(I'm teaching two half-hour classes of Vegetable Gardening 101 for a Relief Society meeting tonight and I'm using my blog to organize my thoughts. The theme of the night is A Thyme and a Season. The other presenter is focusing on herbs and flowers and I will not mention them here. But they're fun too. Also, my presentation is specific to southeast Michigan and my own experiences with gardening, it is not meant to be an exhaustive overview of the subject.)
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
how many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?
- English Nursery Rhyme
A Plethora of P's for Producing a Peck of Pickled Peppers
So how's Farmville working out for you? Harvested anything yet? What did you do with your harvest? Jar of Salsa? Garden fresh salad? Pizza sauce? Yah, I didn't think so. Winter's almost over my dear and it's time. Time to put down your phone or mouse and put on a pair of gardening gloves. Let's dabble in reality for a season.
Purpose
Everyone has their own purpose for starting a garden. My number one reason: Vegetables taste better if you grow them yourself. Seriously. A homegrown tomato, with just a dash of salt, tastes far superior to its mealy and bland counterpart found at the grocery store. Beyond taste however, I've found home gardening to be more economical, environmentally friendly, and well, it's just a lot of fun. Keep a purpose in mind though as you begin your garden. You'll want to remember it when the midday sun is beating down on you as you crawl through the dirt looking for weeds. Also you'll be able to remind your children when it's their turn to do the same. "Remember kids, this is fun!"
Now that you have your purpose, it's time to create a plan. Always have a plan. It's just easier that way. Grab a notebook and write down what you want and how you want to accomplish it. Begin by laying out how you want your garden to look. How large will it be? Where in your yard will it be located? What vegetables do you want to plant? (Preferably ones your family likes to eat. Nothing like trying to feed your children the bumper crop of okra, right Mom?) When I first started our home garden in 2004, I wanted to dig up most of the backyard. Jon talked me down and we started smaller. Each year we have added a few more feet. Today our garden is currently 24 x 10, or 240 square feet. Remember, your garden will need lots of sunshine to grow, at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight. Hiding it in the corner where the sun doesn't shine might give your kids more room to run around, but does little to help the beans grow.
Preparing
Nope. Still not time to plant. First you need to pick out a really cute pair of gardening gloves and a hat, your hands and nose will thank you later. Enjoy them now though, cause they're going to get dirty.
Now it's time to think about the soil. If you want your plants to have the best finish, give them the best start. I wish I could take you all on a field trip to Iowa right about now. We could set up lawn chairs on any country road and watch the farmers till up the prettiest soil you've ever seen. The rich black dirt is beautiful, a perfect chemistry of nutrients and minerals. I may be biased, but it's far superior to the clay I have to work with here in Michigan.
But that's what soil amendments are for. Begin by giving your soil a test. This will help you decide what type of fertilizer your garden needs. Soil test kits are available at your local garden store. There are two soil tests available at Lowe's. One cost about 3 dollars and the other cost about 10 dollars. They are basic tests that determine your soils pH levels as well as its nitrogen, phosphorous and potash levels. This year I purchased the Michigan State University Soil Test from Telly's Nursery in Troy, MI. The cost is higher, 19 dollars, but they test more things and include a list of personal recommendations specifically for your soil. Properly amending your soil is the best preparation you can do for your garden, besides the cute pair of gardening gloves.
Now it's time to think about the soil. If you want your plants to have the best finish, give them the best start. I wish I could take you all on a field trip to Iowa right about now. We could set up lawn chairs on any country road and watch the farmers till up the prettiest soil you've ever seen. The rich black dirt is beautiful, a perfect chemistry of nutrients and minerals. I may be biased, but it's far superior to the clay I have to work with here in Michigan.
But that's what soil amendments are for. Begin by giving your soil a test. This will help you decide what type of fertilizer your garden needs. Soil test kits are available at your local garden store. There are two soil tests available at Lowe's. One cost about 3 dollars and the other cost about 10 dollars. They are basic tests that determine your soils pH levels as well as its nitrogen, phosphorous and potash levels. This year I purchased the Michigan State University Soil Test from Telly's Nursery in Troy, MI. The cost is higher, 19 dollars, but they test more things and include a list of personal recommendations specifically for your soil. Properly amending your soil is the best preparation you can do for your garden, besides the cute pair of gardening gloves.
Plowing
Amending the soil is a continual process. Each year the proper nutrients must be returned to the soil in order for the plants to thrive. Full confession: I've never done a soil test before. My primary soil amendments thus far have been sphagnum peat moss, manure, Miracle-Gro potting soil (specifically for vegetables) and last year's fallen leaves. And really there's only one way to properly get these amendments in the ground. You gotta till it in. We purchased a tiller from Craigslist for 175 dollars a few years ago. It has saved us, as well as several of our friends and neighbors, from the back breaking work of turning over the garden. The first year I planted our garden after only a superficial turning of the dirt. My neighbor Naima, who is Syrian and doesn't speak English, conveyed her disappointment with a series of tongue clicks, head shakes and a demonstration on how to properly turn over soil. That's when we bought the tiller. We till the soil once a year in the spring, when the dirt has dried out sufficiently. We till to a depth of about 8 inches. And when I say we till, I mean Jon tills.
When you are adding things to amend the soil, be sure to throw in some earthworms as well. The more worms your garden has, the healthier it is. Plus, they're great at amending the dirt naturally, if you know what I mean.
When you purchase a packet of seeds, there are several things to pay attention to on the back. First look for the sell by date. Seeds planted after the date on the package may not germinate. Also notice the map of the United States. The waves of color indicate the window of opportunity you have to plant that seed depending on where you live.
Planting
When you are adding things to amend the soil, be sure to throw in some earthworms as well. The more worms your garden has, the healthier it is. Plus, they're great at amending the dirt naturally, if you know what I mean.
Perusing Seeds and Selection
I don't like choosing seeds from catalogs. I enjoy looking at the catalogs, just not ordering from catalogs. I've never had a problem with purchasing seeds from Lowe's or Home Depot or my local nursery. They all carry name brand seeds from respectable seed companies. If you determine that ordering seeds from a catalog is what you prefer, then more power to you. Many people simply purchase already sprouted seeds, called transplants, from a local nursery and skip the seeding process altogether. This can make a lot of sense if you only want four pepper plants. A packet of seeds will produce tens of pepper plants for about a dollar. At our local nursery, four pepper plants for transplanting will cost 1.25. It's all up to you and your budget, time, purpose and plan.
Seed sharing is also an economical way of starting a garden. If five people each purchase a packet of seeds, then start those seeds and share their starts with each other, everybody wins.
Seed sharing is also an economical way of starting a garden. If five people each purchase a packet of seeds, then start those seeds and share their starts with each other, everybody wins.
When you purchase a packet of seeds, there are several things to pay attention to on the back. First look for the sell by date. Seeds planted after the date on the package may not germinate. Also notice the map of the United States. The waves of color indicate the window of opportunity you have to plant that seed depending on where you live.
Planting
Now, we plant. Here is where it can get complicated. Say you've decided in your plan, that you're going to plant zucchini, peas, beans, tomatoes, beets, lettuce, peppers, and green onions. Fabulous! Those are all wonderful vegetables that grow very well in Michigan. But wait. Don't just start pushing seeds in the ground. Lettuce, beets and onions are cold season plants. Tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and beans are warm season plants. Planting lettuce in full sun in the middle of July isn't going to produce a lot of crisp lettuce, unless it's in a container you've placed in the shade. And planting tomatoes before the last frost will yield a lot of dead tomato plants. So while planting lettuce, beets and onions in April and early May is a wise idea, don't expect your beans to do very well if you do the same. The last frost date in southeast Michigan is usually May 15th. But this is Michigan and I wouldn't put it past her to throw a snowflake or 10 inches before Memorial Day. So pay attention to the forecast as you plant your seeds.
It's also wise to organize the plants in your garden by how they mature. I like to plant zucchini. Not enough to over run the neighborhood, just enough to have some to grill all summer, bake a few loaves of bread and still have some to grate and freeze for the winter. But zucchini plants are a vine that need lots of room to grow. If you plant your pepper plants near the zucchini plants without leaving proper room for growth, your pepper plant is doomed. Be sure you have planned for proper spacing in order to allow sufficient room for growth, air circulation, and access.
I hate to thin my plants, but it's always for the best. Plant your seeds according to the directions on the seed packet, but be sure you thin them. Carrots will be a tangled mess if you don't and you really don't want that many radishes. Or if you can't stand the thought of killing a living thing, space the seeds farther apart.
Plants like to be cozy, so put down a layer of mulch around their base. You can use anything from straw, to plastic as long as it is garden friendly and fits into your plan. Mulch will help with water retention, weed control and, if you use the right stuff, add some nutrients to your plants.
Be prepared for how much one plant can produce. One year I planted 9 pickling cucumber plants. CRAZY! No family eats that many pickles. But not as crazy as a friend of mine who once planted twenty zucchini plants, thinking one plant produced one zucchini. There really are no words. You also want to pay attention to how much room a plant will take up if it is producing very little fruit. For example, and I feel like a traitor for saying this, corn. Great if you have a lot of space, but a few short rows of corn are going to take up a lot of space and not yield very many ears for the effort.
Because plants eventually stop producing, it is wise to space your planting or plant more than once. You can plant a spring crop of peas, harvest them and then plant them again for a fall harvest. That also applies to lettuce, spinach and other cool season plants. Beans should be planted every two weeks to ensure beans are available for harvest throughout the season, not just one big bushel full in late July. Keep track of your planting schedule in that notebook you started back in the planning stages of your garden.
It's also wise to organize the plants in your garden by how they mature. I like to plant zucchini. Not enough to over run the neighborhood, just enough to have some to grill all summer, bake a few loaves of bread and still have some to grate and freeze for the winter. But zucchini plants are a vine that need lots of room to grow. If you plant your pepper plants near the zucchini plants without leaving proper room for growth, your pepper plant is doomed. Be sure you have planned for proper spacing in order to allow sufficient room for growth, air circulation, and access.
I hate to thin my plants, but it's always for the best. Plant your seeds according to the directions on the seed packet, but be sure you thin them. Carrots will be a tangled mess if you don't and you really don't want that many radishes. Or if you can't stand the thought of killing a living thing, space the seeds farther apart.
Plants like to be cozy, so put down a layer of mulch around their base. You can use anything from straw, to plastic as long as it is garden friendly and fits into your plan. Mulch will help with water retention, weed control and, if you use the right stuff, add some nutrients to your plants.
Be prepared for how much one plant can produce. One year I planted 9 pickling cucumber plants. CRAZY! No family eats that many pickles. But not as crazy as a friend of mine who once planted twenty zucchini plants, thinking one plant produced one zucchini. There really are no words. You also want to pay attention to how much room a plant will take up if it is producing very little fruit. For example, and I feel like a traitor for saying this, corn. Great if you have a lot of space, but a few short rows of corn are going to take up a lot of space and not yield very many ears for the effort.
Because plants eventually stop producing, it is wise to space your planting or plant more than once. You can plant a spring crop of peas, harvest them and then plant them again for a fall harvest. That also applies to lettuce, spinach and other cool season plants. Beans should be planted every two weeks to ensure beans are available for harvest throughout the season, not just one big bushel full in late July. Keep track of your planting schedule in that notebook you started back in the planning stages of your garden.
Protecting
Once your seeds or plants are in the ground, YOU ARE NOT DONE! Now comes the care and keeping so that in several weeks you can enjoy the fruits, or vegetables, of your labor. Planting a garden is not a leave it and forget about it undertaking. My mom would plant our family garden, a space many times as big as my garden, right before we left on our annual family vacation. Upon our return it was always a weedy mess. Guess who got to weed it? And while being able to tell the difference between a weed and a tomato plant might be useful knowledge, I wouldn't consider it a life skill or anything. Uuunnnllleess. I bet she was just using it as a lesson in how to work. Nice Mom.
Your garden will need proper watering (not too much, not too little), fertilizing, weeding, and pruning. But hey, good news! You can stay on top of things with only minutes a day, depending on your garden's size. As long as you are actively participating in the growth and development of your garden, you can limit the amount of time you need to spend in it.
Your garden will need proper watering (not too much, not too little), fertilizing, weeding, and pruning. But hey, good news! You can stay on top of things with only minutes a day, depending on your garden's size. As long as you are actively participating in the growth and development of your garden, you can limit the amount of time you need to spend in it.
Plucking
Okay, I mean harvesting, but the word plucking fit my angle. You can expect to start harvesting your garden in as little as a month for things like lettuce, but tomatoes and beans will take a little longer. If you spaced your planting, you can benefit from a long harvesting season, well into September and even October. Be sure to share some with your neighbors. If they aren't into fresh vegetables like you are, then look into donating some to Forgotten Harvest or a local food bank. It's always good to share.
Preserving
The purpose of my garden last year was to create a salsa garden. I planted several roma tomato plants, which produced in abundance. The onions and peppers also did very well. I was able to can over 30 pints of tomato salsa and 10 pints of jalapeno salsa just from tomatoes and peppers from our garden. That bumper crop of pickling cucumbers a few years back supplied enough cucumbers for two years of dill pickle spears. Green beans freeze well, and so do peppers. The benefit of gardening is long lasting and although it can be hard work, the rewards are worth it. So, if it's a peck of peppers you want to grow in order to pickle, or tomatoes for saucing, hopefully you are now better equipped with the basics to begin a garden adventure of your own. Let me know if you have any questions, or need clarification on something.
Have fun as you plan your garden for 2011!
