Planted!

The garden is almost 100% planted! I ran out of room in the bed I prepared at the back of the house so I have decided to create more beds using the square foot gardening method.

I am already freaking out at how much this gardening adventure has cost us; Ian doesn't care by the way (about the money that is). This house and this garden are most likely mine for this summer and next; I don't feel that it is long enough to justify huge expenditures on the yard. Alas, these are the perils of a nomadic lifestyle. I can choose to not have a garden and spend no money on the yard in anticipation that the yard will only be mine for two seasons or I can live in the moment, go all out and rock this gardening thing. Besides, we could be here longer than anticipated and choosing no garden would suck.

Having chosen to rock the garden I am going to go all out and make four beds by the square foot method. Two large 4' x 8' and one or two small beds 4' x 6'. The wood and the soil will be the biggest expense but since I went dumpster diving today, the wood is free( also free was some sidewalk chalk, planters and a cool little cart for G)

I think I might be a crazy person. I started this gardening adventure back in March with the intention of joining the community garden for $20. When the community garden fell through but my seedlings were sprouting I made an 80 sq ft garden bed. Now the one bed has proven to be too small; I am planning 4 more beds. I put an herb garden in the front yard and since I can't decide which of the 8 mint varieties to plant, I am going to make a mint garden on the south side of the house. The seedlings are all dead so I had to get starter plants from the greenhouse,which is why I ran out of room in the garden; all those veggies were just too tempting.

Howare your gardens coming along? Any tips for me for starting herbs and veg from seeds for next year? Help me develop my green thumb.

*I'll post some pictures of the beds at the end of the week.

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"Before and After" Amanda's Garden Plot

Oooh, makes me feel all Design Sponge .

I didn't get a garden plot so I had to make my own in my backyard. FYI it is totally against the rules but I figured that since the grass was dead anyway it isn't going to be a big deal. It took me a week of digging and raking a few hours every day but I did it and I present you with the results.

I know it looks like 80 square feet of dirt with a yarn and stake fence but it will be my 80 square foot organic garden. Already planted in that heap o dirt is two types of onion, shallots, and carrots. By the end of next week it will contain beans, peas, corn, tomatoes, leeks, potatoes and fennel.

Don't get all impressed or anything; I didn't grow any of it from seed(except the carrots) and everything should be assumed to be on death row until it lives through midsummer. I tried to impress you all growing from seed by staring some thyme, basil (seeds saved from my Ottawa basil) and mesculun in March but things did not go as planned.

As of today all that remains is one pathetic basil seedling and some really tiny thyme. The mesculun took a dive off the front stairs and I don't have any excuses for the rest. Everything sprouted brilliantly but either stagnated or died.

Help me seasoned gardeners! How do you grow from seed? When do I need to start? Do I need special equipment?

At this late date I am still going to attempt to grow some herbs from seed and I bought some mesculun seeds again but just in case I bought $40 worth of potted herbs so I can turn the front garden bed into a herb garden.


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