Garden Layouts Dictate Observable Interest with Achievable Yielding

“All gardening is landscape painting.” – William Kent

I have been gardening in the same space for 9 years now. Therefore, garden layout planning is very important. I utilize crop rotation to the best I can. Traditionally, it would be a 4-year crop rotation. Meaning not having the same kind of plants in each spot year after year. But I use a 3-year rotation as I haven’t had much luck with root vegetables and having a black walnut tree in the yard. I also amend the soil according to the recommendations given from the soil sample analyst in the fall.

Each year I have a general idea as to where I want to put each kind of plants. After I get the garden tilled up (thanks to my husband and son for the deep tilling), I remeasure the perimeter. Then I recount how many plants I have to transplant into the garden. Since I start the tomatoes, peppers, and flowers from seed, the number of plants can change from how many seeds I planted months earlier. Then I get my graph paper, colored pencils, and ruler together to draw out a garden layout. The rows and pathways change each year. Thus, aiding in favorable soil conditions in regard to preventing specific plant pest, fungi, and issues.

Drawn garden layouts are not permanent. It may be several weeks between making the ‘plan’ and actually putting the plants in the ground. When I pick out the varieties of plants to put into the garden, I also make a list of them with pertinent information. For example, how many days to harvest, how far apart to space them, and what color changes may occur. For this reason, I can make rows in the garden before transplanting. This year, after measuring out and making rows (yes, actually with a yard stick), I switched the location of the small and medium tomatoes. The walkability between rows just felt better.

Not all plans going right. The tomatoes needed spacing out a few weeks ago but the weather wasn’t suitable yet to put them in the ground. So, I transplanted half of them into another tray. No big deal, they grew great actually with new soil and space. Fast forward to this week when I put them in the ground. Having the same tomato variety in two trays got me mixed up. I lost count how many some varieties had. I tried to put the same variety in a row together. Of course, I was mixing up Japanese Black, Prince Borghese, and Black Prince (who wouldn’t with similar names). The first two are small tomato varieties and the last is medium. So, all tomatoes are labeled in the garden. Who know, it may help to have them interspersed. Only God’s timing will tell.

Adding flowers throughout the garden is essential too. I set aside several areas to just have flowers. Having them adds interest to the garden as well as attracting beneficial bees, insects, and butterflies. Flowers feed your soul as you tend to garden.

A Glimpse at a Graceful and Valuable Garden Treasure, the Bumblebee

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” – Aristotle

The humble bumblebee delights in an adventurous garden. It will dance its way from one flower to another. It doesn’t matter if it’s a flower on a vegetable plant or just an ordinary flower. Each flower is majestic in its own blooms, so no two flowers are just ordinary. Bumblebees rely on flowers for their nutritional needs. Just as farmers rely on bumblebees to pollinate their crops.

Many vegetable plants do better with nature’s assistance in pollination by the bumblebee spreading pollen more efficiently to the specific parts of the flower. The vegetables I grow that need or benefit from this assistance are tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and peppers. Whereas beans, lettuce, and peas are self-pollinating.

I tend to grow just as many flowers in my vegetable garden than I do actual vegetable plants! I try to make sure I have flowers blooming from spring into fall. Bumblebees also like fruit tree blooms, which is a bonus in my yard with cherry blossoms and crabapple trees. Last year I had marigolds, zinnias, nasturtiums, basil, chives, and cosmos growing in sections of my garden and interspersed with the vegetables. This year I am planting those and adding calendulas, dahlias, and a wildflower bee friendly mix. I can’t wait to see the garden in blooms of extraordinary colors.

Did you know bumblebees are gentle and none threatening? They just like to do their own thing of gathering nectar and pollen. Watch them fly from bloom to bloom without bothering them. If you get the chance to see them sleeping in a flower, consider yourself fortunate. I did last year (see the big pink flower picture)! Most of the time they do this when the temperature drops quickly. It is warmer next to the pollen, who knew? Some scientists who study them and then write about it for the rest of us to research. Bumblebees can fly in cooler weather but may sleep in a flower overnight or during the day, if their home is too far.

In life, we should follow the ‘teddy bear bee’ example. Be kind to everyone around us. Be helpful to those we can. Rest in comfort when we need. Rely on God for our needs. Look for the beauty God has given us here on earth.

Appreciation for Helpful Tomato Plants and Small Changes Making Big Differences

“A garden is a friend you can visit any time.” -Author Unknown

Small tomato varieties, like pear, grape, or cherry varieties, generally don’t need a big space to grow in. So I plant them close together in a row. However, sometimes they sprout up quickly and their branches spread into each other’s spaces. When this occurs, you may notice the branches ‘holding hands’ with neighboring plants. They will even latch onto their cages (if I had enough small ones to stager among the small plants) or the garden fence next to them. Once I have observed this happening, I try to use string to make a Florida weave trellis. This way I can utilize the existing cages in the row to help hold up the smaller tomato plants. It supports the plants by alternating which side the string goes on the stem.

I have tried growing squash and cucumbers in my vegetable garden before. But they don’t seem to do well. So, I started planting them in grow bags a few years ago. Squash grow alright but the cucumbers still struggled. Since starting them in grow bags, I have to be very careful as to the amount of watering to get them to sprout. I have to add fertilizer in the potting soil every few years to replenish what nutrients were used up the year before. This year, the spring was sporadic in weather which made it hard to start them. Also, my go to fertilizer for the grow bags were on back order. So I waited. During that wait, my favorite farm stand started selling their potting soil and wouldn’t’ you know it, the same varieties of squash and cucumbers as plants! Thus, I decide to start the grow bags off differently this year and put in new potting soil and actual plants instead of seeds. I also changed where I had them located to a more sunny spot. Remarkably, they are thriving and producing a ton of vegetables!!

Ergo, small changes make big differences. Even the plants have to hold on each other until more help comes along. Your plans may be good intentions but God may say wait, wait, I have something better in mind.

Amazing Developments in a Lovely Warm Spring

“As the garden grows, so does the gardener.” – Anonymous

A short winter has led to a warmer than usual spring. So the gardener’s itch has happened earlier this year. What I mean is, the desire to plant seeds occurred sooner in the calendar than before. Gone were the days of watching the snow melt (since we had very little of it). Gone were the days of snuggling by the wood stove daydreaming of where things were going to be planted. However, there were some evenings by the fire deciding how many seeds of which variety of peppers and tomatoes to plant!

Comparison, from the years’ past seed trays successes, showed I began mine almost a month ahead this year. That is great!! The sooner the plants are started, the sooner they can go outside in the garden. Currently, my pepper plants are 6 weeks old and my tomato plants are 4 weeks old. Hence, I will need to continue to thin out the newly sprouted with thin stems. Followed by starting to harden them off. Eventually moving them into the garden. Of course, weather permitting. Don’t want to move them out when it is too cool or wet for them.

The varieties of peppers I chose to plant in my seedling tray were all bell pepper and sweet pepper ones. They are Jimmy Nardello’s Italian, Yum Yum snack mix, Gypsy snack, sweet bell mix, and mini bell mix. I will start hot peppers (Ancho and Mariachi) once these are outside fully. I can’t have any cross pollinating when I have an allergy to capsaicin (pepper spice)! The tomato varieties are eclectic from ones that have worked in the past to new ones to try. Small fruit tomatoes include Pricipe Borghese, Djena Lee, Red Pear, and Yellow Pear. Medium fruit tomatoes include Experimental, Druzba, Paul Robeson, and Jersey Devil. Lastly, large fruit tomatoes include Brandywine, Virginia Sweets, Granny Cantrell, and Grandma’s Pick.

I also started my milk jug greenhouses back in February. So I have numerous marigolds, nasturtiums, and lettuce to replant into separate containers. It still amazes me how these flowers and vegetables thrive in a container most people just throw out. It saves me money and protects my other plants in the garden by starting these so early.

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.” – 1 Corinthians 3:6-9

Exposed Ground Leans to Grand Garden Designs

“Every production of an artist should be the expression of an adventure of his soul.” –W. Somerset Maugham

As I look outside onto the garden plot, I wonder how it will look in months to come. It saddens me a bit to see just dirt in a somewhat rectangular space. Then I remind myself that rest is necessary to replenish nutrients and microorganisms are hard at work under the surface.

There are other aspects of winter which help the garden. A blanket of snow not only insulates the ground and plants from harsh temperatures and wind, it also melts slowly, allowing the ground to absorb more water with less run-off. The cold weather kills fungal problems, overwintering aphids, snails, and slugs. Some plants actually need the cold to trigger their spring germination and growth. Think about garlic, strawberries, and biennial flowers like primroses, daffodils, and violets.

In the ‘dead of winter’ is the ideal time to start planning the garden for spring planting. If you have purchased seeds online before, you probably already have received several seed catalogs. Now is the reviewing process of what kinds and varieties of plants worked in the garden last year and which ones gave you problems. Is the garden going to look the same as last year? Same layout? Rows or hill? Have I done crop rotation to get a bigger harvest with less problems? When do I need to order seeds in order to start them inside? So many questions to check off the list. Why not do it while staying nice and warm inside!

Well, I have a lot of planning yet to do on my garden. But time is plentiful to dream of the grand designs. Nature will take care of itself. God will take care of it all. In his time, we will have what we need to experience a great garden and life.

Peculiar Yield on Garden Vegetables Amidst Problems

“A garden is always a series of losses set against a few triumphs, like life itself.” –May Sarton

As I look back at this year’s garden, it seemed to be growing at slow pace. Even though, my seedlings started out real strong. I even learned that my seedling process works too well. I have made a note to only put one seed in each cell of my trays. Almost all of my seeds sprouted! That was way more than I had actual garden space for!

I have always been later, than most of those around me, with putting the plants in the ground. The spring rains and cool temperatures delayed the preparing of the garden plot. I had gotten real sick during the prime time to introduce the plants to the ground. So, I had to take care of myself and the plants waited until I could move them to their permanent locations.

As the summer went along, the more I have had to rely on my sprinkler. We had a lot of heat with little relief. The tomato plants and bean plants had a lot of blossoms drop and blossom end rot when fruit finally did produce. I was fighting with powdery mildew on my squash & cucumbers cause of my having to water with a sprinkler. I was also fighting with aphids and squash bugs. If I wasn’t watering, I was bug spraying and pulling weeds.

Despite the obstacles my garden and I have faced this season, I have harvested some nice tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, black eyed peas, basil, oregano, and hot peppers. I still have a lot of bell peppers and sweet peppers growing nicely. In fact, this is the first year the bell peppers are the size of what they are suppose to be!

So have faith that God will take care of you and his gardens. Not everything can be perfect all the time. Take notice of the tiny details.

Beautiful Design of God’s Flower Expressions

“Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into.”  – Henry Ward Beecher

As I look back at the vast variety of flowers growing in the garden last year, I wonder if calling it a vegetable garden was correct. My love for flowers is always blooming (pun intended-HA!). Even though, numerous blooms have the same flower name, each one is unique.  Each one has it’s own distinct coloring, it’s own number of petals, and it’s own desired growth potential.

I placed flowers among and surrounding my vegetables. Not only for their beauty, but their benefits. Marigolds are simple annual flowers that pack a punch to protecting the crops. Their strong smell is a deterrent for white flies, beetles, aphids, and deer. I try to plant these around the perimeter of the garden. Nasturtiums, petunias, and sunflowers also serve as lovely pest controllers.

A favorite flower with such variety of designs and colors is the Zinnia. They are easy to grow and will delight your senses too. Zinnias will attract beneficial insects to your garden. Pollinators like butterflies and bees love them. If you are lucky, you may even see a few hummingbirds stopping by for a drink.

“The winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come…” Song of Solomon 2:11-12

“He has made everything Beautiful in its time.” Ecclesiastes 3:11

Bounty of Continual Love

“Of all the wonderful things in the wonderful universe of God, nothing seems to me more surprising than the planting of a seed in the blank earth and the result thereof.” – Julie Moir Messervy

I was ultimately surprised when I looked through my pictures and found so many of my harvesting basket. I had taken 30 pictures of produce my garden provided from August into November! It was wonderful to have fresh veggies to cook with. Now, some of those veggies are preserved in the freezer and on the shelf, available for cooking at any time.

This past gardening season, I tried to be more focused on being in the moment. Enjoying being outside when the weather allowed. Enjoying being able to walk around without extra supports. Enjoying being able to play catch with my boys or watching them when I got tired of picking up the ball (they are better at it than I am). Enjoying watching butterflies flutter from one flower to the next. Enjoying watching the growth of the garden plants. Even enjoying having to untangle tomato plants and restring or provide extra supports after a few days of rain.

God provides us the simple enjoyments in life. All we need to do is to open our senses to be able to recognize them. Thank you God for a gracious bounty of love in my garden delights this past year.

Seedlings Growing Strong

“I grow plants for many reasons: to please my eye or to please my soul, to challenge the elements or to challenge my patience, for novelty or for nostalgia, but mostly for the joy in seeing them grow.” – David Hobson

Late winter, I started my garden inside and on the porch. I had researched and bought seeds to what varieties I wanted to try growing this year. I planted lettuce, marigolds, cilantro, Thai basil, jalapeno, and poblano peppers in the milk jug greenhouses. Trying something new, I got specific grow bags to try growing carrots. I bought seedling soil-less soil. I installed my seed starter heat mat and my grow light. I planted 2 or 3 seeds per cell in my seedling trays. Then I wait.

After a few weeks, my seeds have sprouted. In the past, I plant more seeds than come up as seedlings. This time, almost all of the seeds sprouted!! Way more plants that I can use. I counted 126 tomato plants (in 10 varieties) and 70 sweet pepper plants (in 6 varieties)!!! Way more than I have space in the garden for. Even with a 780 square foot garden! I still wanted to plant peas, beans, squash, and flowers. So I share. I share with church folks, family, and friends. I can’t wait for harvest time!

The garden continues to teach me patience. These pictures I took in March. I had hopes to post them before now. But alas, I didn’t feel like writing. Last September, I fell trying to step over the garden gate. I injured my left knee, which I had to have surgery on in December. It has been a long recovery and I still tire easily. God continues to show me to be patient with myself and the garden. Keep on moving and progress will be revealed.

Say “YES” to Other’s Surplus

“No two gardens are the same. No two days are the same in one garden.” –Hugh Johnson

As a gardener, I am not a picky one. I try new varieties of plants each year. However, I stick with vegetables my family will eat. I am not one that will use up valuable space for ones that we don’t like. We have had problems in the past with moles in the yard and our soil is also rather rocky with layers of slate not too far under the ground. I would think that it would not be conducive to making any decent amount of carrots or potatoes, so I don’t plant any root vegetables.

My own garden has encountered difficulties this season. Started out cold and wet, then turned into extreme heat and dry. My health didn’t allow me to tend to it as much as it needed. My sprinkler broke. My schedule just got busy. However, not everyone had these difficulties. Just 15 to 20 minutes down the road either direction, the weather was much more garden friendly.

As a mom of two growing boys and me with food allergies, I am not one to say no to friends when they offer free food from their gardens. Fresh vegetables not from the store is trustworthy, more flavorful, and last longer. I am able to freeze items and can items up for a later time. So when I am offered a bag of peppers, box of tomatoes, or even corn from a farmer’s auction, I say YES!! Bring it to me or I can come get it! It may take me a day or so to prepare, cook, and preserve the bounty but it is so worth it weeks and months to come.

God will always provide food for you to eat. Tell him of your worries and trust him. Matthew 6:25.  “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?”