Spring: A Time for Planning and Planting, Renewal and Recycling
Yesterday was officially the first day of spring.
The weather was obligingly beautiful. My daffodils are coming up.
The buds are ready to burst on the crabapple trees.
Soon the air will be filled with the fragrance of their flowers, the lawn will be littered with white petals, and the trees will no longer be bare but will be blanketed in layers of tiny, white and pink flowers.
This is spring on our farm. It’s my favorite time of year.
Yesterday, I planted seeds and transplanted sprouts to prepare for this year’s garden.
Due to my health, I had to pare back my plans from last year and be strategic in what I plant in containers versus in the ground. I can’t tolerate standing or being out in the heat like I did last year. So, I have to plan accordingly.
Most of my planning happens in a wonderful app called Planter. It’s simple, free, and does everything I want it to. I can set a custom garden size and then choose from the generous selection of plants in their list that I plan to have in my garden.
After selecting the plant, I place it on the grid which represents my garden. Here’s my plan for this year.
This allows me to visualize my entire garden space and plan the correct amount of growing room for each plant. It’s also a great tool for making sure that I avoid planting “enemy” plants (or worst companion plants) near each other.
If you haven’t heard of “companion” plants before, this refers to plants that do well when planted near each other. “Worst companion” plants or “enemy” plants refer to plants which actually inhibit each others' growth.
For example, pole beans and peppers should not be grown near each other. This is because the vines of bean plants can grow too vigorously and choke out pepper plants.
My plan this year is to grow plants in my garden that I’m confident I will have success with and to grow many things in containers that I will be able to harvest often and use frequently.
When planning your garden, make sure you set yourself up for success by choosing plants that fit your experience level. Some plants are harder to grow than others.
But, also, and perhaps more importantly, be sure to grow plants you’ll actually eat. After all, what’s the point of spending months of planning and careful execution if you don’t even like what you’re growing?
Think about what you like to eat and grow that!
If you’ve never grown anything before, start small and simple — one or two plants. Have some real success and enjoy it.
The biggest mistake a new gardener can make, in my opinion, is going too big.
It’s really tempting when you have the space to set out a huge garden in the spring. But by early or mid-summer, when the pests are eating your leaves, powdery mold has crept into the shadows, and blossom end rot is threatening every other vegetable in your crop, you’ll be so discouraged you’ll wonder why you ever wanted to garden in the first place.
Believe me. I’ve been there!
So, start small so you can enjoy success! Grow something delicious. Then, do it again!
Read a LOT. Watch some YouTube videos — there’s a bunch of awesome content out there!
Once you have some experience under your belt, get more containers or start a SMALL in-ground garden. Just don’t go overboard.
This year I’m doing more containers than I did last year. Some of that is based on successes I had last year and some is based on failures.
I learn a TON every single year.
My container garden this year will include tomatoes, salad greens, potatoes, carrots, kale, peppers, and possibly peas and beans too.
I also grow herbs in containers. I have rosemary, mint, catnip, chives, thyme, yarrow, and basil. This year, I plan to add dill and oregano to the mix.
Containers can be anything from small terracotta pots to 5 gallon buckets to empty chicken feed bags. I’ve used them all and they all work just fine — as long as you remember to poke drain holes in the bottom of the buckets or feed bags and water regularly.
Containers dry out much faster than ground soil, so watering often is a must.
This year my husband is helping me with a new container project made of pieces of aluminum gutter. Three pieces of 4-foot-long gutter will be capped, filled with potting soil, and hung on a vertical wooden frame.
In these beds, I will plant my lettuce, spinach, and other salad greens. I can’t wait to see how it turns out. I’ll keep you posted.
I love using recycled bits and pieces to enhance my garden. Or to build something useful for the farm.
The raised beds our blackberry, blueberry, and raspberry plants are growing in are old tires. They’re great!
Facebook marketplace is a treasure-trove of stuff you can repurpose with a little creativity and elbow grease.
If you want to set up a rain barrel system without spending over $100, go on FB marketplace and look for “food safe barrels.” You can find 55 gallon barrels or even larger containers that are food safe for $25. Sometimes less. If you’re willing to clean them out (a simple task with a pressure washer), you can have yourself a safe, clean rain collection system set up in no time for minimal investment.
Then, use the water for your garden, your pets, or anything else you want. You’re reducing your water usage and you’re recycling someone else’s materials instead of buying new plastic. Talk about a win-win.
You can also find all sorts of cheap or free containers on marketplace. You can use almost anything as a planting container as long as you can add soil and water to it. Last year, I grew a pretty little petunia in a snowman mug just for fun.
Container gardens are fantastic for smaller spaces and have become very popular with people living in apartments and condos.
Even though I live on 5.5 acres, I still use containers for many things because they’re convenient and many plants do exceptionally well in containers.
I grow food for my family as well as my animals. Some of what I grow goes to my chickens — it helps me add nutrition to their diet and cut down on feed costs which are currently sky-rocketing. Some goes to my bearded dragon — she is 2 years old and eats mostly veggies and fruits. Some goes to my two pet rats — they love fresh food. We all benefit from the garden.
As the world faces ever more uncertain times, especially with a looming grain and flour shortage, the ability to grow your own food and live sustainably is more important than ever.
Growing and preserving the food my family eats is high on my priority list this year. Higher than ever before.
I will look forward to sharing my journey and any tips I can along the way. I hope you find them helpful.
Happy Spring and happy planting!
P.S. If you enjoyed this post, you may enjoy my other posts about living sustainably, raising chickens, etc. Check them out, leave comments, and join my list. Thanks for reading!
