Dreaming of a Spring Garden

Spring Vegetable Garden: Dream Big, but Start Small

Ahhh! Spring is here at last! It's time to shake ourselves out of hibernation mode and start digging in the dirt.

As with every year, I have a lofty aspiration of creating the vegetable garden that will surpass all others. This is a hopeful season, after all. In order to keep this goal realistic and manageable, I have created a path to get the garden to where I want it to be this year.

1. Test the garden soil: done. The garden soil's N-P-K ranges have graduated from depleted to deficient. We're making progress here!

2. Add soil amendments to the garden soil: in progress. Recent heavy rains are delaying this chore a bit, but we do need the rain so no complaints here. This year I'm adding blood meal (for nitrogen), bone meal (for phosphorus), and numerous, about a hundred or so,  Nori sushi roll wrappers, cut up (for potash), as well as good ol' reliable compost.

3. Plant snow peas, carrots, and Swiss chard (the rainbow variety) in the container garden area: mission accomplished.

4. Plan the main garden with an app: done. For a list of great gardening apps, you can't go wrong with Gardenista's "The Top Ten Gardening Apps You Need Now." 

5. Start tomato, cucumber, and squash seeds: partially complete. Some of the seedlings didn't make it, so I'll try again this weekend. I also want to start some pepper seeds--both hot and sweet varieties--at this time. One thing I really want to do is to start at least 90% of my plants from seed myself,  rather than rely on bought transplants.

6. Feed and mulch the blueberry planter box: done. I used pine bark mulch since the blueberry bushes are acid-loving plants.

7. Feed and mulch the strawberry plants: in progress.

8. Transplant the four citrus trees--Meyer lemon, key lime, grapefruit, and kumquat: mission accomplished. The trees are looking happy.

9. Transplant tomato, cucumber, squash, and pepper plants: in about a month to six weeks' time.

10. Keep the compost pile going: this is a continuous project.

11. Plant green beans, wax beans, collard greens, and basil: in a few weeks.

12. Mulch the main garden: in about six to eight weeks' time. This will cut down the weeding headaches tremendously.

13. Put a comfortable lawn chair near the garden area in order to relax and bask in the garden: soon, very soon.

Here's to making garden fantasies a reality! Happy Gardening!

By Spedona (Spedona) (Cliché personnel - own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

This is close to how I envision my garden in the making.

Mulching: A Practical Miracle

What Is Mulch?

Mulch is, usually, an organic covering to be heaped around growing plants. Mulch can consist of straw, fallen leaves, tree bark, chipped trees, and even cocoa hulls (NOTE: Do not use cocoa hulls if you have pets: chocolate in any form is toxic to dogs and cats); there is also a plastic mulch on the market. Mulch is  applied in order to discourage weeds (the botanical pest, not the television series) from appearing--I would be lying if I claimed that mulch entirely eliminated the need to weed--as well as to conserve water and to deliver nutrients, gradually, to the soil. As an added bonus, mulching can help mark the boundary between garden and yard--extremely helpful if you have a housemate who has no clue about gardening and what distinguishes garden from yard (yes, a fence would help too: that has not happened yet and probably will not during this season).

How to Mulch: One Method

The following mulching method works for me: water your garden well, and then spread a layer of compost on the ground, near and surrounding the plants. On top of this compost, spread a heaping layer of mulch--I prefer fallen leaves (hey, they're free) and then water the garden again to wet the leaves (or whatever you use as mulch). You may need to top off the mulch every three to four weeks. Otherwise, be secure in the knowledge that you have saved countless hours weeding and that you are conserving water, nutrients, and much-valued time--leaving you free to sit back and actually enjoy your gardening space.

What are your thoughts about mulching? Please feel free to share your insights in the comments section. 

Christine Matthews [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Mulched snowdrops

Why Gardening? Why Not?

In recent years, more people have turned to gardening as a hobby, honoring a tradition that was practiced by our grandparents and great-grandparents. Whether spurred by the economy or a need to get back to basics, gardening is enjoying a tremendous revival. According to the National Gardening Association, the number of people planning to grown their own food increased by 19% from 2008 to 2009; more recently, according to a 2013 National Gardening survey, about two million more people expressed an interest in "lawn and garden activities," an increase of 2% over the previous year.

Gardening has a legion of benefits:

1. Gardening is good, all-purpose exercise. The digging, hoeing, raking, lifting, squatting, and similar activities will involve muscles you never knew you had. You probably want to supplement gardening activities with others, such as walking, jogging, swimming, or lifting weights, but this activity will get the body moving.

2. Vegetable and herb gardening, as well as small fruit and tree fruit gardening, bless your table with the most enticing, freshest possible foods. Store-bought produce, while convenient, just cannot compare to the fresh taste and texture of produce picked just minutes before from the garden.

3. Gardening can save you money in the long term. Growing your own vegetables and herbs, or other produce,  encourages you to consume them more often, leading to less waste overall.

4. With gardening, you know exactly which fertilizers and pesticides have been used because you have made those decisions yourself. You get to decide whether to grow organically--using compost, for example,  or to use commercial items to build up the soil, feed the plants, and discourage pests.

5. Gardening is a great mood-lifter or mood stabilizer. Whenever I am out of sorts, my loved ones tell me to "go play in the dirt already." Feeling the richness of the soil, the soft silkiness of flower petals, and the like brings a peaceful calm. Even the act of weeding can be Zen-like (yes, it can). Gardening is cheaper than medication and has none of the side effects.

6. Gardening lets you be more in tune with the seasons. Just the act of planning which seeds to plant during the cool season (what Texans call "winter")--peas, lettuces, carrots, for example--and during the warm to hot season (for Texans, this is eight to ten months out of the year)--beans, tomatoes, peppers, and the like--will heighten your appreciation of what each season has to offer.

7. If you have children, gardening can be an excellent way to teach about nature's cycles. Besides, this activity gets children out of the house and away from the television or computer for awhile.

8. Gardening allows you to be creative. You can experiment with different color combinations and garden layouts (formal, semi-formal, and informal; themed gardens, such as clock gardens--these are floral gardens that feature flowers that open up during different times of the day). You can add accessories, such as a bird bath or wind chimes. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

9. Gardening need not demand a lot of space. If you live in an apartment, for instance, container gardening may be for you. If you have a window sill, you have enough space to start your own garden.

10. Gardening can be a spiritual activity. When you are working or just admiring your garden, you are witnessing the miracle of life unfold, each and every day. You can appreciate this miracle as is, or you can add prayer and/or meditation to the experience.

What are your thoughts on gardening? Are you a veteran gardener, or are you a beginner who is eager to get  his or her feet dirty? Please feel free to share your comments.