garden planning
I got my Urban Harvest plant and seed catalog yesterday at the market, so the planning begins anew. I had started working last fall on what I wanted to do this spring, but, as it turns out, nearly everything I really wanted to try planting just does not grow well in this particular area, as it's simply too shady. So I'm working for a bit today trying to figure out what I DO want to plant that WILL grow there.
Last season, we had stunning success with lettuce greens and tat soi -- no surprise there; they love shade (we get about 3-6 hours sun in our garden spot). We had middling success with chard and beets -- the beet greens were fabulous, but the beets were AWFUL, likely from the poor soil conditions in which they were grown.
Dismal failure: carrots, mini-onions, chicory, and kale. The latter two failures are likely from planting too late in the season for the area, and the former two failures due to inadequate growing conditions related more to placement than overall garden.
I'd love to try beans, but they really do need full sun to be remotely productive, so I'm not even going to bother (if I'm wrong, please feel free to set me straight). Likewise with squash, tomatoes, and hot peppers. I'm tempted to try blueberry bushes in some shallow pots I have, but I'm not going to hunt all over for starter plants. I'm taking the "if they appear and I have money and means to get them home, I'm meant to plant them" approach. Takes the pressure off. ;)
I did buy some burgundy bush bean seeds for $3 last fall before I looked into what sort of growing conditions they need. I'm tempted to trade or sell... maybe I'll bring them to a seed swap, if I'm able to make it to one this spring.
**Can I interject here just how thrilled I am that we can start working the garden at the proper time this year?! It's soooo exciting for me!**
As for new plants, I'd like to try nasturtium, borage, and collards. The collards should work really well, since they're a green; the nasturtium is a likely success; the borage a bit iffy since it likes full sun. Oh, and I'll try stinging nettles.
I'd also like to try white sage and sacred basil. Apparently, the sacred basil is an adaptogen, according to Ayurveda. Adaptogens are awesome (when you're not allergic to them, of course)!
Replanting lavender, calendula should already be seeded from the fall, replanting mizuna, chard, beets, onions, carrots, tat soi, kale, and italian chicory.
And I think most everything from the native/flower bed is a perennial, so that should take care of itself. I think I will plant more coreopsis seed, though. The saltiness of the city compost killed all the native seeds I planted last summer. :( Lesson learned. No city compost!
Oh, and I want to get some dark red Sweet William, since optimystik likes it. And maybe some snapdragons if we can find room for them.
I hope the purslane I planted took hold; likewise, the wild mint I rooted. And I'd love to be able to corral the plantain so that the dogs don't trample all over it and we can actually USE it! Same with the dandelions. It'd be so nice if we had a fence that kept unwanted people/animals out, let in the good ones, and didn't take any light away. Maybe I'll sprinkle clover seeds where we ripped up the plantain last season. It was kinda taking over and was getting ridiculous.
Now to figure out WHERE all this new stuff is going; where and by how much to expand; and when it should all get started...
Last season, we had stunning success with lettuce greens and tat soi -- no surprise there; they love shade (we get about 3-6 hours sun in our garden spot). We had middling success with chard and beets -- the beet greens were fabulous, but the beets were AWFUL, likely from the poor soil conditions in which they were grown.
Dismal failure: carrots, mini-onions, chicory, and kale. The latter two failures are likely from planting too late in the season for the area, and the former two failures due to inadequate growing conditions related more to placement than overall garden.
I'd love to try beans, but they really do need full sun to be remotely productive, so I'm not even going to bother (if I'm wrong, please feel free to set me straight). Likewise with squash, tomatoes, and hot peppers. I'm tempted to try blueberry bushes in some shallow pots I have, but I'm not going to hunt all over for starter plants. I'm taking the "if they appear and I have money and means to get them home, I'm meant to plant them" approach. Takes the pressure off. ;)
I did buy some burgundy bush bean seeds for $3 last fall before I looked into what sort of growing conditions they need. I'm tempted to trade or sell... maybe I'll bring them to a seed swap, if I'm able to make it to one this spring.
**Can I interject here just how thrilled I am that we can start working the garden at the proper time this year?! It's soooo exciting for me!**
As for new plants, I'd like to try nasturtium, borage, and collards. The collards should work really well, since they're a green; the nasturtium is a likely success; the borage a bit iffy since it likes full sun. Oh, and I'll try stinging nettles.
I'd also like to try white sage and sacred basil. Apparently, the sacred basil is an adaptogen, according to Ayurveda. Adaptogens are awesome (when you're not allergic to them, of course)!
Replanting lavender, calendula should already be seeded from the fall, replanting mizuna, chard, beets, onions, carrots, tat soi, kale, and italian chicory.
And I think most everything from the native/flower bed is a perennial, so that should take care of itself. I think I will plant more coreopsis seed, though. The saltiness of the city compost killed all the native seeds I planted last summer. :( Lesson learned. No city compost!
Oh, and I want to get some dark red Sweet William, since optimystik likes it. And maybe some snapdragons if we can find room for them.
I hope the purslane I planted took hold; likewise, the wild mint I rooted. And I'd love to be able to corral the plantain so that the dogs don't trample all over it and we can actually USE it! Same with the dandelions. It'd be so nice if we had a fence that kept unwanted people/animals out, let in the good ones, and didn't take any light away. Maybe I'll sprinkle clover seeds where we ripped up the plantain last season. It was kinda taking over and was getting ridiculous.
Now to figure out WHERE all this new stuff is going; where and by how much to expand; and when it should all get started...