Today, or rather yesterday by the time I publish this post, I will have begun the physical work of transforming our humble patch of sand and weeds into a homestead. I went and purchased most of what I need to expand the current two raised beds into nine raised beds. I have all the lumber needed, which was not inexpensive, and most of what I need for the fence. I hate having to spend money on a fence, but there are almost as many deer in southern Jersey as there are people. All I need to do now is buy the mulch for the paths between the beds and the soil mix for the beds. Oh! And seeds would be good too! And a few plants here and there, like rhubarb, strawberries and raspberries, blueberries, apples, and so on...
So tomorrow, which will be today by the time I post this, I will construct the beds, and go buy the ingredients I need for the soil as well as mulch for the paths. How does one make soil, you ask? That is a very good question. You are very bright. I will simply follow the instructions in Mel Bartholomew's book, "Square Foot Gardening." He recommends a mix of equal portions of vermiculite, peat moss and compost. It is light, holds water well and is packed with nutrients needed by the plants. I must admit, in my experience with it from last year, it was a pain in the neck to mix, but it started the plants out well.
Although I have most of the seed I will be planting, there are a few last minute things I want to buy. This is where I can redeem myself in the eyes of my darling wife, or DW. If I can produce a good crop of Waltham Butternut Squash, I may be forgiven for spending half of our childrens' college fund on materials for the garden. There are other treasures I hope to coax out of the garden this year. I think all of my vegetables will be of the heirloom variety this year. I am a little bit concerned about this, because I don't know if I can grow different varieties of the same species only separated by a couple of yards distance. Once I figure that out (sources should be easy enough to find) then I can plan what to plant in each of the 9 beds. This is only a problem if I plan on saving seeds to plant again next year (which I do plan on) or if I want to trade seeds with other gardeners. I think that is more critical, because I don't want to gain a bad reputation among my peers.
I have to admit that I am really excited for this gardening year to get into full swing. I do hope that I will have enough produce to pickle and can and dehydrate. These are all skills I want to practice, and it would be so much more meaningful to practice on my own produce rather than items from the Farmer's Market. I am looking forward to tomorrow, or would that be today?
So tomorrow, which will be today by the time I post this, I will construct the beds, and go buy the ingredients I need for the soil as well as mulch for the paths. How does one make soil, you ask? That is a very good question. You are very bright. I will simply follow the instructions in Mel Bartholomew's book, "Square Foot Gardening." He recommends a mix of equal portions of vermiculite, peat moss and compost. It is light, holds water well and is packed with nutrients needed by the plants. I must admit, in my experience with it from last year, it was a pain in the neck to mix, but it started the plants out well.
Although I have most of the seed I will be planting, there are a few last minute things I want to buy. This is where I can redeem myself in the eyes of my darling wife, or DW. If I can produce a good crop of Waltham Butternut Squash, I may be forgiven for spending half of our childrens' college fund on materials for the garden. There are other treasures I hope to coax out of the garden this year. I think all of my vegetables will be of the heirloom variety this year. I am a little bit concerned about this, because I don't know if I can grow different varieties of the same species only separated by a couple of yards distance. Once I figure that out (sources should be easy enough to find) then I can plan what to plant in each of the 9 beds. This is only a problem if I plan on saving seeds to plant again next year (which I do plan on) or if I want to trade seeds with other gardeners. I think that is more critical, because I don't want to gain a bad reputation among my peers.
I have to admit that I am really excited for this gardening year to get into full swing. I do hope that I will have enough produce to pickle and can and dehydrate. These are all skills I want to practice, and it would be so much more meaningful to practice on my own produce rather than items from the Farmer's Market. I am looking forward to tomorrow, or would that be today?
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