Happy July, friends!! I just love seeing everyone’s gardens starting to produce, so I thought I’d give an update of our own!!
We are a little bit behind, but this is our first year in our new house, in a completely different part of the state. Which means we have a new climate to adjust to, and this is also our first year actually tilling up the ground! At our old house, we used garden boxes. Not going to lie… THIS garden turned out to be a A LOT more work to get started than we anticipated!
MOVING DIRT
Drew rented a heavy duty walker to til up the ground. We didn’t map out much before starting. We just wanted to make the garden BIG, so that our possibilities could evolve over time. The garden is in a back patch of our property, mostly covered with weeds, so we weren’t losing any yardage.
He made two rounds of passes with the til while pulling rocks, and then we used a big garden rake to get up the grass roots. This was SO MUCH WORK. Like, holy cow. My abs finally made a comeback. We actually used the majority of what we raked up to make a border around the edges, and I am so glad we did!! It makes it feel more finished, provides a weed/animal barrier, and helps the kids slow down if they book it through.
Then we added a layer of compost dirt on top. We picked it up from a local nursery in the bed of Drew’s truck. The thing we will do different next year, is til in a third time to mix in the compost dirt, and then add a second layer of compost dirt on top.
Note to self: start own compost pile!!
GARDEN MAPPING
Here is a book that I read this year to prep where we wanted everything. If you’re new at this: compost dirt, water, sunlight. If you want to get into the nitty gritty, look up which vegetables prefer full sun to cooler shade. If you REALLY want to pretend to know what you’re doing, research “companion planting.”
Here is where we decided to put everything:
The sun rises directly east over our garden, and as it passes, our tomatoes and zucchini get as much sun as possible, while the lettuce gets shade for the latter part of the day.
If your brain is overloaded with decision fatigue, grab THIS little book from Growing Healthy Homes— you can spray your veggies with the essential oil from the companion plant to help it thrive. Plus, this book with give you all kinds of natural recipes for pest control. My favorite is the Deer + Rabbit repellent. In all honesty… sour cream and raw eggs are probably what my kids are stepping on in the kitchen, too!
STARTING FROM SEED
This is the way I operate: research just enough info to get started, and then forget, and scramble to save the day.
Just a friendly PSA: if your seed packets say to start them 4-6 weeks before last spring frost… do it.
We started late because…
- Family stuff going on all spring
- Didn’t know when the last frost was for our area.
- Went back and forth about sowing indoors or directly!
Indoors was fun. I’ll definitely do it again for most veggies! We used organic starter soil in peat pots, with RO water (we have a filter in our home). I didn’t buy any fancy seed kits. I wrote on the edges of the pots in permanent marker to label each one, set them in a cardboard box, and used a ziplock bag as a humidity cover. I kept them in full sun near a window all day. I rotated them between then east and west sides of our house as the sun made it’s rounds.
It worked AMAZING!!! Almost all of our seeds germinated, sprouted, and survived! I highly recommend using a spray bottle to water until the seedlings get strong enough. Less stress=stronger plants. And, keep the soil moist. I sprayed them a few times a day until they got moved outside.
One quick note on the peat pots: make sure to soak them before planting. It will help the pot break down and allow the roots to grow through easier. The pots do slow down growth just a bit, but once the roots make their way through, the plants REALLY take off!
Last tip.
Hardening off your plants is a real thing. I tried to move some out to the deck all day, and the sun and wind nearly zapped them. When your plants have strong stalks and two or more sets of leaves, slowly transition them outside. We started with just a few hours in the shade, and gradually moved the seedlings out into the elements full-time over about a two week period.
Okay… I am SO EXCITED to show you how everything is growing! Thank you, Lord, for blessing this piece of earth!!
HERBS
Italian parsley, oregano, chives, rosemary, lemon thyme, and cilantro. We purchased all of these from the nursery. I originally wanted to get a rail box set up on out deck, but this has worked out perfectly! Next year, I want to add dill. I did NOT know that herbs go to seed if you don’t pick them quickly, so next year I will freeze while I harvest. This year I’ll be looking up how to procure the seeds.
TOMATOES
Three from the nursery, three from seed! I just love the fresh smell of a tomato plant! My goal is to can sauce this fall. Crazy story- one of my seedlings was wilting so bad it turned PURPLE. I planted it just for the heck of it, and within two days it was flourishing. Nature is the coolest.
CUCUMBERS
All three plants from seed! Cucumbers don’t like to be transplanted, and even in the peat pots they tried to die on me. I just kept watering and picking off the brown leaves. Alas, FLOWERS!! I could live off of cucumbers- they are mostly water, and really help me stay hydrated. Can’t wait to pickle some, too!
PEPPERS
1 Banana, 2 Bell, 2 Jalapeños, and a Cayenne. Just the jalapeños are started from seed. They are taking a very long time to grow. I gave up on Bell peppers from seed- they just weren’t doing well and we were moving fast at that point. I’m going to roast, pickle, and can everything possible- we eat peppers a lot!
GREEN BEANS
All four plants from seed!! I replanted three of them, because my original troops just fell flat over a few days into the ground. Still not sure what that was about. These seem to grow fairly quickly. We like spicy beans in our drinks, so into the canner they go. A large chunk will be frozen for future meals.
ZUCCHINI
All three from seed!! These are resilient!! Kids stepping on them, 100 degree days.. you name it and the zuccs have withstood it. We will be slicing and freezing these!
CANTALOUPE
All from seed and all doing amazing!! These I sowed directly into the ground. We were a little late, so I’m praying these make it to maturity!
PUMPKIN
Also all from seed! 4/6 germinated and survived! I am so grateful to watch these grow. The kids will get a kick out of seeing pumpkins in their own backyard.
ASPARAGUS
Seed!! No idea what I’m doing with these, but it sounded like a good idea to try. I dug a little trough and sprinkled them in. I do know a Canadian asparagus farmer though…
CARROTS
Seed!! They are sprouting kind of sporadically, but overall I’m just happy to see growth.
BROCCOLI
All three from seed. These took FOREVER to get strong. Start early.
LETTUCE
A patch of Romaine, two Kale, and Swiss Chard- all from seed, sown directly. We even added some store bought stalks that are growing as well- just clean off the stump and plant!
ONIONS
Seed! I dug another little trough for white and red. BUT. Okay. So. I see onions. But I also see carrots. I think we got punked. Stay tuned.
STRAWBERRIES
Two plants from the nursery. They’ve out out runners, and I am SO EXCITED to have the strawberry patch started! Next year it should be quite a bit bigger!
I also planted watermelon and rhubarb from seed directly into the ground, and neither sprouted. Both are hard to grow, so I wasn’t surprised. Next year, I’m going to try both again indoors.
EGGPLANT
Both plants are from seed. These are taking FOREVER, but doing well!
FERTILIZER
Haven’t done much. I tried two rounds with the organic Miracle Grow, but I wasn’t impressed. I did it properly (to my knowledge anyways), but I think it burned some of my plants. That was way back in weeks one and two. My neighbor suggested Dr. Earth’s organic veggie fertilizer, so I’m ordering that soon! (Someone smack me if I haven’t done it yet!!)
BUT. If you start noticing leaves getting eaten, 1 capful of Thieves Household Cleaner + 10 drops peppermint eo in a 16oz spray bottle filled with water is an AWESOME effective + nontoxic repellent! I’ve been using it for a few months now, and it works every time. Spray every week or two, or after a heavy rain. Preferably in the shade, so that the sun doesn’t burn your plants!
Nature is the coolest. It’s grown so much, just in the few days since I took these photos! Please good Lord, continue to breathe abundant life into this little patch of land! It’s truly such a joy and calming aspect of my day!
Thanks so much for stopping by!! How are your gardens going?
