today i daydreamed about getting out there and gardening again. i guess sometimes i miss living at the farm and want a little bit of that here (only a little bit... no cows thank you...also...i like living in a town. that has more than one store. and an applebees. i don't actually like applebees, i just like the fact that i *COULD* go to applebees if i wanted to. this town is no metro urban centre, but it definitely is big enough for an applebees. yessir.)
i will be making some changes in my garden this year. there are quite a few things i want to add to this year's garden, hopefully i will have the time, energy and space to fit it all in. if not, i will definitely be happy with the same plants i had last year, that was awesome. i think i am going to raise my beds up even a little more, as i think this year is going to be colder than last year. i am also writing this list of monthly reminders and spreading out my seeding and planting a little better so it is more tailored to the colder NW climate up here. (sometimes i really do wish i lived in a warmer climate, sometimes i don't!) last year i was pretty dumb about timing my planting (except for the tomatos, i actually remembered what to do) and was like all pretending i live in california or oregon or something, which i DON'T. i live in almost canada. a ridiculous climate. booo. BOOOoooo. but at least it's still the pacific NW, which is mild (except for last year which was a fluke of climate... probably al gores fault.)
fruits
these will remain mostly the same, not adding a whole lot to the list. ok im adding one thing.
apple trees
pear trees
pie cherries
tomatoes
strawberries (new)
rhubarb (fruit? veggie? what is it?!)
pumpkins (fruit.....?)
possibly other berry bushes/vines if i can score free plants... there are so many places to harvest blackberries and raspberries roadside here that i probably won't want any other berry bushes
vegetables
since i am adding more space to the garden i will be adding more vegetables. here's my wish list, with an * by things i absolutely will plant, filling in the other space with new things to try to grow off of this list. (new) means i've never tried to grow it before (adventure! er, failure.) so, anyway, i actually won't be growing all of these (cuz that's insane) but if i run across one or two i might try. i tried to think of things i've grown before when i lived on the farm.
artichokes
beans
beets
broccoli
cabbage*
carrots* (new)
cauliflower*
celery
collards
corn* (small amount, for fun)
cucumbers*
eggplant* (new)
kale
leeks
lettuce* (new)
mustard
onions* (red, yellow, white, walla walla?)
peas* (maybe sugar snap?)
peppers* (jalapeno, green, serrano, poblano, yellow?)
pumpkins* (edible and jack o lantern - are these fruits?)
radishes (don't want to....)
rhubarb*
spinach*
squash* (acorn, butternut, summer and winter types i can find)
zucchini* (basically a squash)
tomatillos* (new- if i can find them)
watermelon* (is this a fruit? i'm confused)
layout
i will keep the same rows as last year for the tomatoes since they did so well and stayed warm. i am not going to worry about the pumpkins either, i like to keep them far away in their own little corner. i'm afraid of what happened a few years ago when i planted them at the farm... and then they took over an unsuspecting hillside. luckily we had a lot of hillsides.
anyway, for the additional space added to the garden i will be using the square foot gardening method - i wanted to try this last year but didn't have time to prepare it. josh scored a bunch of free wood that is perfect for this... hopefully he'll be up for helping me dig and place wood again... using power tools and whatnot... he is such an amazing husband, putting up with me being crazy outside. we'll see how it goes!
i haven't actually really read this article, but from skimming it looks like what i mostly want to do:
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/04/21/an-introduction-to-square-foot-gardening/
i will also be adding to my container garden for some of my flowers and herbs. here's someone who wrote about that, from skimming it it looks good. i'm too lazy to write about how to set up either of these things. people! google.
http://www.gardenguides.com/685-guide-container-gardening.html
i haven't actually really read this article, but from skimming it looks like what i mostly want to do:
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/04/21/an-introduction-to-square-foot-gardening/
i will also be adding to my container garden for some of my flowers and herbs. here's someone who wrote about that, from skimming it it looks good. i'm too lazy to write about how to set up either of these things. people! google.
http://www.gardenguides.com/685-guide-container-gardening.html
i loved having herbs last year and they did so well i want to have more!
herbs
basil
catnip
chives
garlic chives
cilantro
dill
fennel
marjoram
oregano
parsley
mint, peppermint
sage
thyme
rosemary
lavender
garlic (i guess that should go under vegetables but whatever)
flowers
the only flowers i have enjoyed growing are sunflowers. i think i am going to put them out by the road and maybe some near the front fence. last year i planted them near the house, then i let them fall over in the fall and made my friends step over them to get to my door. this motivated my friends to cut the sunflowers for me and bring them inside and put them in a vase. although this was a good benefit, it was unintentional.
i'm going to try some new varieties, last year i had red and yellow sunflowers, this year i am going to see if i can get my hands on some teddybear or other funny looking kinds. in 2011 i am going to look at getting other flowers for the front lawn to boost our house's curb appeal, but this year that is not a priority. if someone at work is giving sweet peas away like last year, i may take them up on that. those are the cutest little things! i also may spread a wildflower packet along the road, so it doesn't look so sad out there. my neighbors are renters, so i don't care so much about containing a mess flowers out there.
my monthly reminder list
what i still have to do right now (January)
finish planting bulbs
prune the trees
clean up last year's dead vines
score cheap seeds
find sterile dirt and start gathering cheapy containers for my seeds
next month (february)
start seeds inside, annoy my friends with dirt smells indoors
finish pruning
save up money to buy soil / fertilizer / peat
look for small plants
march
start the rest of the seeds
prepare the garden soil and plan out the rows
late in the month plant peas and sweet peas, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower and chard.
april
plant the berries
plant the small hardy plants
kill the moss on the lawn, roof, fence, etc.
plant carrots, onions and any other root crops
may
plant the rest of the vegetables, the beans, corn and lettuce going in first. tomatoes, squash, cucumber, pumpkins and peppers later in the month.
consider transplanting the future container garden plants.
spend the rest of the time weeding, chasing deer away and killing slugs.
june
not too late to add seeds of veggies or flowers if i found some more
maintain!!!
july
water!!
plant out fall and winter vegetables:
beets
carrots
parsnip
rutabaga
globe onions
sprouts
cabbages
cauliflower
fava Bean
august
more watering!
more fall and winter plants. green onions, lettuce, spinach, radishes, leeks, turnips and collards are some ideas. i may skip this and not have a fall garden because i'll be busy with other stuff.
start harvesting and preserving
september
water, water, harvest, harvest, harvest. (http://www.humeseeds.com/harvest.htm)
continue babying the fall and winter plants
october
harvest before frosts
consider planting cover crops of rye if it looks really bare
winter
clean up and compost
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