Thursday, January 18, 2007

Planning This Year's Garden

It's my favorite time of year. Time to pull out the old seed catalogs and plan for this year's garden. In addition to the catalogs, I've also discovered a great new source for seeds on eBay at very reasonable prices. And, they're great, but you just can't beat the slow turning of seed catalog pages next to a warm fire in the dead of winter. This will be my first full-scale gardening at the new house.

In addition to the large container garden, I'm going to have two smaller ones and two or three long lasagna gardens for grapes, pole beans and peas, and cucumbers. Have found all kinds of goodies in the copse of trees in the back and will use them for interesting supports. Cool-weather crop planting is just around the corner and seeds have been ordered.

I fell in love with the book by Patricia Lanza. It's easy to read, the instructions are clear, and you're a convert by the middle of the book. Picked up some Lime and Peat Moss, today, and the Good Lord has given me plenty of natural fibers. This is good.

Now, comes the great time of making charts and signs, and getting all my ducks in a row so that everything will run smoothly.

Don't know what was going on, but there were also three large plastic drums I'm going to use as rain catchers, too. Decided to make them art objects, as well, and will start some sketches. These are pretty big drums, so collecting enough water shouldn't be a problem. They're selling around $30.00, so that's a savings of $90, right there. Just to be sure, I'm going to give them a cleaning with bleach and paint a big "NOT POTENT - DO NOT DRINK!" sign on the sides.

Making the final decision of where to place the new gardens will take some time. Maybe a nice cup of tea will help.








5 comments:

  1. Hey,

    Welcome to our blog chain. Please update your blog this week at least a couple of times so other members of the chain will want to visit it several times and leave comments.

    Go here to find the other members of the chain and please visit their blogs and leave positive comments at each of them this week.

    http://the-working-writers-coach.blogspot.com/2007/01/check-out-blogs-on-our-new-blog-chain.html

    Welcome aboard!

    Suzanne Lieurance
    The Working Writer's Coach
    http://www.workingwriterscoach.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yo!

    Was fascinated by your interest in gardening. I tried it myself in the Seventies, but I constantly had a problem with the getting enough nitrogen in the soil.

    Still, like you, I found it soothing. Whenever I had a tough day at the office I could always dry out some product and relax to the glow of the hydroponic lights...

    ReplyDelete
  3. OldSage:

    Ah, yes...

    There really is nothing quite like the lingering thought of spring when safely tucked inside on a winter's day.

    Though I'm not the gardener you are, I do truly appreciate the changing seasons, the new beginnings, the setting of old things aside.

    Best of luck with your garden - I look forward to hearing how it progresses,

    tim
    http://medicalmigrant.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  4. Reading seed catalogs is one of my FAVORITE pastimes!

    And, welcome to the Blog Chain!

    Devon
    Ink in My Coffee
    http://devonellington.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have always loved the "idea" of gardening, but have no IDEA where to start.

    Any recommendations for a young rookie, such as myself?

    thanks!

    truly,
    Sylvia C.
    www.dream-imagine-soar.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete