The Big Garden

When we moved in last year, gardening was the farthest thing from our minds.

Of course we had unpacking to do! 

We took all of our gardening stuff and literally chucked it into a

sad little shed in the corner of the property.

"Until next year!"  I thought at the time...

Flash forward to this year and it almost feels like gardening for the first time.

I wandered around feeling like I wasn't sure where to start!

Was I THAT out of practise?

(I hoped not)

So I decided to follow the advise of my old sub-foreman:

"Plan yer work and work yer plan!"

First step:  empty sad shed.

Yikes!

I had no idea it had a floor!

This image shows years of hoarding gardening containers and pots from everywhere and anywhere I could get my hands on them...mostly for free! 

SIDE NOTE:

You can sometime find loads of free planters and containers curbside after May 24th weekend.

(International Readers:  May 24th weekend is the celebration of Queen Victoria's birthday and widely held as the first beer-drinking, camping, put-all-yer-plants-in-at-once weekend)

Oh yeah, that's me standing in what will be our main garden patch!

It is quite a bit bigger than our previous home's garden.

(our "big picture plan" is to make enough to eat, store and then sell some at a small roadside stand)

Step 2....get the deck boards out of the garden!

We purchased a used deck last fall from a US Resident that didn't want to lug it across the Canada/US border.  Lucky for us, we got it for a song!

So we must move the deck board from the garden and onto the deck (where they should be!).

Husband installed the largest part of the deck last year.

The second and third pieces of deck will be installed as soon as the gravel is delivered.

Then we can think about tilling the soil.

Whew!

There's our view of the garden from on the deck...

Can you imagine what it will be like to look out over our bounty??? 

So that is all the update I can give ya right now...

Check back soon for future steps...

In the meantime...

I sorted out the smaller containers.

Years of buying seedlings already started from local nurseries.

I am volunteering to grow some seedlings for my Mother in Law for her church Plant sale.

I decided to splurge for the good stuff...hey, what goes around comes around, right?

I loaded up a bunch of peat pots to start some herbs and a couple other planters I had around.

The herb seeds were supplied by my Mother in law.

In the end we had several large areas of tomatoes.

Tiny Tim red cherry tomatoes, Yellow pear cherry tomatoes and Roma tomatoes.

All are sprouting nicely!  Just in time for the June 1st sale.

Preparing the beds...

Super excited for springtime right now!

Last year we moved into our new home in the middle of May...

So we missed the time of year when you would normally prepare your gardening beds for planting.

This year, however, we are GOOD TO GO!

(I'm clearly very excited about it)

We have several large beds in the front yard as well as our main garden bed in the backyard.

This post will focus on the front beds only.

There were several things that had to be done in the front.

The beds themselves are part of our brickwork in the front patio...so I didn't have to reconfigure them.

Bonus!

We started turning up the existing topsoil in the beds....to see what we were dealing with.

Turns out...there was FAR too much topsoil in the beds, so I had to remove the bricks surrounding the beds and replace them with large rocks found all over our property.

Next I shovelled out over 18 wheelbarrows full of excellent topsoil for use in other areas of our property.

This act made it possible to mix the remaining soil with other things that would help new plants proliferate.

Pure topsoil is great, but after a season of watering and weeding, tends to harden up pretty fast.

Good gardening soil needs a variety of moisture grabbing peat moss and nutrient rich compost.

I use a 3-in-1 topsoil mix and a peat moss mixed together and added to the existing topsoil.

(our sad empty frog pond)

The original owners used driftwood to decorate their beds.

We decided to make things simpler and remove the driftwood so the focus would be on the greenery.

The above shot shows a bed that we didn't do anything with...mainly because it had a lot of ostrich ferns already growing there!  We're leaving it for this year to see how many ferns and their locations.

The above bed is where we are going to plant ever bearing strawberries!

Husband purchased them for a school fundraiser and we are both seriously excited about the ever bearing species.  Having already grown normal strawberries...this should be interesting.

This was a bed long forgotten.

Last year, I started placing rocks around the outside edges.

There is an old metal pipe sticking out of the middle.

Turns out it is from the old well...so one day, when I get a solar water pump system...I'll be set!

I thought this would make a great spot for pumpkins or other melon-type veggies.

I started this bed for cooking herbs...but it turned into my son's play area.

I still plan on planting herbs here...but I thought it wise to make a pathway for little feet.

Why fight it when you can roll with it?

Once I dug out the surplus top soil from the beds, I set out to add the good stuff.

I purchased 4 bags of 3-in-1 landscaping soil and a big cube of peat moss.

I mix them together in a big half barrel, making sure I break up big clumps.

Next I dump the mixed soil into the beds and rake it out,

careful to make the ground level and break up any resistant clumps.

Nice work!

I was given some seeds this year to plant for a church fundraiser...plus I added some of my own selections.

(some seeds were saved from our garden 2 years ago!  We'll have to see if they are still viable)

Edible Plants:

Borage, Purple Cornflower (Echinacea)

Herbs:

Thyme, Basil, Rosemary, Lavender, Dill, Summer Savoury, Chives, Garlic Chives, Lemon Basil, Catnip, Coriander/Cilantro

Another really good buy (a long while back)  was a pack of craft popsicle sticks from Michael's.

I normally try NOT to buy stuff, preferring to make it myself or reuse/repurpose existing stuff.

The popsicle sticks are an amazing time/space saver!

I highly recommend them for marking purposes...mainly for little feet...until the plants start to grow and he can see where not to step.

(I've been using the same bag of sticks for years now...well worth it)

So the herb beds are all planted and waiting for rain...

Check back on my facebook pages to see their progress!

What have you planted already?

Types of Gardening Beds and Containers for all types of Gardeners!

What ever you decide to grow is fine by me.  I am just thrilled when I hear someone say I grew that...or taste this, its from my garden.  There is a sense of pride that comes from seeing something from seed to something!  You grew that thing that someone else recognizes.  Its a thrill that you feel accomplished and also empowered.  If the whole thing goes up in flames, we'll still be able to provide for ourselves.   

Everyone lives in different circumstances, making it amazing to tour other peoples gardening solutions.  Perhaps you have an urban garden and have to re-establish the soil from clay to actual soil again.  Maybe you have drainage issues making your garden really moist.  Perhaps you live in a dry, windy area.  All of these thing are to be considered if you are just starting out a garden plot of sorts. 

Don't be discouraged.  It isn't all that difficult.  Trial and Error is the method we swear by.  That often means we have a weak year for some things.  Usually we learn lots about what we're going to do NEXT season....before this season is actually through. 


A response on my facebook page for my blog prompted me to talk a bit about what you can garden in...meaning containers and different structures you might find in your garden.  We have the best of a few worlds.  We have a flat garden patch, a long running patch, an old claw foot tub, a boxed in area, and loads of containers.




A variety of sized potters - all reclaimed from various sources



POTTERS:

Let's talk about easy gardening...virtually no weeds, and the plants are managable in size.  Easy right?  The only challenge you may encounter here is keeping these containers water enough.  They tend to dry out very quickly, especially if the container itself is a dark colour.  Another issue is loss of soil.  If you don't pick the right container, the soil may just wash out of the bottom.  Make sure you have containers with a reservoir section on the bottom, or a separate piece that catches most of the water. (see the blue container?  it has a reservoir)  This kind of gardening is great for apartments or townhomes without much of a yard.  Its also great if you want to grow things that tend to get out of control in flat deep soil, like cherry tomatoes.  We grew herbs in ours last year with a great deal of success.  Plus I hear that container gardens are "all the rage" these days.  You can use random pots, matching pots or an assortment of collected items...like old boots!





Our HUGE potters - a White Rose closing sale steal!



EXTRA LARGE POTTERS:

These beauties are almost 2 feet across!  They do take a large amount of soil to fill, but are fantastic for us when we grow cherry tomatoes.  Like I mentioned above, we grow cherry tomatoes in them, because our experience has shown that when we plant cherry tomatoes in our flat garden bed...they take over!  They are so invasive that often they lay right down on other veggies and stiffle their growth due to lack of sun.  These pots are the perfect size to still get millions of cherry tomatoes while also keeping our other veggies safe from smothering.  Just make sure you have them where you want them BEFORE you fill them.  Gravel in the bottom is a must for drainage, as you don't want your tomaters to suffer from root rot.



small constructed areas shown above are easy to make and look organized



PLANTER BOXES:

We discovered an under utilized area in a corner of our house...so we got crafty!  We found some wood 2 x 4's and manufactured (or jimmy-rigged) this planter box.  Its literally dollars from the hardware store, even if you do have to purchase the wood too.  (take care not to buy pressure treated wood)  A couple of L brackets and a couple of screws each make for a wee box for our rhubarb.  As we don't till that area, we don't have to worry about moving the box or anything.  Each year we do shovel in some fresh compost or manure just to keep the plants from getting stagnant with old soil.





our claw foot tub salvaged from a dump



ODD BALLS:

You can use just about anything for a garden, as long as you add some sort of drainage.  We love salvaged items, like this old clawfoot tub from a dump.  We hauled it home and decided where we wanted it to go (like the extra large potters, you need to decide BEFORE you fill).  This thing was heavy even before we lined the bottom with rocks and added fresh top soil and manure mix.  Last year we grew the alliums in there, green onions and leeks.  Neither did very well...probably because we didn't 'lighten' the soil with peat moss.  This year, I've shovelled out a bunch of soil and will be adding fresh manure and peat mixture.  (Owen and I also scraped and re-painted it too!  It looks GREAT!)  An added feature with tremclad paint is that the boys can paint on it with water based paint and it will wipe right off.  Garden art!  I've seen old boots, sawed-off barrels, wash tubs....I've even seen a garden patch that was lined with an old wrought iron bed frame!  Use your imagination.  Visit a nearby dump.  Check out Value Village.  You'll never know what you'll find.  Just make sure what you use as a planter won't deteriorate when water or the elements hit it or that it won't leach toxins into the soil. (ie. lead based painted anything, pressure treated anything)  Also, make sure you wash it thoroughly before adding soil...you never know what's been in there before it got to your garden! 



Rocks reclaimed from our neighbour adds a rustic flare

RETAINER WALLS:

In our flat garden area, we find that its difficult for the kids to know where the yard ends and the garden begins.  So create structures that will look cool as well as inform...DON'T WALK THERE.  We salvaged a lot of rock from our yard as well as our nearby neighbours.  We created a mini rock wall....its only about 1-1.5 ft tall.  It may not look like much now, but it looked so great last year with the squash vines and blossums pouring over it like a living waterfall.  You can use bricks, cinder blocks, stones, wood...just about anything.  Creating a wall makes your garden feel more contained and also looks great too.  Again, be sure to steer clear of pressure treated wood or railway ties, etc.  They are all coated, sprayed or treated with stuff you don't want anywhere near your food. 



Image found at http://www.blisstree.com/ - raised garden bed


RAISED BEDS:

Raised beds are great if your yard is small or if you have trouble bending or stouping over for long periods of time.  There are lots of benefits and a few drawbacks to raised bed gardening.  The up side is that you'll have a very neat and tidy area for growing.  The walls will retain heat from the day time and you may find your veggies will grow faster because of it.  Depending on how tall you build your bed, will determine how much you have to bend over.  The taller the bed, the more you'll have to think about what to line it with...again thinking of drainage.  Also, it would cost you a fortune in top soil to fill it completely!  The draw back to a raised bed would be that because you have a warm toasty bed, you'll have to be on the look out oftern for fear your veggies will bolt (or send up seedy stalks) sooner than your flat bed counter parts. 



Our flat bed will look better when its got good things growing in it...just just trucks...

FLAT BEDS:

Ah the traditional garden.  Flat.  Your back may not thank you, but the amount of food you can cram into it will blow your mind!  So far, its my favorite type of garden bed, but the weeding remains the biggest obstacle.  I'll elaborate more on the flat bed when we get our going.  I'll dedicate a whole post to the flat bed....keep your eyes peeled!

What type of garden do you plan on having this season? 

Planning your garden....part 2

Its almost too much to bear....waiting on spring to finally arrive....waiting for the last of the dirty snow to leave this earth....and wanting to put shovel to dirt...

I thought I would share something I implimented last year...after attending an Intro to Gardening seminar with key note speaker Cam Mather!  (I promise I will probably have a couple of posts that don't mention the Mathers...some day...haha)  He showed the group how to plan your garden using a map of sorts...

This is something I have never done, but after doing it for a season, it proved to be a real learning experience.

I drew a very rough idea of our main garden patch.  Then added in the things that are fixed, such as rocks, logs and fencing (and our asparagus which doesn't move from year to year).  See image below for a bird's eye view of last years main garden patch.



Cam suggests you keep the map taped to a piece of cardboard with 2 pencils attached to the board
with string (that way when you're in the garden, the chances of losing it are far less). 



I make sure to mark my path way through the garden to our compost bins (this path changes every year).  I mark where the large container planters go.  At the bottom, I list which plants I want to grow, as a reference.  When I find a good spot for them, I cross them off the list.  That way I am sure to have room for everything I want.  Nothing gets left out!

My husband always laughs at me, because I space everything out WAY TOO MUCH.  In my defense, I try to envision what the plants looked like last year....how tall, how wide they became at the peak of their growth.  I try to alleviate crowding as much as I can, naturally.  What is it they say?  Quality not quantity. 

South of the asparagus you can see a path way that trails off this map.  I do have a second map that goes with this plan....its what Ches and I affectionately call the "pepper fence".  We plants single stalk things there like eggplant, peppers and everything else that doesn't get viney.  Sort of a knee high divider between our property and the neighbours without the need for proper (view-disrupting) fencing.  The pepper fence includes more than just peppers...its home to the plants we have never grown before as well.  I may not know how they will perform in our soil...but after one successful season, I integrate them into the main patch depening on their sun and growth requirements. 




The Pepper Fence (now with more than just peppers!)




I take into account that the sun rises from the asparagus side and glides over the garden throughout the morning....and there is a metal shed on the right hand side.  The cherry tomatoes have a tendancy to take over everything when we plant them in the soil...so we put them in large containers and place them next to the metal shed.  The heat absorbed by the metal acts like an insulator.  The tomatoes just love it.  Everything on the left hand side of the map is planted directly into the ground and doesn't grow much taller than 1.5 ft, mostly our root veggies.  Everything on the right hand side of the map is grown using tomato cages (like our peas) or on trellises (or is it trelli?  hmmmm) and tend to be viney. 

I tried including as much info about the planting as I could fit into the map.  I tracked which row was planted when, so that I knew approximately when I could harvest them (according to the seed package predictions).  Its also agreat reference for when to plant things the following season.  When everything is a small wee sprout...it also helps to remind you what you planted and where!  Remember I stagger my planted rows, meaning I plant one row, then 2 weeks later I plant another row of the same veggie.  That's a sure-fire way to avoid being swamped with 25 lbs of carrots all at once.  When you have limited time to prepare or store these yummy treats, you'll want to maximize every second you have.  The only draw back I've found to the staggering method is this:  when your gut instinct tells you to fill your garden up on May 24th weekend...you'll have to exercise some restraint.  Patience is definitely a virtue in this case. 

The mapping method also gives you a chance to look at last years garden in the winter time and see what changes you might want to make depending on the success or failure of each plant type from the previous season.

Our cukes didn't do so well last year...so I will definitely be finding a new place to grow them this year.  That's ok though.  Like everything in life, gardening is a learning experience and this mapping method gives you a perfect opportunity to reflect on lessons learned.

Make a map of your own this year!  See if this method works for you...

This year's mapping experiment?  Varieties!

We'll be trying to list which varieties we're planting...hoping that if we keep track, we just may select wiser the following season.  Check back in 2012 to see if what we discovered! 

Planning your Garden...part 1

Ok I know its December.  You're probably thinking about shovelling snow and getting ready for the holidays....and NOT thinking about gardening...

Truth be told, I never stop thinking about gardening...but in reality gardening doesn't stop just because you aren't weeding or harvesting right at the moment.  You have to put a bit of thought into planning your garden and this is what today's post is all about.

Part one of this series is going to talk about looking at what you'll be planting come springtime.

Take Stock of Your Eats

The first way to decide what you want to grow in your garden is to take a look at what you like to eat!

Sounds easy...doesn't it?

For people who love vegetables or for those who subscribe to a vegan or vegetarian diet...its simple, but for those who aren't as familiar with gardening or vegetables...this very simple act may take more thought...and time!

I say start now by looking at the types of recipes you make for your family and looking at your grocery bills.  You'll start to notice vegetables you purchase all the time, and never thought about growing.  Perhaps this year will be the year you try it!

I'll give you a short list of the kinds of vegetables we eat on a weekly basis:

• Carrots
• Parsnips
• Squash
• cucumbers
• sweet peppers
• broccoli
• onions
• asparagus
• tomatoes
• herbs
• lettuce greens
• spinach
• peas
• beans
• zucchini

Let's look closer at this list...

Asparagus can be grown but requires at least 3 years of growing before you can harvest....in the long run its far more cost effective to grow your own.  Since you won't be able to rotate a crop like asparagus, you'll need to select an area that will provide great conditions year after year for your plants.  (but its worth it!)

Tomatoes grow like crazy if you give them proper nutrition....so you'll want to give them lots of space in the garden!

Lettuce greens can not be stored in any conventional way (that I'm aware of), so you'll want to consider staggering your plants to maximize your growing season.  If you decide to build a cold frame you could very well have fresh picked greens from April to late November!  That's a huge savings at the grocery store and your salad will have a ridiculously low carbon food print.

Broccoli and Sweet Peppers take some time to get going....so if you're starting from seeds...you'll want to set aside a warm area in February and start your seeds in advance of planting them in the ground.  Peppers do not like cold soil, and they shouldn't be planted in the soil before the middle of June...so you can start now by setting aside some pots and potting soil in the area you want to reserve for pre-season growing.  (Wait until February...I'll be featuring a post all about it!)

Peas and Beans can be stored throughout the winter...so you'll want to stock up on Ziploc bags when the back to school sales are on!  Although this method is quite labour intensive...you can rest easy knowing that almost NO fossil fuels were used in getting these green delights to your table.  Yes, the frozen varieties in the freezer department are pretty cheap...but they can come from far away...meaning the carbon footprint on your peas could be as big as your CAR!  

Every year our family gets adventurous and tries out at least 1 hybrid and 1 new vegetable.  Last year we tried out purple tomatoes and eggplants.  I love experimenting this way, since all you really lose is the cost of the seeds or plant.  If you decide you don't like that veggie...you never have to grow it again...but you just may LOVE it!   

Another method of selecting your veggies would be to take a look in your favorite cookbook.  Copy or dog-ear the pages of recipes you'd like to try and see if there are any veggies you can grow in your garden.  I did the reverse this past year....we grew eggplants and aside from grilling them, I had no idea what to DO with them!  I poured over cookbooks and web sites...only to find that I was without some ingredients and often the eggplant wasn't so fresh by the time I went to make the dish.  This year I will have a plan!  I have already set aside tomato, zucchini and eggplant recipes...so when the glorious time comes...I'll be ready willing and able to make these delicious dishes! 

Another reason for planning ahead, is if you order your seeds from a catalogue.  You'll want to make sure you know what you want, prior to ordering...so that you receive the seeds in time!  (see what I said about sweet peppers above)

Check back for further posts about planning...

And a contest coming this January!!! 

Prepping the ground pt 2

Soil

So on the last post I showed you how we add leaves to our compost and gardens to add lightness to the soil...which the plants love as they have loads of nooks and crannies to grow huge root systems. 

Now its time to talk about other ways in which you can help keep the nutrients in your soil.  We actually add soil directly into our soil....does that even make sense?  Ok, I'll illustrate...



top left: planter soil, top right: end of the season plants, bottom: more leavings

Planter Soil
We have a lot of planters around...we use them for herbs and cherry tomato plants, but we also have a lot of houseplants.  Sadly, our houseplants do very well all summer long on the back porch, but they barely survive indoors in the winter time.  Between the lack of direct sunlight on a lot of our windows and our menacing cat called Buster...they don't stand a chance.  Usually I need to make tough decisions in the fall.  Which plants will I save and which will I use for compost?  Once I've decided...I dump the soil from the planters directly on our garden patch (as shown in the top left hand picture)

End of Season/Leavings
Once the plants in your garden are spent (meaning not giving you glorious fruit or veggies any more) then you can leave the stalks and leaves right in your garden!  We pull ours up to speed up the decomposition process.  Pull and leave then directly on your garden patch.  Easy!  (as shown on the top right hand picture)

The bottom picture shows our main garden patch with the leaves from our parsnip plants.  It this time of year that everything else is spent in our garden, but we still have parsnips to dig up!  We wait for the first few frosts, then dig them up for the best flavour. 

Since we use a roto-tiller in the spring time, there is no reason why the composter must do all of the work with the heavy parts of plants.  The stalks are tough to break down..so we let the winter and the tiller do the work for us.  Keeping in mind that the plant parts themselves must be free of parasites and other harmful things...if they do we burn them in our burning bin...(I like to play it safe, but this is overkill....and if you have an urban garden, this may not be allowed).  Healthy plants parts still contain nutrients that will break down over time and again leaving room for the roots of next years plants to grow strong.

Next post:  MANURE!