The spring garden is looking great.
Since this is our first year at our new house I decided not to plant too many things and what I did plant I only planted small amounts of so I could see what grows well and what we like...with the exception of tomatoes. We know we love tomatoes and all the things I can make with them.
The plan is to allow the chickens to help us expand the garden space for next spring with the use of a chicken tractor. I am hoping to double my space and plant much more once we decide what we like to grow.
Everything I am doing this year is basically an experiment and a learning experience. I know some things will flop, but hopefully a few will succeed.
I originally started my seeds in egg cartons, but after trying for several weeks I decided they were not going to work for me. I noticed that the seeds would sprout, but never got very big. I think it was because they did not have a deep enough space to grow good roots.
I finally decided to go to the hardware store and buy some seed starting trays. I was really trying to avoid buying many things which is why I first tried the egg cartons.
I filled each tray with a seed starting mix I bought and then planted 2 seeds in each spot. I then put the trays into clear plastic bags to create a greenhouse. Once they sprouted I either pulled out the weaker plant or transplanted the extra if I had 2 strong ones.
I was a little stumped on how to get them enough light because I did not want to invest in a grow light this year. I tried a shop light we already had and it did ok, but not great. I finally decided to just keep them warm and near a window and put them outside on nice days.
I think I will have to try something different next year. Things grew SO slow. Once they were finally transplanted to the garden they started to finally take off.
I decided try out a website called Plangarden to plot out and keep track of my garden this year. It is so helpful with keeping track of what I have and it is not on a piece of paper that can get lost.
Above is a copy of this years spring garden.
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| Garden Plot Before I got started with the bamboo trellis my husband made. |
I started planting seeds in the outside garden as soon as I could. I was so excited to get things going. For the spring garden we planted...
- Peas
- carrots
- potatoes
- onions
- garlic (planted in October)
- broccoli
- lettuce
- parsnips
- beets
- spinach
- radishes
The things that did well were...
- peas
- garlic
- lettuce
- parsnips
- beets
- spinach
- lettuce
- radishes
Things that did not do well, but I will try again next year or in the fall
- carrots
- potatoes
- broccoli
I also set up a chart in plangarden for my summer garden, above.
This year I decided to try out...
- Buttercup squash
- Table Queen Squash
- Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkins
- Butternut Squash
- Green Striped Pumpkins
- Pole Beans
- Watermelon
- Cantaloupe
- Cucumbers
- Zucchini
- Tomato
- Bell Pepper
- Oregano
- Rosemary
- Sweet Basil
- Purple Basil
- Currents (Planted by previous owner)
- Walnuts (Huge tree by the back fence)
So far everything is doing well except for...
- Watermelon (All plants drowned with all the rain we had)
- Bell peppers
Due to lack of space this year we decided to plant several things in buckets. I am anxious to see how everything does in them. I have some tomatoes planted directly into the ground and the rest in buckets. I am planning to compare how they do in the different places.
Buckets of tomatoes
Baby radishes. My 5 year old planted them all by herself.
Spinach sprouts planted by my 7 year old.
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