2014

And the season has started! The greenhouse and seeds have been ordered and I will be working out the planting schedule and how best to get seeds started.  Brain plan is to get most of the early spring crops started as soon as possible (peas, chard, spinach and whatever else we have) so we can have an early crop and then get the tomatoes, tomatillo, sweet peppers, bell peppers and all the rest started and the garden ready for planting.

Im on the lookout for organic or non-treated straw bales to use as a border (raised bed) that we will have planting soil in the middle.  The thought is this will be much cheaper than a bunch of lumber normally used for raised beds.  I also want a few strictly for growing squash, no dirt between, just prep the bale, plant the seeds, water and watch them grow.  Ive read in a few places that bales are a great growing medium for squash and as we had issues last year Im up for trying something different.

Worth 1000

Pictures taken around the house during planting months are such a help when thinking about where to plant what when the time comes.

Last summer I took pictures throughout the day on a wonderful sunny early July day. I attempted to take pictures every 4 hrs so I could see where the sun was and be able to add up total sun hrs for various locations.

Unfortunately July is all I got and I blew off getting any pictures for the remaining of the year.  Adding to this, with the removal of all the blackberry canes, I have much more light to areas that were either inaccessible or too covered for planting.

I am lying in wait now for sunny days where I am able to capture sun in the yard.  This year Im hoping to get days in each month from April to Oct.  This way when planning gardening spots next year I am more prepared.

Thinking outside the box

There are times I wish my grey-matter thinking werent so dang black and white.

Here I am wishing/wanting/hoping to have a spring garden going.  And eating all the fresh veggies just that much sooner than the ending of summer.

My garden is not anywhere near being ready for any kind of planting.  So finding ideas like this

I have a bunch of containers that were waiting for later in the season but I can definitely use a few of them for early spring planting.

Peas and possibly broccoli – Here I come!

Finally getting a bit warmer?

My plans from a week or so ago did not pan out.  Promises of 40+ days were just that, promises and gardening in 25-35 deg weather and the ground being colder just doesnt work for me.  Im a warm body at heart so I stayed in and worked on my crafting, which by chance had its own garden so to speak.

This week has warmed up and the threads of freezing fog lifted.  Balmy 35 deg when I woke up this morning and a promise of lows down to 35 is heartening.  Im planning on tackling blackberry canes this weekend and tossing them in the recycle bin.  Not wanting any chance of them possibly going to roost in my wanna-be compost area.  Ive got enough issues with other stuffs there.

Im still wanting to plan something this month or Feb and need to get someplace in the yard ready for anything.

More discussions on G+ Communities on ground cherries is really putting a bug in my head to grow some this year.  Ground Cherries combined with some Goose Berries (same family but a bit larger) I think would be nice looking enough to plant in the front yard where we have a very bare planter section/box right by the house.  As they are in the similar planing needs family as Tomatoes, I think getting the mother load of morning sun and the heat from the house should get them growing quite well.

Summer Squash

Having never eaten (to my knowledge) Patty Pan squash, I bought some and juiced it.  I can say that I cant taste it at all, or I dont think I can - there are a bunch of different veggies and fruit that are dumped into my homemade juices.  Anything could be hidden, except beets but Im still working on a fix for those.  I know that a couple patty pan plants can produce copious amounts of veggies, I wanted to make sure I could sneak them in a juice without too much notice.  Same goes for zucchini.  So I have a couple more veggies to add to the garden.  

Cool Gardening helpers

http://www.toppers-place.com/soil_blocks.htm

http://borntofarm.com/how-to-make-a-soil-plug-tool/

http://sustainablog.org/2013/01/the-diy-soil-block-maker-7-plans/

Recycle and Reuse

Look what I received in the mail today!  Wonderful seeds for planting in the garden this year.  Loads of tomatoes, squash, beans and flowers for planting.

I also have a wonderful plan for a cold box – straw bales, old windows and plastic for when its windy and cold.  This plan is thanks to a conversation I had with another g+’er on the Growing Food community.

Bonus using the straw is that it can be used for mulch after the plants have been planted, saving on water and keeping little plants a bit warmer when they need it.

Green Crafts

Blog surfing and I spied a wonderful thing.  Reusing baby food jars for spices

Cleaned jars (I would hope so hehe) and lids painted with chalk board paint so you can mark and erase as need be.

I love this idea for its multiple usability.  As Im getting my garden going, herbs will be a big part of that.  I love making pesto using basil from my own garden (yumm!!)  Baby jars at least look like they give a bigger space than the jars purchased in the store.

And you can use them for saved seeds, or left over seeds, or travel ort jar.  Im sure you can come up with other ideas.

Growing Towers

Checking out Pinterest this morning I found the cutest idea for a garden tower.

Ive been checking out towers to use for growing spaces in my front yard as that place needs to look much better and nicer (curb appeal and all that) than anything I do in the back.  And Ive been wanting to grow things that love to send runners when and where I may not want them (Im talking to you mint & strawberries)

This type of arrangement would be nice in a smallish space for herbs, strawberries or salad mix.

If you decide to so something like this check out your local thrift shops for the planters – I saw loads of terra cotta pots just this week at my local Goodwill.  For the rebar, check out a Habitat-for Humanity Restore if you’ve got them.  Rebar could be found for cheaper than at a Big Box store.  Drawback is you wont have someone to cut one down to size for you or they may not have any.