Organic Gardening #6 – Layout and Planting

Generally, Memorial Day weekend has been the time I’ve used to get my garden started. It’s normally warm enough for me to plant all of my veggies, but not this year! Our growing season is currently about 2-4 weeks behind schedule, and the only things I have in my garden so far are cabbage, beets, peas, spinach, and onions. I was hoping that by now I would at least have a few good garden planting progress photos for you, but…

Organic Gardening: Part 2 – Garden Planning

This is Part 2 of my Organic Gardening Series, Garden Planning. I’ve included a link to my garden plan, as well as a nifty seed starting timeline for folks in my hardiness zone! Today I’ll go over my earliest phases of garden planning, which I do before I even start my seeds. The level of planning that you do can vary, but after a few years of winging it, I’ve decided to try planning things out a bit more. I’ve…

Organic Gardening: Part 1 – Ordering Seeds

This post is Part 1 in my new Organic Gardening Series. The days are getting longer, and hopefully warmer, which means it’s time to start ordering seeds for your garden. When looking for seeds, you will find that seed companies can vary greatly in quality. After starting seeds from many different companies, I can honestly say that I’ve had the very best luck with seeds from smaller companies. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is absolutely wonderful; they are a small family…

Community Garden Excitement

Last week was my first time at my new community garden plot.  While it’s still a bit too cold to start planting, we went to work installing a new door into the garden and re-installing some fencing.  It felt great to get out in the dirt again.  Looking for a Community Garden Program near you?  Try the ACGA website. This year will be my second year with the Community Garden program.  Last year I was disappointed when the deer got…

2008 Garden Plans Update

Despite the stubborn winter-like weather we’ve been having, I started my seeds last weekend. Here’s what I started: Veggies Sweet Orange Peppers * Green Peppers * Early Girl Hybrid Tomatoes * Herbs Lavender Basil Lemon Balm * Annuals Impatiens Violas Snapdragons Pansies Cleome * Marigolds These seeds are taking up 2 large flats that I’ve left with my parents. They get a lot more sunlight at their house, and that way I can pick them up once I’ve moved into…