March 12, 2014

companion planting plans

I’ve looked up some companion planting suggestions and included the on my planting diagram. I’ll put carrots next to parsley. Peas away from cucumbers. Lupines next to the peas. Marigolds and Bee Balm with the tomatoes. And lettuce by the squash. I’ve never done more than the basic companion planting – add marigolds and pollinator-attracting flowers here and there. It’ll be fun to give this a try. I’ve grown hyssop for years and its great for attracting bees. I’ll put a row of hyssop, lavender and Echinacea along the front…

March 11, 2014

garden-to-be

My husband and I shuffled through the snow to mark out the edges of my garden-to-be. I’m getting prices for putting in nice fencing around the plot. I’d like 4 foot post and rail. I’ll put some kind of wire netting behind it, like chicken wire, to keep the rabbits out. I’ll dig it down 6 inches to keep the woodchucks out. Then probably an electric wire at the top (or a 6 foot extension of plastic fencing) to keep the deer out. Alternatively, we’ve been thinking we may just…

March 10, 2014

winner – most garden catalogs!

How do these companies find us??!! I moved late last year, yet I’m getting a stack of garden catalogs at my new address – maybe even more than usual. Though I do most of my reading on-line, its still nice to have a hard copy. Catalogs are my favorite garden reading. Some have so much information. I remember well many previous years, sitting curled up on the couch with catalogs, waiting for winter to pass…. Well, some years, I sat on bleachers as my son wrestled. Other years, in the…

March 9, 2014

second sowing

I planted two trays of seeds tonight. The varieties are listed here: 2014 planting list.

March 2, 2014

a weekend to play outside

My chickens got to fly the coop this weekend. We had some nice sunshine melting the snow. The girls foraged, scratched, flapped, and shook their booties. (I watched from my chair with my coffee). After half an hour wandering the thawed areas of the lawn, all three followed Penny back into the coop and hung out with her while she laid an egg. I peeked in through the window and was amazed to see her carefully poke the golf balls under she feathers. Two golf balls were in the nest…

March 2, 2014

ready to plant more seeds

I got a bunch of seed packets out and arranged them for planting my next tray of seeds. Lettuce, eggplants, broccoli, etc. I need to get to it soon, Suzie already ate one of the lettuce packets!

March 1, 2014

onion and sweet potato seedlings

February 27, 2014

building raised beds

Raised beds serve several functions. They warm the soil by allowing the sun to warm the edges as well as the surface. They define areas for walking and planting so that planting areas don’t get compacted by walking. And they define separate areas for different crops, allowing easier and more efficient preparation of soils for specific crops. I’m thinking about raised beds now, and am cheered by seeing the big pile of boards for my new beds in my front yard (getting covered by snow soon I hear). I thought…

February 26, 2014

wood for my new raised beds!

We bought a bunch of 2 x 6’s for my new raised beds. 15 and 12′ lengths for the long sides of the beds. With all this snow, it’ll be a while before we can use them, but we’re ready. Skippy loves to pose!

February 26, 2014

revised 2014 garden plans

I’ve scaled down on the size I’m planning for my new home garden. Originally I had a giant garden planned, almost twice as big as this one. But I’ve realized that I don’t need to grow much more food than I did before. Plus, since I will have a a big lawn to mow, a small orchard to tend, and my chickens, two dogs, and hopefully a couple bee hives to care for too, so I don’t want to burn out too soon. This garden version is only a little…

weeks and counting until my last spring frost

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