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We finally got the garden started this year. I’ve been remiss in getting this post written, so I’m about 6 weeks behind. I’ll keep a running journal here throughout the growing season.
Before 6/24/2018, I laid out a rectangle approximately 58 feet long (East to West) and 33 feet wide (North to South). I decided to give the garden a 4-foot border all the way around in order to help keep the lawn from encroaching, so the garden proper is about 50 feet by 25 feet. I modified a Victory Garden plan from the 1940’s intended for a family of 5, substituting a few things we like for some things we don’t like as much or don’t have any experience with (like turnips).
We cut out the sod on a Saturday, hauling some of it over to the compost pile and dumping the rest down the hill at the back of the yard. On Sunday, a friend and I tilled up the area, cutting out tree roots as we found them. I’ll probably be fighting those for a few years!
I came back later that same week and spread some sawdust (from the shop) and wood ash (from the wood stove). I turned it under with my small cultivator and started marking out rows.
Finally was able to start planting about 6/16. I hope last year’s seeds are still viable. I have a bunch of them and it will save a little money if I don’t have to re-purchase them. First pass:
- Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers
- Herbs – basil, cilantro, chives, and oregano
- Cauliflower
- Broccoli
- half a row of tomatoes
- carrots
6/24/2018: planted a row of beans, 1/2 row each of zucchini and summer squash, and some leaf lettuce
6/26/2018: heavy rains the past couple of days…don’t have to water for a day or two!
7/3/2018: planted a row of spinach, two rows of onions, 1 row of beets with some help from a friend. Boy, has it been hot! Have to keep an eye on the watering when we don’t have thunderstorms.
7/5/2018: went out and watered. Herbs, squash/zucchini, and a few other things have sprouted. Starting to see progress! I’ll have to get out the cultivator and weed between the rows this weekend, as well as planting some more.