2011 Garden Planning

I was so going to sand and paint some door frames today.  I even put on my paint jeans.

But instead I took a nap.  And sat my ass on the couch to read this book and dream about summer.

After browsing the seed packet selection at Lowes on Saturday, I realized I didn’t really know what to buy.  This book caught my eye since it’s regional, and has a month-by-month schedule of planting and maintenance.  So as if I don’t already spend enough money at Lowes, I’m now buying books there too.

It got me pumped for the spring and really looking forward to having a big garden this year.  It was one of my new year’s resolutions.  And I’m ready to deliver.  I’m prepared to start as much as I can from seed this year, planting them all inside within the next month and a half.  I’ve never done this before, but I figure it’s worth a try.  If all the little seedlings die (or don’t sprout at all), I can always just buy baby plants from the garden center.

I’ve made a little schedule of all the things we want to grow, whether they can start indoors, and the timing for each to be planted outside.

Within the next week I think I’ll go buy all the seeds.  Lowes really does have a good selection, way better than Home Depot.  It’s actually the only arena where the two differ.  Home Depot sucks for plants and gardening.  I’ll also buy some of those little seed starting trays and special seed potting mix.  I know I could probably make do with egg cartons, but for my first crack at it, the proper equipment might help.

At some point in late March we’re going to need to rent a tiller.  It would do some real good in the raised bed, plus we need to pull up some grass from the large area back there we plan to plant this year too.

The raised bed is the only part I planted for last year’s garden.  This year we want to also till up an area about twice as big in the foreground of the picture above.  If this plan goes though, we’ll come out with nearly 500 square feet of vegetables.

I made this non-measured diagram of our basic plan:

It’s ambitious, I know.  But I think it’s worth a shot.  I’ve already decided not to do the CSA this year for want of growing our own (and saving the $$$).  And I think once the summer comes and those CSA boxes won’t be around every week, it will be more motivation to keep it going.

My selection of plants revolves basically on the stuff that we like eating the most. Even though some of these items are cheap and readily available in the supermarket during the summer, it’s still great to have them right there in your backyard at any time.

I think the most practical thing to grow during the summer months is cooking herbs. They’re expensive in the store, and most of them are very easy to grow successfully at home.  This year I plan to grow most (if not all) of the herbs in containers on the deck.  It’s more convenient to get to from the kitchen, and most of them do very well in pots anyway.  Plus it will liven up our tired old deck without having to go buy flowers for those pots.

Just a few more long months before porch-sittin’ weather is upon us.  Until then, all I can do is plan and wait (and procrastinate painting the living room trim).

But on another note, look at how big our puppy is getting!  So much for 15 pounds max…