February seeds are growing

daffodils

It's February and I'm getting the "bug"!  I feel the call to start digging in the dirt again.  My list keep growing, (especially after pouring over Pintrest), but I'll take it one week at a time. 

So, two weeks ago, I spaded one square of my vegetable garden and sowed some cool season vegetables straight into the soil:  peas, lettuce, carrots and spinach.  We had a drop in temperature, so not sure if I need to re-seed or not.  I was reading up on the temperatures needed to germinate.  The ground needs to stay at 35 degrees for spinach, but peas need air temperature at 60-65 degrees.  So, may need to replant the peas.

pepper seeds starting to sprout

I also got out my clear plastic bins, cleaned them up from last year and filled 2 of them with fresh soil.  I turned the other 2 clear bins upside down and "hinged" them with duct tape to the filled bottoms.  I then added some water to moisten the potting soil.  Finally, I made little ditches with a popsicle stick, sprinkled my seeds and labeled my popsicle sticks.  One "terrarium" is different varieties of tomatoes; the other is different variety of peppers.  They are stacked on top of each other by my sliding glass doors.  After 2 weeks, I have tomato sprouts and peppers just starting to come up!  So excited!  I am trying to remember to turn the boxes every few days, because they bend toward the light and I don't want leaning plants.

tomato sprouts in plastic bin

engraved, flattened spoons markers

Last night I found my spoons that had nicks in them, (because of  slipping down into the kitchen disposal).  I got a hammer and flattened them out and then used my husband's engraving tool to write herb names on them.  They will add charm to my herb pots.  I had been wanting to do that for years and finally got it done.




I also had my first Backyard Gardener's Workshop on Saturday, Feb 18th!  We had 6 attendees with lots of questions.  Talked about how gardening in doing the stuff of tilling, amending Georgian clay, seasons of planting and watering.  I tried to  reassure the ladies to start with a few things so as not to waste their resources and get discouraged.  We did the the seed-starting with the bins they brought.  And I talked about being simply organized, like using an old calender to record when to do what or using a binder to put your garden notes and ideas in.  I tried to keep the information simple and told them to try some things.  If it doesn't work, adjust some things and try again.  I think it was helpful.  Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to do this!  It was fun.  They wanted to know when the next one is!  Good sign.

Thinking about last year...

vegetable garden plot- will divide into 6

 So, in thinking about this year's vegetable garden, there are some things to consider.  How much time and energy do I want to invest this year?  Do I want to spend it putting up vegetables?  Or do I just want enough to eat fresh and freeze a bit?  How much space do I have to work with?  Or is doing a few pots of tomatoes enough for me?  What vegetables, fruits and herbs do I use a lot?  Do I have a spot that receives around 6 hours of sun each day?

green tomatoes forming

If this is your first time vegetable gardening, starting small is the best way to get a feel for it without overwhelming you.  Tomatoes and bean beans are very easy.  You could have a pot of each.  Or you could have an 'Italian" pot of a tomato, basil and chives.  The easiest tomatoes are the cherry, grape or pear tomatoes.  They seem to produce no matter what.  Just remember, plants in pots will dry out faster, so keep checking them.

My 9 plot sketch for year 1

 Last year I had 9- 4x4 plots that I had worked, adding some sand, Nature's Helper and cow manure, because after 4 years, it still needs help breaking up the clay soil. (If you want to save some work, choose to make raised beds, filling with topsoil.)   I choose the vegetables and fruits I use most in cooking and eating:   Carrots, peas & lettuce, Tomatoes, peppers, green beans, onion, garlic, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, butternut squash and strawberries.  (I have an herb plot besides, where I planted basil, oregano, chives, rosemary and cilantro.)  I found information about crop rotation in Jeff Cox's Greatest Garden Ideas.  He suggested making a simple drawing of the beds and label it Year 1.  Then, make another drawing, moving everything over one bed: Year 2 plan.  Having a 2 year rotation schedule helps a)keep diseases and insects from taking over in that spot and b)from depleting the soil of the same nutrients.  I found out that tomatoes are a heavy feeder and need to replenish the nitrogen in that spot...So this year I am on the Year 2 plan.  So, we will see how much difference that makes. 

bush beans

I also came across some information about French Intensive planting.  This was awesome!  Normally I would put everything in spaced-out rows, but I was always fighting to keep the weeds under control and the soil from drying out.  In French Intensive planting, you pack the square with plants so there is no room for weeds to grow.  And it really made a difference.  I had to make sure things were watered & fed enough, but the weeds were much more minimal, and the more top growth shaded the ground keeping it from baking so badly. 

So, how do you want your vegetable garden to grow?  There really are all kinds of ways to garden.  Try some things, evaluate what worked and what didn't and adjust your plan.  Just by doing it, you will find over time what works for you and your plot.  Have fun planning!

Time to start cool-weather vegetables

Okay, so those of you who have been asking if we can start some cool weather vegetable seeds, I found an awesome link for you!  It is on the side under "Favorite Garden Links".  Basically, you sign up for a free email, putting in your zip code and they will send you email reminders with basic instructions on when to start your vegetables.  You can even order seeds through them if you like.  But the fact that I can get a reminder of what to start this week is awesome!  Just had to share.

My greenhouse for nurturing plants

Some overwintering pots

I don't know if it is because of growing up on a farm or if I've just learned through life that I am a nurturer.  But I am.  I do it with my kids, my relationships and my garden.  I invest time and energy and thought. 

Our under-deck greenhouse.

I have desired to have a garden shed or greenhouse for, well, since I started gardening.  The thought of nurturing little seeds or new plants, watching them grow, taking care of their needs- it sounded like the perfect thing.  So, I started looking at all these different greenhouse plans for do-it-yourself-ers.  But cash flow always seemed to be a hurdle that wouldn't allow it to happen.  My husband and I happened upon an idea, after much thought, that has turned out to be a feasible one.  Basically we utilized the space under our 2nd story deck as a greenhouse, enclosing it with plastic, grabbed a screen door that a neighbor was throwing away and found shelving.  In our relatively mild winters, I only need to turn on a space heater when it is threatening to be in the 30s or lower.  Granted, the plastic needs to be replaced every year or two.  But, it has worked for us.

Hanging pots, big pots & little pots on shelves

I have overwintered my hanging pots, so I don't have to buy all new plants in the Spring.  I have been able to make new starts of plants I already have, thus filling my pots and beds (and  I usually have leftovers to give away).   I can start seeds in Spring in which the plants are bigger when I put them out in the gardens or pots.

A bromeliad that Aunt Judy gave me.

Just so you don't think it is always a success story, I did take my favorite color of coleus stems and put them in water to make them grow roots.  Then I potted them and put them in my greenhouse around October/November.  They were doing great till I let it get too cold and lost them when the temps dropped this month. I forgot to turn on the heater. It happens.  But everything else has done well.  I even have a bromeliad blooming because of the warm days that heat up the greenhouse to 80 degrees sometimes.

We have hammered nails into the overhead deck boards to hang pots. From dry cleaner hangers, I have taken out the cardboard piece and used the metal part to hang on the nails, bringing the pots closer to my reach. I have a little potting bench that my hubby made when we moved to Georgia.  It is great to have a workspace for re-potting and starting seeds.  But I happened onto something a few years ago when we were cleaning out the kids plastic bin that held outdoor toys.  The hinged lid was starting to break and we were going to toss it in the trash.  But I stuck it in the greenhouse while I thought about how I could use it.  Then it came to me- a bin for soil!  It is perfect, with a big opening.  No more wrestling with the bag and spilling soil everywhere.  And I even leave my plastic spade in there where I need it. 

 So, I have a place to nurture my garden plants.  It is not a fancy new shed, but I works for me and my budget. 

Starting a New Year

I love the start of the New Year with new possibilities!  It is a fresh start, a tweaking of what I did last year, in hopes that this year will be even better.

Welcome to my garden.

As a lover of all things garden, I am always on a search for new combinations of flowers; reassessing my vegetable garden techniques; and thinking about what herbs I want to have on hand to use.   So, I have been searching and planning.  Sometimes things work great, with little help from me.  Other times, I try a different idea each year with the same plant, hoping it will finally thrive.

In North Georgia, particularly North Atlanta, we have a unique situation.  We are on the edge of Zone 7 and Zone 8 on the climate map. The cold from the North Georgia Mountains occasionally reaches us (this can be devastating to some plants, but an advantageous for others); or the hot wind from the South and West can just dry up our humidity.  So, as I try to remind myself - as with many things in life - hold onto things lightly, because they come and go. 

Pansies, Narcissus, Mum and Vinca Major- a four-season pot.

Each month, I have a list of activities, written in a Garden Journal (notebook or on an old calender) that I want to accomplish.  For January, my list is fairly short, because it is mostly maintenance with existing shrubs and flowers that I already have.
My January Activities:

• Prune French Hydrangeas, apply epson salts for feeding and lime for changing color to purple
• Prune Roses to 3 strong canes when the Forsythia bushes blooms
• Feed Shasta Daisies before they spring up
• Trim back Mums and other winter-burned growth
• Pull mild-winter weeds out of beds and gardens
• Research, make plans and sketches of gardens and containers.

 

Herb garden/pots in front of vegetable garden plot in January

Now, you can tell what I have in my back yard.  Depending on what you have in your yard, your activities may be a little different.  If you don't know the bushes or flowers you have, do some research on the internet or take a sample to your local nursery to find out.  Then collect some basic information on each plant, putting it in your notebook or calender to know what to do when.  One of my go-to resources is Month by Month Gardening in the South, by Don Hastings.  Find a good gardening book like this to use as a reference.  I'm saying this only because of the numerous times I have read about a plant in a Martha Stewart magazine or general gardening book and it is information for a different region of the US.  Always keep in mind, our region can have a wet Fall and wet Spring, but our Summer sun can make it drought-like.

African violet on my kitchen counter.

What are you dreaming of doing with your garden this year?  Do you want to expand a little?  Or just get started with the pot on the back step?  I will be here, sharing a little wisdom that I have learned from my Georgia gardening experience.  Hope you join me on my continuing gardening adventure.