The Waiting Game Begins

The Waiting Game Begins



I had 9 wonderful garden helpers about two weeks ago help me plant my winter garden. I taught them the proper way to plant seeds with learning about seed depth and spacing. They got into the garden soil, making furroughs for the tiny seeds and poking holes for the bigger ones. Here's what we planted: garlic, onions, beets, broccoli rabe, (2) lettuce, Swiss chard, cilantro, turnips, arugula, green onions, peas and parsley.



And three days later the broccoli rabe sprouted from the soil. Now the garlic and onions are up too! So are the lettuces, peas and the arugula. Some have not sprouted yet and I am not really worried. The germination days on the back of the seed packet help us track when to expect the seeds to break through the soil so we don’t have to guess.



But now the waiting game starts. The plants will get bigger every day but the vegetables may not be ready for harvest for at least another 60 days.



So for now I am still going to the Farmer’s Markets and the store to provide my food. But soon my patience will pay off and I will be eating from my garden!!



Happy Digging

The Garden Goddess

www.down2earthgardens.com

Growing Plants is Like Raising Kids

It occured to me the other day that growing plants is like raising kids - sort of. You plant the seeds, watch them emerge, water and feed them, protect them from the cold, talk sweetly to them, ohh and ahh when the grow or produce a flower, take care of them when they get sick (aphids!) and mourn when they die or are just done for the season.
That's what I have been doing this past month. It seemed like the garden went through so many changes with all the rain we got and then warm days. I have eaten all of the broccoli already and the cauliflower matured all at once so I gave some away. Now I am looking at the openings in the garden and planning what to plant for the warmer months.  So far I have planted eggplant, tomatoes, more herbs, basil, dill, parsley, red onions, edamame and of course marigolds!

If you are just getting your veggie garden in - don't worry. There are still things to plant and eat before it gets really warm here in AZ.  Some of you may have gardens still covered in snow, so you may be starting the seeds indooors in a sunny wondow.  I love to recycle materials for that like toilet paper and paper towel rolls for the tiny 'pots' and the clear plastic carry out containers as mini green houses.

The wildflowers are are blooming at my house too! The wild areas of the desert should be beautiful this year. Where is your favorite place to see wildflowers in the wild?  I will also be getting out to one of my favorite places here in the Valley of the Sun - The Desert Botanical Gardens.  They have a fabulous wild flower trail!  What are you doing to get ready for the next growing season in your neck of the woods?

I am dressed to get out and mow the grass again, top dress the garden beds with Soil Secrets to feed the soil micro organisms before we get another winter rain this weekend.

What are your gardening plans for the weekend?

Happy Digging,
The Garden Goddess
http://www.down2earthgardens.com/

Four Weeks to a New Garden - Week One

Vegetable gardening is all the rage – but not in a trendy sense. It has become a must-have for many people who are concerned with food security and safety. Today’s vegetables are often harvested before they are ripened and shipped across the country, even the world, ripening along the way. In fact many fruits and vegetables come from seed that have been genetically modified. The seeds have been altered to produce fruit or vegetables that will withstand the early harvesting and transportation.

Today people are growing their own so they know how the food has been nurtured. Starting a garden might seem like a daunting task, but tackling the work over several weekends makes the work load lighter.

September marks the beginning of the fall/winter planting season here in Phoenix. Not sure what to plant? Download a free Phoenix Planting Calendar at the Phoenix Permaculture Guilds website.

I’ll be sharing a week-by-week plan each Friday that even novice gardeners can follow to get their gardens ready to plant between now and the end of August, just in time for getting those seeds into the ground.

Week one:

Determine what you want to grow. Vegetables, flowers, or both? There are many vegetables that do well in our fall/winter/spring planting season. Beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, all lettuces, peas, radishes and spinach can all be started by seed. Flowers can be started by seed or from transplants available at nurseries. Some of my favorites are carnation, hollyhock, nasturtium, pansy, petunia, snapdragon, sweet pea, verbena and viola.

• What kind of garden do you want. Raised beds, pots, or in-ground? Square, rectangular, spiral, key hole (u-shaped)? Each one has it's pros and cons. The available space will usually determine the shape. A spiral is good for small spaces since there is more vertical planting surface. Whatever you choose for an in-ground or above groung bed, make sure you can reach all area of the bedding area without walking on any of the soil. There are many possibilities.



• For hard ground, raised beds may be an easier option. Check out an easy way to get more garden in small spaces above ground with a concept called Square Foot Gardening.



• If you rent or live in an apartment with a sunny balcony, pots can be moved with you so consider a container garden.



• Make sure that the chosen spot has a convenient source of water and that your plants will get the light they need. Vegetables need lots of sunlight, at least six hours a day. A flower garden may need full or partial sun, or shade.




• If part of your yard is crushed granite or dirt, you may want to plant a wildflower garden to add color to an otherwise drab area. Wildflowers do well in full sun.



• Consider the full size of the plants you will grow and the amount of space they need. make the bed large enough so don’t overcrowd them when planting. Check out my blog post on August 6, 2009 for a cool garden design planning tool.



• Mark the borders of your garden using natural items like river rock, bricks, or trendy Urbanite (broken up concrete sidewalks) .


• Break ground if you like, turn the earth over, pulling out the weeds and grass and then take a break until next weekend rolls around.

If you are overwhelmed and need someone to guide you don’t forget to consult a Garden Coach like me!

Remember next Friday will be Week Two where I cover amending or building up the soil!

Happy Digging,

Doreen Pollack aka the Garden Goddess