Gardening Notes

I am getting very excited about gardening this year. Last year’s garden ended up being such a disappointment, but I learned a lot, namely to do my research and planning ahead of time! There are several new things I going to try out this year: 1) growing potatoes in containers, 2) pole beans, 3) square foot gardening, and 4) companion gardening.

Hopefully the square foot garden and companion gardening will help maximize the use of our space and reduce the amount of tilling Joe has to do in preparation. We’ve identified several main areas of the yard where plantings may be going: the backyard near the pines for melons and sprawling things (east), box garden for the square foot garden (south), the deck for container gardening (east), along our property line for poles and trellises (southeast), herb/flower garden by the front steps (west), hillside by the mailbox (west), open sunny spot by the garage for berry bushes (northwest). The berry bushes may have to wait because of cost. Our soil is terrible, so most our cost will be spend on soil, peat, and compost. Once we get our own compost bin going, next year we can focus on other things.

The idea behind companion gardening is that pairing plants together helps save space and prevent pests. For example, potatoes and bush beans ward off each other’s respective beetles. To take advantage of this, I will plant my potatoes in containers (which Joe and I are still debating on) and then later when it is warmer, plant bush beans in the same containers. Theoretically, the two should be ready to harvest around the same time. Last year I grew tomato plants in huge round planters, which seemed to be a waste of space. This year I will use that space better by planting onions, carrots, or basil around the base. Onions can be paired with many things: carrots, cucumber, lettuce, pepper, squash, and tomato. Instead of having a centralized onion area, I will just disperse them amongst the others.

If anyone is interested I can send you some of the great links I’ve found on potato gardening, compainion gardening, what to plant for a family of four and other fun articles.