Saturday, January 17, 2009

How a Nerd Gardens

Ever since we moved into our house five years ago, we have maintained some sort of vegetable garden. Hubby is fairly selfish with his plot o'dirt, so I have never really participated in the gardening itself, but I have enjoyed our garden's bounty. In years past, we've had peppers galore, green beans, lettuces, sweet potatoes, and we've planted tons of tomatoes and strawberries. We have never eaten a strawberry because Abbey LUVS strawberry plants and eats them. Tomatoes are pretty much the same way although we have managed to get 10 tomatoes (not plants - 10 tomatoes!) in five years... Well, this year I (the nerd) heard about a gardening method called square foot gardening which is supposed to get a very high yield out of a very small amount of real estate. I did some bargaining with Mr Hubby and scored myself two vegetable garden plots this year! Cross your fingers for me! Now, when most people decide to plant a garden, they go outside and put something in the ground. Not me! I read a book!
And then I make a LOT of lists and diagrams detailing what I want to plant and where...

Then I buy a LOT of seeds
So, now the seeds are in, we've got some spring vegetables hopefully starting to sprout in our little greenhouse bins...
1/2 the seeds planted in "Seeding Soil," 1/2 planted in Expanded Shale. We'll see which medium does better!

Today, Hubby and I spent 3 hours clearing the old soil out of the veggie plots and adding in a mix of dirts recommended in the SFG book. Pretty back breaking work - we'll see if either of us can move tomorrow. Next week we start moving some of the seedlings into the beds along with some direct-sow seeds. Hopefully we'll have a bountiful harvest this year. I'm particularly looking forward to the cucumbers. I got a pressure canner for Christmas and I can't wait to make pickles!!

N.E.R.D!!!

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