Sunday, April 12, 2015
GROWING YOUR OWN BACKYARD VEGETABLE GARDENS
A must see!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCmTJkZy0rM
Growing your own backyard vegetable gardens and completely feeding yourself, garden to plate. I hope you enjoy.
Maggie
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
WAITING, WAITING TO BEGIN THE GARDEN.....ALMOST
Greetings! A funny time of year. Still cool, sometimes warm. Winter still official! Seed catalogues, seedlings started. Want to get out there and dig in the dirt. I tried that a few days ago when it was warmer....warmer being in the high 4o's F but the ground is still frozen after digging into the first few inches. But the big compost pile wasn't so frozen for some reason.
So began doing some garden preparation. Applied compost in all the raised garden beds. Will leave the soil for when the compost pile frost is gone. I am anxious to apply the cow/horse compost to all the beds...on the soil top and the 12 inch raised garden beds. I planted winter rye in all the gardens and beds early October last year to increase the amount of organic material available to the soil. The land around here is sandy to sandy loam. Once the frost gets out of the ground in about 3 weeks will add the cow/horse compost to the rest of the soil and till it in lightly. Do not want to disturb the layers of the soil where earthworms and other organisms that provide organic material and aeration to the soil are....try to lightly (no more than 4 inches deep) till in organic materials is best.
I have one side of my garden that is about 30 feet by 60 feet that seems to stay so sandy in texture even with the winter rye and the remains of straw from mulching last year. So once the rye and compost is lightly tilled in, I will plant a spring cover crop. The mix contains field peas, oats, and hairy vetch. Designed for spring sowing, but it may be sown anytime early spring through late summer. I just caution all of you that when it gets about 4-5 inches tall, be sure to till it in. Last year I got so busy that I didn't get to the tilling until it was about a foot tall....very difficult at that height to till it in. It was a "wash" last year. Learned a lesson.
That is about it that I can actually do in my gardens, except to plant some spinach in one of my raised garden beds tomorrow, design my garden space....what I will plant where being sure to account for rotation of crops, make sure I have all the equipment and supplies I need, check which seeds are usable from last year and make a trip to my farmer friend and pick up the straw bales I will need for this year.
That's all for now! Enjoy your preparations. Maggie
Check out my new website!!!
thegardenersgardener.com
So began doing some garden preparation. Applied compost in all the raised garden beds. Will leave the soil for when the compost pile frost is gone. I am anxious to apply the cow/horse compost to all the beds...on the soil top and the 12 inch raised garden beds. I planted winter rye in all the gardens and beds early October last year to increase the amount of organic material available to the soil. The land around here is sandy to sandy loam. Once the frost gets out of the ground in about 3 weeks will add the cow/horse compost to the rest of the soil and till it in lightly. Do not want to disturb the layers of the soil where earthworms and other organisms that provide organic material and aeration to the soil are....try to lightly (no more than 4 inches deep) till in organic materials is best.
I have one side of my garden that is about 30 feet by 60 feet that seems to stay so sandy in texture even with the winter rye and the remains of straw from mulching last year. So once the rye and compost is lightly tilled in, I will plant a spring cover crop. The mix contains field peas, oats, and hairy vetch. Designed for spring sowing, but it may be sown anytime early spring through late summer. I just caution all of you that when it gets about 4-5 inches tall, be sure to till it in. Last year I got so busy that I didn't get to the tilling until it was about a foot tall....very difficult at that height to till it in. It was a "wash" last year. Learned a lesson.
That is about it that I can actually do in my gardens, except to plant some spinach in one of my raised garden beds tomorrow, design my garden space....what I will plant where being sure to account for rotation of crops, make sure I have all the equipment and supplies I need, check which seeds are usable from last year and make a trip to my farmer friend and pick up the straw bales I will need for this year.
That's all for now! Enjoy your preparations. Maggie
Check out my new website!!!
thegardenersgardener.com
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
COLORFUL AND NUTRITIOUS VEGETABLES AND FRUITS
When deciding what vegetables to grow this spring and summer, keep in mind the nutrition of plants. If you have any health issues, this chart can guide you as to what to plant so that you can support your health and well-being. And it is also fun to just have lots of color in your garden and on your plate. Enjoy!
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Wrnw1 radio interview
It is snowing out and here I am again talking gardening. For today I am listing a 30 minute women's radio station out of New Your interview with KC Armstrong. The interview is regarding my business "the gardener's gardener" and some highlight moments about nutrition and the power of growing your own food. I'll be back to write more soon!
(the interview)
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
GETTING READY FOR YOUR 2015 VEGETABLE GARDENS
Yes, I know it is -33 degrees below zero with wind chill today here in central Minnesota. Well, what a great day to be inside and begin my planning for the spring garden and evaluate what worked and didn't work last year.....and do my taxes :)
Time to bring out my seeds and what I have left over from last year. I do find parsnips however they need to be purchased new every year to assure a good crop. I look for my spinach as soon I will be able to plant in my raised bed outside my dining room deck...as they enjoy the cold weather and DO NOT grow well in heat. As I browse through the seeds, I also look for my lettuces and greens as they will be one of the first things I plant as cool weather plants. I may start some greens in containers. Containers best for greens are short in height as they have more shallow roots and do best in shallow containers. So, I'll be looking through my containers when the days warm up a bit.
I also have one half of my garden (30 feet by 60 feet) that I plan to sow early spring cover crops to enrich the soil for nutrients and then lightly till in before late spring plantings. Last year I did this in this area and was so busy that I didn't get to the tilling into the soil in time. They got pretty tall and couldn't really till them in as well so I lost the benefit. This year I am going to make sure my son is available to till them in when the plants are about six inches tall. It is a beautiful sight to see the vibrant green of the plants as they grow. They can add so much great nitrogen and organic material to the soil.
When planting in this area after the tilling I do need to make sure that what I plant prefers more nitrogen. Some plants like cauliflower prefer less nitrogen. Last year I had beautiful cauliflower plants as far as leaves but not a head formed. Will be researching this for this year. It could be that I had too much organic material as I do use straw around the plants and till it in in the fall; or the variety that I used. This also happened to another master gardener friends so to begin with I will be using a different variety of cauliflower this year.
So, I encourage you at this time to:
1. Check what seeds you have on hand.
2. Order seeds that you will need.
3. Consider growing something new in the area of vegetables this year.
4. If you have a lot of garden space, consider planting an early spring cover crop or "green manure" as these are called at times.
5. Read your garden diary from last year and evaluate what worked and what didn't work.
6. Start creating your garden on paper. Draw your garden in relationship to width and length. Include all your smaller or sometimes smaller garden areas (I have a number of smaller areas outside of my larger garden spaces).
7. Start deciding where you will plant what in your garden and at what times of the season: cool weather plants; warm weather plants ; placement based on full sun, partial sun, partial shade, shade tolerance. Consider succession planting. www.johnyseeds.com is a an excellent site that provides gardening information on vegetables, herbs and much more. Great interactive tools that tell you best time to plant what; times for succession planting; diseases and more. I personally love this site and they do carry organic seeds and plants along with the conventional.
8. And also important is creating your budget for this 2015 growing season.
9. Start dreaming of how your garden may look using differing gardening approaches such as : soil gardening; container gardening; vertical and raised garden beds; straw bale gardening or other creative approaches. And where you might place differing approaches. This can be fun.
This is just a taste to get your "gardening juices" flowing. I always maintain that gardening is scientific, creative and intuitive. Have fun evaluating, dreaming and creating....even when it is -33 degrees outside.
Time to bring out my seeds and what I have left over from last year. I do find parsnips however they need to be purchased new every year to assure a good crop. I look for my spinach as soon I will be able to plant in my raised bed outside my dining room deck...as they enjoy the cold weather and DO NOT grow well in heat. As I browse through the seeds, I also look for my lettuces and greens as they will be one of the first things I plant as cool weather plants. I may start some greens in containers. Containers best for greens are short in height as they have more shallow roots and do best in shallow containers. So, I'll be looking through my containers when the days warm up a bit.
I also have one half of my garden (30 feet by 60 feet) that I plan to sow early spring cover crops to enrich the soil for nutrients and then lightly till in before late spring plantings. Last year I did this in this area and was so busy that I didn't get to the tilling into the soil in time. They got pretty tall and couldn't really till them in as well so I lost the benefit. This year I am going to make sure my son is available to till them in when the plants are about six inches tall. It is a beautiful sight to see the vibrant green of the plants as they grow. They can add so much great nitrogen and organic material to the soil.
When planting in this area after the tilling I do need to make sure that what I plant prefers more nitrogen. Some plants like cauliflower prefer less nitrogen. Last year I had beautiful cauliflower plants as far as leaves but not a head formed. Will be researching this for this year. It could be that I had too much organic material as I do use straw around the plants and till it in in the fall; or the variety that I used. This also happened to another master gardener friends so to begin with I will be using a different variety of cauliflower this year.
So, I encourage you at this time to:
1. Check what seeds you have on hand.
2. Order seeds that you will need.
3. Consider growing something new in the area of vegetables this year.
4. If you have a lot of garden space, consider planting an early spring cover crop or "green manure" as these are called at times.
5. Read your garden diary from last year and evaluate what worked and what didn't work.
6. Start creating your garden on paper. Draw your garden in relationship to width and length. Include all your smaller or sometimes smaller garden areas (I have a number of smaller areas outside of my larger garden spaces).
7. Start deciding where you will plant what in your garden and at what times of the season: cool weather plants; warm weather plants ; placement based on full sun, partial sun, partial shade, shade tolerance. Consider succession planting. www.johnyseeds.com is a an excellent site that provides gardening information on vegetables, herbs and much more. Great interactive tools that tell you best time to plant what; times for succession planting; diseases and more. I personally love this site and they do carry organic seeds and plants along with the conventional.
8. And also important is creating your budget for this 2015 growing season.
9. Start dreaming of how your garden may look using differing gardening approaches such as : soil gardening; container gardening; vertical and raised garden beds; straw bale gardening or other creative approaches. And where you might place differing approaches. This can be fun.
This is just a taste to get your "gardening juices" flowing. I always maintain that gardening is scientific, creative and intuitive. Have fun evaluating, dreaming and creating....even when it is -33 degrees outside.
Monday, February 9, 2015
GARDEN TALK IS HERE
Well, I don't smell spring in the air however so many people are approaching me and asking me about gardening this coming spring. Starting the gardens again are in the hearts and on the minds of those who love to garden. So, it is time to blog again.
For me, I am beginning the planning process! What to plant and where in the garden. Do I have the compost that I need? Do I have enough cover crop seeds left over from last year to plant an early spring crop before planting on my north side of the garden. What kind of shape are my tools and equipment in? What shape is my drip tape watering system in. I know the timer died two years ago and I hand watered last year but like to go back to the more efficient and eco-friendly drip tape system.
Seed catalogues have been coming in and time to look through them and decide what new seeds, plants I want to try this year. I don't start plants from seeds in my house because it is so open, cool in the winter and dogs and cats live in this house and fresh green seedlings they would be attracted to. An option is to ask a master gardener friend to start extra seedlings for me when they are starting their seeds and pay a little extra for their work. We'll see how it goes.
And my taste buds are perking up with the familiar thought of fresh veggies from the garden. I love summer because of the freshness of the vegetables...pick them directly from the garden and send them to my "plate". Often their colors are more vibrant than what can be found in the whole food stores in the winter. And of course as an older "wise" women I get a lot of exercise with gardening that keeps me flexible, in shape and healthy. What more could a person ask for.
So, when you are ready, begin your process of preparing and "dream on" and create that lovely vegetable garden for this spring. Use your intuition and creative powers and have fun.
For me, I am beginning the planning process! What to plant and where in the garden. Do I have the compost that I need? Do I have enough cover crop seeds left over from last year to plant an early spring crop before planting on my north side of the garden. What kind of shape are my tools and equipment in? What shape is my drip tape watering system in. I know the timer died two years ago and I hand watered last year but like to go back to the more efficient and eco-friendly drip tape system.
Seed catalogues have been coming in and time to look through them and decide what new seeds, plants I want to try this year. I don't start plants from seeds in my house because it is so open, cool in the winter and dogs and cats live in this house and fresh green seedlings they would be attracted to. An option is to ask a master gardener friend to start extra seedlings for me when they are starting their seeds and pay a little extra for their work. We'll see how it goes.
And my taste buds are perking up with the familiar thought of fresh veggies from the garden. I love summer because of the freshness of the vegetables...pick them directly from the garden and send them to my "plate". Often their colors are more vibrant than what can be found in the whole food stores in the winter. And of course as an older "wise" women I get a lot of exercise with gardening that keeps me flexible, in shape and healthy. What more could a person ask for.
So, when you are ready, begin your process of preparing and "dream on" and create that lovely vegetable garden for this spring. Use your intuition and creative powers and have fun.
Friday, April 4, 2014
THE ENQUIRING GARDENER
Even though we are all waiting for spring to show up, we can still prepare for our gardens and start gathering tools, seeds, drawing the garden on paper, find our straw and fertilizers so we can be prepared when it is finally time to dive into our gardens and get them presentable for plantings, etc.
First I would like to encourage each and everyone of you to begin to develop an "inquiring mind" as a gardener. There are so many things we need to think about in just planning our gardens and then there are those stewardship issues we need to think about and inquire about and make decisions about. What I am saying is learn to ask questions. Learn to ask yourself things like "what is the best approach here?" Do you use chemicals in your gardens or not? How do chemicals affect the soil? How do chemicals affect the produce in the end? How do chemicals affect the environment? We are in an age where we are really beginning to acknowledge that mother earth is congested with chemicals, contaminated water, chem trails in the atmosphere and on and on. So, I challenge you to ask yourself, and ask questions. What can I do in my gardening to limit harming earth in any way.
Are you aware of the harmful affects of the neonicotinoid pesticides that are being sprayed on plants and land as an overall pesticide control. Are you aware that our insects, including beneficial and especially the bees are being consistently killed by these pesticides. Do you know that 1/3 of our food is pollinated by the bees and if the bees go, we go as there won't be enough food to feed humanity. Do you know that many of the green houses sell plants, especially annual flowers that have been dipped in the neonicotinoids as seedlings? Step out of your comfort zone and ask the "nurseries" and "big box stores" if their suppliers use chemicals and pesticides that are harmful to our precious beneficial insects. Find a resource that doesn't and buy from them. Ask your favorite nurseries to buy only from suppliers that do not use pesticides such as the neonicotinoids. Search the internet for information on these environmental issues. Share your results with others and encourage them to buy and plant veggies and flowers and other plants that will not compromise mother earth and her insects. And yes, some of the insects are regular "pests" and they are there for a purpose. There is a balance in the insect world just in all of our other animal and plant worlds. We just don't know what it is...and often want to take the easy path and be blind to the bigger picture.
So, this blog is about asking questions. Wake up and be aware of what harms mother earth and in the process US!!
First I would like to encourage each and everyone of you to begin to develop an "inquiring mind" as a gardener. There are so many things we need to think about in just planning our gardens and then there are those stewardship issues we need to think about and inquire about and make decisions about. What I am saying is learn to ask questions. Learn to ask yourself things like "what is the best approach here?" Do you use chemicals in your gardens or not? How do chemicals affect the soil? How do chemicals affect the produce in the end? How do chemicals affect the environment? We are in an age where we are really beginning to acknowledge that mother earth is congested with chemicals, contaminated water, chem trails in the atmosphere and on and on. So, I challenge you to ask yourself, and ask questions. What can I do in my gardening to limit harming earth in any way.
Are you aware of the harmful affects of the neonicotinoid pesticides that are being sprayed on plants and land as an overall pesticide control. Are you aware that our insects, including beneficial and especially the bees are being consistently killed by these pesticides. Do you know that 1/3 of our food is pollinated by the bees and if the bees go, we go as there won't be enough food to feed humanity. Do you know that many of the green houses sell plants, especially annual flowers that have been dipped in the neonicotinoids as seedlings? Step out of your comfort zone and ask the "nurseries" and "big box stores" if their suppliers use chemicals and pesticides that are harmful to our precious beneficial insects. Find a resource that doesn't and buy from them. Ask your favorite nurseries to buy only from suppliers that do not use pesticides such as the neonicotinoids. Search the internet for information on these environmental issues. Share your results with others and encourage them to buy and plant veggies and flowers and other plants that will not compromise mother earth and her insects. And yes, some of the insects are regular "pests" and they are there for a purpose. There is a balance in the insect world just in all of our other animal and plant worlds. We just don't know what it is...and often want to take the easy path and be blind to the bigger picture.
So, this blog is about asking questions. Wake up and be aware of what harms mother earth and in the process US!!
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