I have come to realize that for me, gardening is therapy.
	I love it when, in the middle of February with the snow piled high and winter winds blowing, I pull out my pots, soil, and seeds and begin the next year’s garden. There is something wonderful about getting up to my elbows in earthy soil and watching as tiny plants pop up and begin to grow. Some people start seeds indoors because it’s cheaper, others because they grow special varieties. I do it because I need to combat the winter blues and remind myself that Spring will come again, probably sooner than I think.
	It’s not long until we start having deceptively warm days in March. They fool you into thinking Spring has arrived, but I know better! I just hours we’ll have inches, sometimes feet, of new snow on the ground. I love to take advantage of those days–after being pent up all winter, it feels so good to bend, stretch, and strain as I refill my beds and prep them for peas and onions. I generally avoid exercise (unless you count chasing an active 5 year old boy), and I end up being sore for a week. But, it’s a good, happy kind of sore.
	Soon comes April, and I get so excited to buy new seeds, spending hours trying to decide which varieties will grace my gardens again, and which will make their premier. Even after planting seeds and starts, it can be hard to believe anything is really happening underground. Gardening takes a little faith. A great gardener I know once told me “Don’t worry, those plants want to survive. You don’t have to DO much, just LET them grow.” And it’s true–every little seed comes programmed to become a plant, and will do all it can to get there.
	In May, gardening begins in earnest. Of course some seeds, starts, and transplants are already in, but they are still small plants and nothing is producing yet. But week after week a new type of seed can be planted (so exciting!), and this is when I switch from hand watering to irrigation. I love the hours I get to spend outside, getting freckled, and working quietly while my son plays nearby. Hands in the dirt, sun on my face–it’s hard not to feel more grounded and connected to the earth.
	Now, one thing you need to know is that I have farmer blood in my veins, but I’m living in the suburbs. That’s the reason I do square foot gardening–I simply don’t have room to do more. But there is a part of me that wants to till up my entire .20 acre and really go for it. I planted two peach trees this year, but we don’t seem to have the space for the raspberry bushes, grape vines, apple, pear, and cherry trees I want. And that doesn’t even consider the chickens (yes, I want to build a chicken coop and eat the eggs).
	I come from a long generation of farmers. My grandfather was a farmer, and so was his father. And his father, and his, and. . . well, you get the picture. Gardening is in my blood, and somehow it connects me to the generations of my ancestors who grew all the food they ate, and kept chickens, a horse, and a few goats. My mom used to make me help weed the garden, and I hated it. I swore that when I was older. . . which reminds me of a saying, “Make your words sweet and tender, for someday you may have to eat them.”
	My grandfather passed away just shortly after harvesting all his potatoes and cabbages. He had recently put a bunch in my mom’s car to take to the local soup kitchen. A few hours later he had a sudden heart attack. As my mom drove around making funeral arrangements, she could hear the cabbages rolling around in the back seat. I can’t tend my potatoes or water my carrots without thinking of him. I just realized that he is why I grow cabbage. Who eats cabbage?
	Now it’s June and I’m in heaven as I harvest peas and spinach. I love visiting my garden every day, stopping to check on every plant to see how it’s growing. I poke around my onions to see if the bulbs are growing (they are!) and I’m amazed that my garlic shoots are looking less green and from what I can tell, there are full heads of garlic under there! My son is ecstatic when I let him pull a half-grown carrot and eat it.
	I must admit, in July my devotion wanes. It’s the heat. So hot. I still visit (in the evenings, while my son jumps on the trampoline and my husband plays guitar and sings quietly), but often it’s just functional–to harvest, support, water, replant. Gardening is just less romantic when you’re pitting out (that’s a really refined way my sisters and I describe when you sweat until you have big rings of wetness under your arms). I love my garden, I do, but by July I’m getting tired of it. And I don’t even have to weed! I can’t imagine the poor weed-garden people.
	August comes and I force myself to plant some fall crops. It’s still really hot, and I’m officially “burned-out”. The good news is, harvest is in full swing–I’m bringing in arm fulls of tomatoes, peppers, and green beans. At some point we get to get to eat the carrots–they are so, so sweet and delicious. And we start digging up the potatoes for a family delicacy, potatoes-tomatoes-and-mayo. Fresh potatoes cut into chunks, boiled or steamed, topped with home-grown tomatoes, and smothered in mayonnaise.
	Soon I am canning salsa! My cousin and I work together and divide our spoils–it reminds me of the “olden days” of quilting bees and barn raisings. Women, getting together while the children play and get hotter than Hades as they chop, mix, boil, and seal up the jars. Man, I HATED doing all this stuff when I was a kid, and now I can’t resist it. This year I hope I can do some pickles. Pretty soon I’m going to be entering stuff in the county fair!
	September is one of my favorite months. The heat subsides, and the peaches are on. I can at least 2, sometimes 3 dozen jars. Nothing is better than my mom’s peach pie recipe, made with home-canned peaches! The squash and pumpkins are almost ready, and I get a little sad, as, square by square, my garden is pulled up and the harvest is over. It’s a relief, but I know I’ll miss it soon. Because soon the snow will come, the ground will freeze, and I won’t be able to wait until it’s February again.

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No, I have not dropped off the face of the earth, and my square foot  garden is not dead. But last week we were on vacation, so I’ve been busy getting ready, enjoying our family reunion, and recuperating! I was going to post before we went, but I decided not to let the whole world know we were away from home.

My garden is growing! The day before we left I was able to put up my tomato trellises. Of course, I went to take pictures and my battery was dead. So here they are, one week later:

You can’t see it very well in this photo, but some of the tomato plants are already taller than the firs tlayer of netting. I was hoping to “upgrade” from PVC to aluminum, but time and money didn’t allow. There’s always next year! Along the left-hand side is parsley, cabbage, and broccoli. They are getting really big, but so far not competing with the tomatoes. The tomatoes are Better Boy and Early Girl, both indeterminate.

This is my garlic and determinate tomatoes. There are 3 Roma, a Celebrity and a Champion. Also, I have a vertical trellis along the left for my Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes, which are indeterminate.

Here are my sad looking pepper plants. I pulled out one dead one and another infected one this morning. They are just not thriving. We’ve had a cool June with a lot of rain, so perhaps they are waiting for the heat. Any pepper experts who have advice–please comment!

Last year my tomatoes had disease, but I still got about 20 pounds out of them. This year my tomatoes are absolutely flourishing! There is supposed to be a row of beans between the cukes on the left and the potatoes. They aren’t doing so well–a little crowded by the potatoes and totally chomped on by roly-poly bugs.

I’m tempted to do a whole box of potatoes next year, since they practically take up the whole box anyway!

My peas, onions, carrots, and spinach have been FANTASTIC this year. I think the cool temperatures have helped. I poke around the onions, and they are starting to bulb and get bigger. The peas have been producing a TON, but we eat most of those fresh off the vines. They’ve grown so tall they are above the trellis now.

The two blank spots were spinach. I had a nice harvest the week before we left (made a spinach salad), and then we were gone for a week. When I came home they were all flowering and going to seed, so I pulled them up and harvested every last leaf. This is the best success I’ve had with carrots as well. They seem to love the shade provided by the onions.

Here are the peas I harvested as soon as we got home. I’ll post a yummy recipe later this week.

And this is my spinach harvest. This filled one gallon and one quart-sized bag. I’l post my spinach recipes too!

Filed under: 2009 | 4 Comments »

Although square foot gardening reduces 99% of weeding, it doesn’t control all those pesky pests and diseases. While I am personally not averse to occasional use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, I always try an organic method first.

Fertilizer

In his book, Mel talks about the necessity of using multiple kinds of compost or better yet, making your own! If you spend the money on good compost, you reduce the need to add extra fertilizer at all. By mixing and matching different compost you create a nutrient rich environment for your plants. Since you add compost every time you plant, you don’t even have to worry much about rotating where certain plants are grown. If you have been cheap about it, and only used one type of compost, you may need to supplement with fertilizer.

My cousin introduced me to the books by Jerry Baker. I will say, they aren’t well organized, but they contain mountains of organic solutions to gardening problems. For example, here is his recipe to promote growth of tomatoes and melons:

Energizing Earthworm Elixir
2.5 pounds earthworm castings
1/4 pound Epsom salts
2 tablespoons instant tea

Combine and put 1 cup under each transplanted tomato or melon before planting.

Pests
I have personally struggled with cabbage worms, spider mites, and aphids. Here are a few solutions to these common problems:

Spider Mite Fighter
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 tablespoon buttermilk
2 quarts water

Combine and apply with a spray bottle. This suffocates the spider mites.

Cabbage Worm Killer
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

Combine and sprinkle on cabbage. After they eat it, the flour expands and kills the worms.

To fight aphids, I plant a little basil nearby. I have 10 times less aphids on my lettuce when I do this.

Disease
There is nothing more frustrating than watching your plants suffer and die from disease. Even though I live in an arid climate with almost no humidity, my zucchini and squash always suffer from powdery mildew. I think it’s because the leaves get watered by the irrigation from the lawn and nearby park. This concoction works, but you have to be regular and diligent about applying it.

Powdery Mildew Manager
2 quarts water
1 tablespoon Murphy’s Oil Soap
2 tablespoons baking soda

Combine and apply with a spray bottle. Catch it early or you might need to resort to stronger chemical methods.

These are just a few of the many many “recipes” found in the book. If you are interested in chemical-free gardening, I highly recommend purchasing it!

Happy gardening!

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First, I am going to cover several other options for watering your garden.

Bucket Method

The simplest of all watering methods is this:

A bucket of sun-warmed water, with a cup or pitcher to pour. This is the method I use until I turn on my irrigation system. In his book, Mel Bartholemew suggests using a cup, and watering one cup per plant. That is a little too much tedious dipping for me, so I’ve upgraded to a pitcher. He recommends “sun-warmed” water because it gives the soil and plants a little heat boost, which is nice during cooler weather.

The advantages of this system–it’s cheap, and anyone can do it! It also keeps you in your garden on a regular basis, tending those plants. You are more likely to notice early signs of damage or disease. The disadvantage is, when it gets hot you have to water every day, and I get tired of sweating it out just to give my plants a drink. Also, you have to find a friend to come water if you go on vacation.

Hose Method

Another option is to water your garden with a hose. Again, this is inexpensive and easy for all, but like the bucket method, you have to be around to do it. Some plants don’t do well with a lot of water applied to the leaves. You are more likely to have problems with mold and fungus. Also, it’s hard to ensure a very even watering. Also, some plants require deep watering, which is difficult to achieve with a hose.

Combination Method

In between spraying with a hose and having an automated drip system there are lots of options.

• Soaker hose
• System of PVC and spray nozzles that hooks up to the hose
• System of drip irrigation that hooks up to the hose
• Timer connected to the hose to automate watering
• Automated irrigation using spray nozzles

All of these share some of the advantages and disadvantages described above.

Automated Drip Irrigation System

If you can, using an automated drip irrigation system is ideal. You can adjust the amount of water for each type of plant, it only needs to be managed a few times per season, and it allows you to go on vacation and know your garden is being watered on schedule! The ONLY disadvantage is that it does not make you visit your garden so often, so you might miss early signs of disease or distress among your plants.

Building your own irrigation system is not for everyone, but it’s not as hard as you might think! All you really need is determination and a good plumbing/irrigation supply store. I love my local BJ Plumbing–they are experienced, helpful, and they carry quality parts. While you can buy irrigation supplies at a discount home improvement store, I don’t recommend it. The quality of some of the products is not as good, and the advice is hit and miss.

The first part in your irrigation system is a valve dedicated to your garden. If you don’t have a separate valve, you’ll have to use one of the methods described above. This is because you cannot put a low-pressure drip system on the same line as a high-pressure sprinkler system.

Here’s what a valve looks like:

You can see I have four valves in this box. The middle right valve is for my gardens on the west side of my house. The next part is the pressure reducer. Here is one of those:

This particular part includes a filter in it–if not, you’ll need both a pressure reducer and a filter. Every spring you’ll want to clean out the filter. To connect from the valve to the pressure reducer, I suggest you get some advice and parts from the plumbing supply. It’s a little complicated to explain it (though easy to do) and depending on your equipment you will need different supplies.

Now we get into pipe. There are three kids of pipe I use in my irrigation system:

Funny pipe is really strong and thick, and it would be used somewhere before the pressure reducer, depending on how you built your irrigation system. You may not use it at all.

Drip pipe is the same diameter, but it is much thinner. Finally you can see the small drip pipe with emitters built in.

Other parts:

So, after the pressure reducer you put the drip pipe, to a drip pipe connector. They can be elbows, or tee’s like this:

Then, you create a network of pipe to cover the garden. I’ve done two versions of this. With the first, I ran drip pipe across the top of the bed, and then down the sides, and finished with a figure-8.

In between the drip pipe I used small pipe with built in emitters, connected with small connectors. I used the punch to poke a hole in the drip pipe, then popped in the connector. It helps to wear gloves when putting all of this together. Just a little easier on the hands! It looks like this:

Here is a picture of the finished product:

If you look closely you can see my valve box, then pressure reducer, drip pipe, t-connector, drip pipe down the sides ending in figure-8, small drip with built in emitters running between. You don’t see the bottom left connector–it is also a tee that uses drip pipe to connect to the next garden.

I found with this setup it was hard to get all the small drip pipe even, and they don’t like to stay where they are. It also felt like the corners and edges by the large drip pipe were not watered evenly and predictably.

So, this year I “upgraded” to this system. I didn’t use any small drip pipe (which saved $), but ran 3 drip pipes, one down the center, and the other two centered between that pipe and the sides of the boxes.  At the bottom I connected them with elbows, so it’s a closed loop. I punched holes, and popped in my drip emitters:

You can choose different flow for the emitters–how many gallons per hour. By choosing different emitters, you can provide for the different water needs of each plant. It’s not easy, but it is possible to remove these and switch them around.

The final product:

I love this system because it’s rigid and stays in place fairly well. If I do need to anchor it, a few key spots is all it takes. I haven’t tested it (I just built it!) so I don’t know how well and evenly it waters. I’m hopeful, though!

If you have built an irrigation system for your garden, I’d love to hear about it! Describe what you use, and the relative advantages and disadvantages.

Happy Gardening!

Filed under: How To | 7 Comments »

Some of my friends and favorite cousins have gotten together to create a network all about food storage. It is FULL of great information about planning, buying, and eating both long and short term food storage. If you’re you are at all interested in being prepared, go to their site and check it out!

As the weather warms, they wanted to offer their readers information about gardening, so below you can watch their webisode featuring me!

The truth is I never look so clean and fresh when I garden, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to appear in my work clothes and bandanna. Maybe next time!

Happy gardening!

Filed under: How To | 3 Comments »

I have some gardening friends, and I am always tempted to begin conversations with the nursery rhyme. I resist. . . but just barely.

My garden is growing–despite the crazy weather throughout the month of April. This is the same garden bed that was covered in nine inches of snow just three weeks ago!

On top are peas. Several are about 2″ tall. When I saw that some of the seeds didn’t germinate, I replanted those spots.

Next is my row of carrots. You can’t see it in this picture, but they have JUST started coming up. Bottom left is onions, and bottom right is spinach.

Check out my garlic! I planted these last fall, and they’ve gotten huge.

I’ve always struggled with root and bulb veggies (onions, garlic, carrots, beets), so I’m hoping this proves to be a good omen for this year’s crops!

Finally, here we have broccoli (top 4 plants), cabbage (next 2) and parsley (bottom 2 plants). These were transplanted during week -3, and this photo was taken one week later (week -2).

Filed under: 2009 | 10 Comments »

Since I posted about this last year, I have improved my methods and wanted to share!

Supplies:

• Seeds
• Peat pots (Jiffy size 3)
• Potting soil
• Bucket (the size you’d use for mopping)
• Labels (I use bendy straws)
• Permanent marker
• Pencil
• Storage containers with lids
• Heat lamp (super cheap from Home Depot)
• Grow lights (I use two shop lights)
• Fertilizer (optional)

To begin with, I always refer back to my garden plan to determine how many plants I need to start. This year I wanted 4 broccoli, 2 cabbage, and 2 parsley plants.  To be safe, I decided to start 6 broccoli, 3 cabbage, and 3 parsley. IF all the seeds germinate and IF all the plants survive hardening and THEN survive a few days after transplanting, only THEN do I give my extra plants to a friend!  I need 16 peppers and 8 tomatoes so I just did one extra plant for each variety I am growing.

I count out the pots, then fill my bucket with potting soil. I bought the type of soil that is supposed to feed the plants for up to 3 months. I put it in the sink, and turn on the water. I mix it with my hands until I have a good layer of damp (not sopping wet) soil.

Then I use my hands–they are already filthy–to fill each pot. I write on each label, and put it in the soil.

I open one seed packet at a time, poke holes with my pencil, place 2-3 seeds in each hole, then cover. Then it’s on to the next packet!

Once all my seeds are planted I place the pots into a storage tupperware and water them well. Again–not sopping wet or the seeds will rot.

With the lid on and placed in a warm spot (I put mine under a heat lamp), the seeds germinate really quickly. The lid keeps everything moist and warm–perfect conditions for those little seeds.

After the seeds germinate I take the lid off and place them under the grow lights. After a couple of weeks I thin down to just one plant. A little hint on this–I often leave the smallest plant, especially if the big ones are leggy. It’s painful to snip away at those baby plants, but I remember that I have several extras as backup, and I’m okay.

I keep the grow lights really close to the plants so they don’t get too tall and “leggy.”  My broccoli and cabbage responded so well–I had nice bushy plants. My tomatoes seem to be a little tall, but I don’t mind since I can plant them “sideways”. After a month or so I fertilize, and again every 2-3 weeks.

When it comes time to harden off the plants, I just carry the containers outside and set them in the shade.  I hardened off my broccoli for a week, but I’ve been taking my tomatoes and peppers outside already, even though I won’t transplant them for at least 3 more weeks. The plants do better with wind and sunshine!

So the main changes I made were PEAT POTS and STORAGE CONTAINERS. Here is why–the peat pots made it easy to tell when the plants needed watering. Also, I felt like those plants watered more evenly than the plastic pots (I had to do some plastic pots because I couldn’t find enough peat pots when it was time to plant). Also, the peat pots fit much better into the storage containers. I could fit 12 peat pots in the space that held only 4 plastic pots. They are small enough to fit, but large enough to accommodate the plant from start to transplanting in the garden. No need to “upsize.”

The storage containers made it easy to water from the bottom and kept things really clean (relative to a shallow tray). The best part was how easy it was to move them around–I am able to take them outside during the day and move them back in at night without difficult or a mess!

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I’ve had several requests for information about herbs, so here it is!

Basil

Basil is one of the most popular herbs to grow-there is nothing better than cooking with fresh basil! For earliest basil production, start seeds indoors 6 weeks before the last frost date. Harden off, then transplant the week of the last frost date. If you’re not in a big hurry, just wait until the week of the frost date to plant outside. Harvest leaves as you need them, leaving about 4 per stem. Be sure to pinch off the growing tips, since this promotes more bushy side-growth.

One of the biggest benefits of basil that I have experienced–aphids don’t like it. So, I plant one in every square foot of lettuce and next to my tomatoes.  If you’re growing them as “helpers”, squeeze them in anywhere (like the middle of 4 lettuce plants, or the edges of tomatoes). If you want to dedicate an entire square to basil just plant 1 per square.

Chives

I’ve personally never grown chives, but here is what I researched. Start seeds indoors 10 weeks before the last frost date. Harden off, then transplant the week of the frost date.  Or, plant outside the week of the frost date. Warning–chives take about 3 weeks to germinate, so it will be a while until you can harvest them if you start outside. You can also buy chive transplants. Plant 9 per square.

Harvest by cutting up to 1/3 off the ends after they reach 6″ tall.  Chives are a perennial plant, and will multiply. You’ll need to divide them every 2-3 years.

Cilantro

Personally, I think there is nothing better than fresh salsa with cilantro! I’ve gotten mixed reviews about starting cilantro indoors, but since some sources say you can, I say go for it! Start seeds indoors in peat pots 6 weeks before the last frost date. Harden off, then transplant the week of the last frost date–be careful not to disturb the roots. You can also plant them outside the week of the frost date. Plant 4 or 9 per square.

Harvest leaves anytime after they reach 6″ tall. My experience is that cilantro will bolt (flower and go to seed) when it gets hot. So if you can, choose a partially shaded spot for this herb.

Dill

I developed a love for dill when I lived for a short time in Eastern Europe. I know it’s not such a popular American herb (with the exception of using it for pickling), but I love to cook with dill! Again, my sources do not suggest starting dill inside. But I have for two years, and it’s been very successful!

Start indoors 6 weeks before the last frost date.  Harden off, then transplant the week of the last frost date. Or, plant outside the week of the last frost date. Plant 1 per square.

Harvest leaves before the flowers appear, and store them in the fridge in a cup with a little water. Or, you can freeze it. If you want to use the seeds, wait until the lower part of a seed cluster is ripe. Dill can grow rather tall, so you may need to support it if your garden is subject to a lot of wind.

Garlic

Plant garlic bulbs in the fall, during October and November. You can purchase garlic through a catalog, or just use some from the grocery store.  Plant the largest bulbs pointy side up, 1-3 inches below the surface. Plant 4-9 per square.

Harvest in the summer after tops have fallen over, but before they have dried out.

Mint

Mint is a weed. Okay, not technically but it spreads and grows like a weed. For this reason, I do not suggest planting mint in the garden. Either keep it in a pot, or in a contained section of a flower bed. Buy a transplant, or get a little start from a friend or neighbor. Plant it, and away it will go! It will send out runners and spread relatively quickly.

To harvest, cut back a stem to 2 leaves.

Oregano

Start seeds indoors 6 weeks before the last frost date. Harden off, then transplant the week of the last frost date. If you’re not in a big hurry, just wait until the week of the frost date to plant outside.  Plant 1 per square. Harvest leaves as you need them, leaving about 2 per stem.

Rosemary

Start seeds indoors 10 weeks before the last frost date. Harden off, then transplant the week of the frost date.   Plant 1 per square.

Thyme

Start seeds indoors 6 weeks before the last frost date. Harden off, then transplant the week of the last frost date.  Plant 1 per square.

Filed under: Veggies | 5 Comments »

Just a heads up that I’ve made some changes on my post about Building versus Buying a Square Foot Garden. The sites I referred to changed both the prices and the offerings. If you’re in the market to build or buy, be sure to check it out!

Happy Gardening!
Emily

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I knew it was supposed to snow today. That’s why I didn’t transplant my broccoli and cabbage-this year I’m playing it safe. I thought, “I’ll have to wait until Friday.” Well, I might be waiting slightly longer now. Here is my garden this morning:

In case you’re wondering what this is a picture of, I’ll tell you. It’s my garden wtih 9″ of snow on it. Yes, April 16 and 9″ of snow. For reference, here is what this very same square foot garden bed looked like just a few days ago:

Filed under: 2009 | 7 Comments »