers!

You may have thought that I abandoned this blog but that is not the case. I have however, abandoned the idea that I am Superwoman and by doing so have given myself permission to focus on the big stuff right now and let all the small stuff wait. Unfortunately, compared to my Daughter's J.M.E. everything is small stuff.

That doesn't mean I've given up on gardening. No, I'm far too addicted for that! In fact, I've even expanded my gardens! Yes, it has taken me this long but I finally have my Vegetable gardens planted. Yeah, me!

But sadly, the grand plans and schematics that I had hoped for were scraped due to well...lack of time between Dr. appointments! After hours of back breaking work by my strongman hubby a plain lawn was transformed into 4 equal plots for veggies. Equal in size not in soil quality. The soil from one plot to another varied immensly from perfect topsoil to pure clay.

In the background you might recognize a rotatiller under that tarp. You may be thinking that my husband isn't the strong man I've discribed but I assure you he is! That Machine is the most contrary piece of gardening equipment to ever be invented! It ran well for about 2 minutes and then it would over heat. My hubby called it the "one row workhorse". You'd complete one row and then it would rest for 15 minutes before it would start again. So all in all, hubby did about 6 passes with the Machine and instead broke all that sod up with an old fashioned Maddox. What a Man! What a mighty fine man! All in all, it took him about 3 days of work. (Of course, with our schedules he did it over a two week time period.)

Then it was time to plant. At last!!! I was so proud to put in the peppers I had started from seed myself. They looked as good as the ones from the Backyard Farmer. While there I also purchased my onion sets. And as soon as I planted these prized possessions of mine I began to worry about a little creature I had seen in making his escape from my flower gardens just a few days before. Was I doing little more than setting up a free buffet for this cute vandal?

We've discussed fencing but we haven't gotten there yet...

After planting we carefully laid out our new watering system. We attached a 100 foot regular garden hose to our water spicket. At the other end we attached a four way splitter to which we attached four Seeper flat soaker hoses (by Gilmour Gardening Innovation from Wal-Mart for approx $13 per 75 foot hose). With one easy step I can now water all four gardens without wasting water, energy, or time (which is highly prized at this point). My new gardens are now ready. But will they grow?

Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Peppers...

After some dedicated gardener spent hours toiling away in the dirt planting the seeds, praying for sunshine, and protecting them from varmits! Yet, does the gardener get any recognition for the vital role that they played? No the only thing remembered is:

Peter Piper Picked

a Peck of Peppers,

Peter Piper Picked

a Peck of Peppers,
Peter Piper Picked

a Peck of Peppers!

Well, Peter just better stay away from my garden because if I see his grubby little hands on my precious peppers I might just get violent! I have just planted Burpee's Signature Big Dipper variety of sweet peppers. I find myself very being very protective over my little pepper plants (and they haven't even sprouted yet!). I have to ask myself why I am so emotionally connected to these tiny little pepper seeds. Maybe it's because of those childhood memories that flood back when I see the seed packets.

In my childhood home a Pepper seed packet meant only one thing to me...Pepper Relish! Mom's homemade pepper relish would make any plain-jane meal into a tasty treat! I realize now that my children have had this extrordinary treat only occassionally!!! I have done my children a grave disservice and this is the year that I WILL rectify the situation!

I vow this is the year when I fill my cupboards with the tasty treat and that we have stuffed peppers on a regular basis! This is the year when we mix fresh peppers in our meatloaf! This is the YEAR!

So if I am seen softly crooning love songs to a flat of soil with no obvious signs of life do not think me a mad woman! For I am the dedicated gardener upon which Peter Piper depends!

YeeHaw! Let's do the Veggie Two-Step!

Whether your a long time gardener or a first time newbie it's important to know your garden's likes and dislikes. Spring can be an excellent time to re-work your garden plans. A good rotation plan can be a seasonal dance in which crops move around the garden in what I like to call a Veggie Two-Step. But there can be both drawbacks and benefits to rotating your crops.

By rotating your crops annually or even semi-annually you can reduce the number of pathogens and pests that can occur when one species is continually cropped. Crop rotation can also improve a soil's fertility by alternating shallow and deep rooted crops. It can also help with soil erosion and who doesn't want to save their soil?

However, did you know that the crop that was there previously can effect the success of the next crop? It can be very confusing. So where does a newbie veggie gardener like me start? With the very basics, of course. Here is my basic Veggie Two-Step Rotation Chart. I hope you find it useful too.

Re-Worked Kitchen Schematic

After closer inspection on the BHG Eye-Catching Garden from yesterday's post I think it could use a little re-working to fit the needs of my family. Meaning I spent hours and hours last night trying to cook/eat/cleanup dinner while refusing to put down my schematics.

Schematics sounds like a technical term but I've been drawing schematics since I was old enough to write my name. From that time until now my Dad has operated heavy equipment for a living. So when a long holiday would roll around it would only make sense that he would want to enjoy himself. And he did...immensely. Because whenever he could talk his bosses into it he would borrow a piece of equipment to bring home. Our long weekends were full of landscaping adventures and they all began at the kitchen table with paper and pencil. The drawing of a detailed work plan became a family tradition. And like all good family traditions it got a nickname. Schematic. To this day I begin every project with a schematic only now I start at the kitchen table and end at the computer.


Back to the Kitchen Garden Schematic: First, remove all tomatoes. Wait! I know that a lot of gardener's love them some tomatoes and I certainly give kudos to all those tomato lovers. However, hubby and I aren't fans. After all of my minor changes to the garden plan I ended up with the finished layout plan above. But maybe, you are a fan of tomatoes and peas and all the other things that I took out. If so, you can get your own copy of the original garden plan (minus the color coding I've added) by visiting Better Homes & Gardens by clicking on the BKG link above or by clicking the original layout below.

Veggie or Kitchen Garden? There's a Difference!?!

I'm apparently the only person in the world who doesn't know that vegetable gardening comes in many forms. As I've delved deeper into the vegetable gardening world I have readily admitted that I'm an idiot. I know nothing. Absolutely nothing. And so as always I grabbed my trusty mouse and began my research. In a past life I might have been a researcher for the NY Times or something more devious like the IRS. Today however, I believe that I have turned my researching knack into an artform. For today, I have turned an idiot into a novice in the ways of vegetables.

As I began my research journey I started with Wikipedia's Vegetable Garden and then proceeded to Wikipedia's Kitchen Garden. I was struck with a new thought. "There's a difference?" Why had nobody told me?!? After hours of research I've determined that ultimately the difference is this: Veggie gardens grow veggies and some fruits like tomatoes. Kitchen gardens grow veggies, fruits, herbs, and flowers edible and decorative. Now that I know the difference I believe that I've been wanting a kitchen garden. Go figure!

However this discovery provided yet another "I never knew that" moment. (I know that's common with me.) It was as I moved from Wikipedia to more traditional garden sites that I read a wonderful 2 part article by P. Allen Smith aptly named Starting a Kitchen Garden. From this article I learned that there is a difference between raised garden beds and framed garden beds. Again, Why had nobody told me!?! The main difference: A raised garden bed does not need to have sides. It can be just mounded soil. Meanwhile, a framed garden bed needs (obviously) a frame around the soil such as wood, rock, bricks, etc. However, a framed garden bed must be bottomless. That sounds kinda dirty...P. Allen Smith explains it so much better.

With that useful information tucked inside my brain (probably never to be heard from again) I made my way to BHG's Eye-Catching Kitchen Garden. Aha! I'm already a member of this site so I am eligible to download the PDF file that gives me a detailed layout diagram, a list of plants for the garden as shown, and complete instructions for installing the garden. Finally (tears of joy streaming down my face) I've found Gardening for Dummies! I've been just praying for someone to tell me where, how and what to plant. It's a Halleluiah Moment! But it looks too good to be true. Can I really do this? Is it really possible?

If only there was a gardener out there who showed a real picture. Or better yet a slideshow! A real gardener showing that yes kitchen gardens are possible, are pretty, and can be a dream come true. Wait! I've found that Gardener. Terry L. Yockey of Northern Gardening (a site I'm sure most of you are fond of) has been gracious enough to provide a visual step by step through the construction of a beautiful and real kitchen garden. This slideshow (viewable only in Internet Explorer) gave me a feeling of "I CAN DO IT!"

When I joined my garden club 10 years ago I begged the ladies to help me to stop killing my plants. It's taken me 10 years to finally feel comfortable claiming to be a "gardener". I love my ever changing flower beds. And as a friend recently pointed out to me...I've become obsessed. So I've set myself a new goal. In 10 years, I hope to be just as comfortable with being a "kitchen gardener" as I am with perrenial flowers. Give me a few decades and I might even try hydroponics!

Valentine's & Veggies?

Happy Valentines Day!

My hubby and I have never been huge Valentine's day people. A card here or a box of candy there. We're much more apt to buy flowers with roots rather than flowers for vases. And I'm great with that! After all, he is just feeding my addiction.

My heart (while always filled with love for my family) has been in the garden planning, plotting, preparing, cursing the snow! Hubby knows how I long to start a veggie garden. So last night we sat together and he helped me bring my graph paper into the computer age. We planned, plotted and prepared. He even cursed the snow with me! Awww! We searched the seed catalogs. And we made some decisions. Yeah! We want to plant: corn, beans, cucumbers, peppers, carrots, potatoes, onions, pumpkins, and some herbs. As you'll notice I haven't put in the variety names...there's a simple reason for that. I CAN'T DECIDE! I don't know what I'm doing. I have no clue how much space I need for all this. I've never veggie gardened in a raised bed. I've learned about square foot gardening, and intensive gardening, and whatever happened to hoe a row? Obviously, I'm overwhelmed. I've grabbed my garden buddy: Time Life's Gardener's Guide: Summer Vegetables. This book is one in a series printed in 1988 and I'm not sure that it's even in print anymore! It doesn't have all the modern gardening trends but it's my most valuable source for starting a veggie garden. Which seeds can start inside/which can't!

So on this Valentine's Day we are celebrating with Veggies! By Day's end we are placing our Veggie order. If you have a fave variety please let me know! I'd really appreciate any and all help. Thanks! Oh and Happy Valentine's Day!

Veggie Virgin

During the past 8 years my family has been focused on building our log home and then we focused our efforts on landscaping around our new cabin. Last year was a great year for our flower beds. We were given an amazing variety of plants from some very generous friends and gardeners. It took our planting beds from looking like year 1 to being established and vibrant! And so now, I will admit that I have never had a Veggie garden before. Yes...I'm a Veggie Virgin!

But I've been inspired by all the veggie garden bloggers such as Carol's lovely & organized veggie garden and other websites such as Daily Weeder. And by Chris the Gardener as she gets excited over the arrival of the Johnny's seed catalog. I also received my Johnny's catalog and my Territorial Seed Catalog yesterday which immediately sent me from excited to PANICKED! I have no clue what I'm doing! I'm positive that I need to only order the least amount of seeds they offer. But I know nothing about varieties of corn or onions or anything. My hubby and I aren't big tomato fans (I know it's practically sacreligious) so I don't think I'll attempt them this year. Same with Peas. But I'm dying for really great green beans like I used to have out of my mother's home garden.

I love my raised flower beds and have heard great things about raised veggie beds but...I have no idea what I'm doing. My mother says not to bother will all the fuss of a raised bed because veggies don't need all that. Ofcourse, that's what she says about my flowerbeds too! So I will gather my graph paper. I will research the internet. I will make a decision and I will order my seeds. And by the end of the 2008 growing season I will no longer be a Veggie Virgin! I hope....