Testing Out My Green Thumb
This weekend I embark on my first full scale raised organic garden. The kids and I have already started some seedlings. I hope all my research pays off. I have attempted vegetable gardening many times and with a bit of success but never delved into it with this much forethought and planning. I really never realized some basic things until I came upon "The Vegetable Gardener's Bible", by Edward C. Smith. His acronym system for gardening is WORD: Wide rows, Organic methods, Raised beds and Deep soil. I had a raised small kitchen garden about 5 years ago that did pretty well using his methods, so now I am going full scale. Wish me luck!
Using the methods mentioned in the book and some interesting facts I had never thought about, I am making a raised garden out of recycled wood pallets that I have been picking up at a local warehouse that is throwing them out. I have suffered a few long type bruises along my thighs while hoisting these heavy suckers into the back of my Honda Pilot. Thankfully my technique has improved since the first load and I am managing to get them in there a little easier. The kids who are 5 and 6, have started calling me "Super Mom". Haha!
The boxes I am planning will be 4ft/4ft and in each of them I plan on planting 2-3 items. I have paired together things that complement one another. I have learned (in this wonderful book) that certain vegetables just don't do well together while others apparently help each other along. So, while laying out my garden plans, I am putting those together that work in accordance with each other. Also, I have to take into account that my trellised or vine plants may shade out other plants. So all that can shade will be put on the Northeast side of the yard, which since I am doing the vine thing, will make my garden long and not as deep. This way, when the sun comes up, they wont shade the other guys who need sunlight as well.
The weather around here is so unpredictable. Nothing will go in our garden until I know that the last frost has past. So, the big thing will be building my raised beds and eventually building a chicken wire fence to go around it. We have had many, many rabbits around this past year and I am sure they would love to munch on our garden but it is intended for us. Unfortunately, rabbits are burrowers so I will dig a small trench and put the wiring down into the soil a few inches. I also plan on making a pest control spray. While in Lowes, I read the ingredients of Deer and Rabbit repellent and I could not believe what I could have spent over 30 dollars for. It is basically garlic oil and stinky eggs. So they hate the smell of sulfur and garlic. I will add some red pepper to it and voila! I pray it works.
I should stop here. I am sure there will be pictures to post of the frames I attempt this weekend for my raised beds. The man at Lowes warned me that they will be hard to take apart so I am probably going to have to work out my method. It should be an adventure. Keep following...
No comments:
Post a Comment