Getting Ready for the Season


I saw these dead sunflowers on an early morning walk last weekend. Most likely, they were left for the birds to munch on after the harvest. They're lovely as they are - like stars. But let's face it, I'm ready for real live flowers, right there in the garden, blooming their hearts out.

Last weekend, I finally put my soil blocker to use. I'm doing a combination of starting seeds indoors (tender lettuces, onions, marigolds, and peppers) and directly sowing seeds into the ground. I want to see if I can go a whole season without buying a plant (not likely), so I'm starting as much from seed as I can.


Before getting down to work, I had to map out my plan. To leaf through seed packets, and hold myself back from buying more than I have space to accommodate. And to figure out the layout of the garden.


There's a lot to consider. Crop rotation, to avoid buildup of diseases in the soil. Interplanting, to aid in symbiotic growth and to thwart pests. Working with the spaces I already have, and inching  out into the yard.  There's the almighty average last frost date, the garlic that will be taking up precious real estate until June, and on it goes.

With all that to do, maybe it's not surprising that I didn't manage to do it all last weekend. This weekend will hopefully be more of the same, digging in the dirt with my bare hands, taking a moment to admire the earthworms, and getting ready for another growing season.

2 comments:

  1. I'd love love love to start a garden this weekend! I'm so jealous you've taken the steps already to get this moving. Berries, lettuce, carrots galore! I can't wait to see how this worked out and maybe even some more details on what you did - I've never started a garden before and could use all the tips I can get!

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    1. Gardens are so forgiving - for most fruits and veggies there's a recommended timeframe in which to plant, but if you're a little bit outside that, you'll usually be okay. The timeframe all depends on your location - check USDA's zone maps and your average last frost date. I'll definitely be sharing more as my gardening season gets ramped up!

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