Look! The snow is gone! Ever since we moved into our house, I have been dreaming of starting a garden -- and finally, the time is upon us! Even though it's still cold outside, spring is in the air. My sweet neighbor Kathy was so kind to share some of their home-grown veggies with us last summer when we moved in, and she recently came over to give me some advice on starting my own garden!
Some people start plants indoors until it gets warm enough to transplant them outside into their garden (after the last frost). In an attempt to avoid being completely overwhelmed in my first year, I'll plan to plant some seeds directly in the ground (lettuce, spinach, etc.) and buy starter plants from a nursery for others (broccoli, tomatoes, peppers).
I'll need to fence the garden in to keep all of the little critters out -- we will likely have rabbits and groundhogs to worry about!
I found this garden planning tool which I'm using to map out my garden. Here's what it looks like so far! Any master gardeners out there? Am I planning something totally wrong? Please let me know!
So I'm thinking... 4 feet by 9 feet should be a large enough to give us plenty of vegetables but hopefully not so big that I'll get overwhelmed. I plan to plant:
(rows from left to right)
- Loose leaf lettuce
- Spinach
- Green and yellow beans
- Green onions and radishes
- Tomatoes and sugar snap peas
- Banana peppers and cucumbers
- Bell peppers and kale sprouts (hybrid between kale and brussels sprouts!)
- Cauliflower and broccoli
- Zucchini
I also plan to plant a few things on my deck (herbs and cherry tomatoes) - so I can just walk right out there and pick a few things while I'm cooking dinner!
Stay tuned for updates and progress :) Next up, finding the perfect spot and buying supplies!