Time to get ready for gardening. Seeing that I have one year of experience under my belt, this means, um, nothing. So I'm ready to start preparing the yard, planning out what to grow, where to grow it and then get it into the ground. My exploits from last year (May, June and end of year) talked about how I prepared the yard, how I grew and how I thought I did.
Last week I finally dig up the last of the dead tomato plants and tilled the ground a bit. Weeded my garlic and shallots and cleared out tree branches I cut down last fall. Taking a tape measure I measured out the current spaces I have and where I plan on expanding. As for expanding, I did get approval from the wife. At first I tried to find a freeware program to help my layout my garden. No such luck. There were some shareware programs and ones that cost money. So I tried to look for 2D CAD software. Found one but didn't take the time to try and layout my garden.
So I went old school with a piece of graph paper. Set each square for one foot, drew what I have and what will expand. Even used colored pencils to color in the grass and everything. Then to plan out what goes where. I know that lettuce will go where I put the salad mix I did in the fall, that spot works great. I have to rotate my tomatoes. I have the space for the garlic set up. Where is everything else going to go? What else am I going to grow?
So yesterday went to Bi Mart where they were having a 50% sale on seeds. The seeds were from Plantation and their sub division NK Lawn and Garden. The cost was about 90 cents per packet, the salad mix was 1.50 after discount. Also bought natural fiber seed starter pots, 23 small ones and eight more of the larger to a total of 16, the wife bought some earlier in the week to show me. This is not everything I will grow, but most of it. Here is what I got:
Asparagus - Mary Washington type - I know this is a three year commitment before I can enjoy it, but it is a perennial so I will be enjoying it for years. Looking at taking a portion of the garden where the bench is and making that a perennial garden with herbs, flowers and the asparagus.
Basil - Dark Opal - Apparently a dark leaf basil, the wife was interested, may as well try it out. Basil is basil, and so good.
Beets - Detroit Dark Red - Sure there must be a joke in there. The packet listed it as good for canning. Personally I don't like beets, but I love borscht. So what I grow will be made into a large vat of borscht that I can enjoy over the rest of the year.
Cabbage - Wong Bok - This is Napa cabbage. This can only mean one thing. Yep Kim chi!
Cauliflower - Snowball X - Sounds like a bad sci-fi movie from the 50's. Not much of a fan of cauliflower per se, do steam up the florets, sprinkle them with flour, mix two eggs with mustard, pour over cauliflower, cover with dried herbs and bread crumbs, bake until crispy (Herb crusted cauliflower). But since the pickled cauliflower and spicy pickled cauliflower I made last year was so good, seriously everyone told me that it was incredible, I need to make some more. It's tasty to have but does make for good gifts or trading.
Eggplant - Black Beauty - I do love eggplant. I don't care if nothing else grow, except for the tomatoes and garlic and cabbage, OK I care if everything grows, but I want some home grown eggplant. I want to try and can eggplant salad and make eggplant parmigiana to freeze so the wife and I can enjoy it all year long. Well at least a few weeks long, who am I kidding it won't stay in the freezer for long.
Lettuce - Green Leaf - Want to grow a standard lettuce to go along with the French weed mix. That and plain lettuce is great, as long as the Lettuce Prosecutor doesn't go after me again.
Lettuce Mix - French - Which includes Blonde de Paris, Madrilene, Merveille de Quatre Saisons, Rouge d'Hiver and Sucrene for lettuce and for the greens: Chervil curled, corn salad verte de cambri; Endive: Grosse Pancaliere & Scarole Ronde Verte Cover Plein; Spinach: Gernt d' Hiver & Monstrueux de Viroflax; Swiss Chard: Lucullus & Rainbow mix. Little concerned since there are no seed packets, just one big packet full of dirt and I'm hoping seeds. I'll put it in the salad spot from last year and see how it works.
Oregano - My favorite herb, somehow none was grown last year, a error that will not occur again this year.
Pepper - Grand Bell Mix - Bell peppers but in different colors. Good for eating and cooking, probably will trade if lots grow. Not sure if can be canned, maybe as a gardenia mix.
Radish - Daikan - Ultimately I would rather grow Korean radish, but daikan should be close enough for my homemade Kim chi.
Tomato - San Marzano - Good old Roma tomatoes. My main purpose for growing tomatoes is to make my own tomato sauce and other tomato products so that I never have to buy them from the store ever again. I grew the wrong type but did turn out good pickled and diced, but I need to grow roma's. Didn't see them at first in the seed section. I did notice that there were some inside a salsa mix, but I want a full pack. There were two other women who were looking for roma tomatoes as well. By luck I found the packets on the other side of the seed packet wall. Found the women who were looking and told them that I found roma tomatoes, they got some as well. They were telling me that this is their first year for growing food and might start canning. I gave them my card for this blog, if you are reading this hello again and good luck.
Also the wife wanted to start putting something in the front of the house. There are still some bulbs under the Japanese maple, but not much else. When it rains hard water pools up. She got a packet of English daisy mixed colors that are perennials. Put them in next week. Actually debated peppermint but realized that in a few years it would be all over the front lawn. Maybe in the planter next to the front door, maybe not as I hear my wife's voice in my head.
So I still am thinking about onions, I really want to try them again. Also promised the wife some cherry tomatoes, those I'll get as starters. I have to find my pumpkin seeds I saved from last year, if I can't no loss, it can wait another year. Also thinking about a hot pepper plant or two, that I will get as a start as well. Depending on spacing I'll grab one or two more, but the seeds are the main crops for this year. I'll try and keep an update every few weeks and take photos.
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