My neighborhood association hosted a plant exchange for the first time today, and I had an enjoyable and productive time!

When I got there, I had to sign in, and was then directed to the first table.  That was covered with window box planters and big round flowerpots, in several colors.  Each family got to choose one planter; if you chose the window box style, then you got five free annuals provided by the association, and you could get four if you got the round planter. 

Then you went to the next table, where there was a gardener who could assist you in choosing plants for your yard.  There were a variety of annuals, some that did better in sun and some for the shade.  All of the plants were ornamental.  Then you could bring your selection to one of the gardeners stationed at a table, and they would plant your annuals in your chosen container.  After that, you were directed to an area where perennials were at, and allowed to choose one free perennial. 

I had been hoping for plants that would be a good addition to my vegetable garden, but there weren’t any and I was slightly disappointed about that.  I had almost finished selecting my annuals when I saw several plants to the side, looking somewhat random, so I headed over to check them out.  They were tomato plants and leeks, and it looked as if they had been brought by other home owners in the neighborhood to share, but I couldn’t be sure.  If the association provided them, they counted in the allotment of five, and no one seemed sure who provided them.  So I happily took four tomato plants and one leek (that was my allotment), picked up a perennial (I can’t even remember which one I chose – either some kind of lily or black eyed susan), and got ready to leave. 

On my way out, I commented to someone I knew manning one of the booths that it was a wonderful idea, and asked whose brainchild it was.  She called over the person who arranged it all, and I told her that it was a fantastic event and thanked her.  She glanced down and saw that my planter was empty, and told me I needed to get some annuals before I left.  I told her I had taken the tomatoes and leeks, I was putting them into my garden, and didn’t take anything else since I didn’t want to go over the limit.  She told me that she wanted me to get five plants annuals in addition to the veggie plants.

I picked up five dark purple coleus plants – I love how coleus looks.  I already purchased three varieties of coleus when I went to the plant sale a couple of weeks ago, and they look beautiful in the front yard.  I got the new ones potted before I left.

I bumped into a neighbor who brought some day lilies to share, and took some of that.  I don’t know how much I like it, but I’ll plant it and see how it looks in the yard.  I love beautiful plants, but my gardening energy now is going into having a productive vegetable garden, not in making the yard look fancy.  We already transferred the large hostas that were in the back yard to the front, making room for squash plants in the back and nicely enhancing the front landscaping. 

On my way out, someone else was coming in with small seedlings to share – they were tomatoes, and I took one of hers, too.  We started some tomatoes from seed that just sprouted this morning and we found the first hard green marble tomato on our most mature tomato plant this morning, so we’ll have tomato plants in different stages of growth in the garden.  You can’t have too many tomatoes, at least not in a house like this where our kids eat them like fruits!

All in all, it was very productive, and next year (they’re planning for this to be an annual event) I plan to take some of my own plants to share with others. 

Avivah

We started planting our garden two weeks ago, and a week ago the first sprouts were seen.  The kids ran in to tell me this morning about how many other things are popping up now – it’s so exciting!

Square foot gardening is so space efficient that I still have lots of space to plant more, and I’m not yet sure what to put in.  But here’s what we put in so far: 6 tomato plants, 4 pepper plants, two zucchini, two crookneck (yellow) squash, two cumber, 2 pole beans from plants, 3 sugar snap peas, carrots, onions, and herbs.  The herbs include three kinds of mint, dill, parsley, oregano, basil, sage, fennel, and thyme.

I found out about a two day plant sale on Mother’s Day weekend, that had amazing prices for all of the above.  It was hosted by an organization that helps mentally challenged adults, and among other things, has a greenhouse where they teach them to garden.  It seems that twice a year they have a huge sale and sell the plants that were grown by them, and the proceeds go back to help those same adults further progress.  The woman in charge told me that people wait all year for it because the prices are so good.  Each plant was a dollar (!), so I bought more from starts than I would have otherwise.  I also got the carrots and onions, which I wasn’t planning to grow.  There were several carrots and onion growing in each pot so I decided to see what would happen if we separated them and replanted them individually.  Hopefully they’ll do okay; I can’t tell yet.

Then we planted seeds: 2 ‘squares’ of bush beans (9 in each), 2 squares of lima beans, radishes, swiss chard, lettuce, and beets.  Pole beans produce throughout the growing season, but bush beans just produce for about two weeks, and then that’s it.  This is the first set of bush beans, and we’ll plant some more in a couple of weeks.  We’re also planning to do a second planting of summer squash so when the first ones die off, we’ll extend the squash harvest. 

We started from seed some cherry tomatoes, eggplant, lemon cucumbers, and peppers and will transplant them if the seeds grow well.  We also planted some marigolds throughout the garden, to keep bugs at bay.  I’m not sure which bugs marigolds work best to keep away, but they look nice!  

Then we planted some squash seeds from a squash we ate.  After planting them, I learned that the non organic vegetables in the store are grown in such a way that their seeds often don’t grow normally.  So I’m assuming that’s not going to work, and will replant something else in that spot.  I’m really amazed by how space efficient square foot gardening is, and hope that we’ll get a decent amount of veggies.

Avivah

My 13 year old and I went to buy topsoil and compost to fill our new raised garden beds.  I was initially planning to buy equal amounts of compost, peat moss, and vermiculite, as per the instructions for square foot gardening.  But that gets very expensive, very fast. 

So then I called companies that deliver topsoil/compost/etc in bulk, to see if I could just get a truckload.  I could, but the minimum was much more than it seemed to me that I would need (5 cubic yards).  I don’t have a huge garden planned – I just need to fill the garden beds that run along part of the sides of my small yard. 

So I decided to find a less expensive plan – lots of topsoil mixed with a manure/humus blend, with a little bit of peat moss.  We bought about 800 pounds, in 19 – 40 pound bags (yes, this was a workout, loading and unloading them in and out of the van), and I thought it should be just about enough to fill the beds we built.  Was I wrong!

I was really amazed at how much soil it takes to fill a six inch deep garden bed.  What I bought was enough to fill up one bed, 12 x 2 ft, plus half of another one the same size.  That means that I need to buy double or triple the amount I bought to finish filling everything up.

My kids are wondering if the produce that we eventually get for the garden is going to justify all the money we’re spending for supplies.  I told them that this first year it probably won’t, but next year we won’t need to do anything but get seeds, transplants, and some compost to boost the soil quality.  I’m hopeful that after all this effort, it will be a productive crop.  As far as a productive use of time and energy, it’s definitely a satisfying feeling to sink your hands in the earth and garden, and that’s something I want my kids to experience. 

Avivah

Two years ago, we ambitiously began tilling the soil in a community garden.  We had three plots that were totally overgrown, and it was a huge amount of work.  We put in a number of hours in clearing the soil and finally planted some tomato and pepper plants, in addition to some other seeds.  Then life suddenly got very busy, as we bought a house, the business, and still had our tiny baby (1 month at the time) to take care of.  If the garden had been in our yard, we could have fit in time to continue working on it, but it wasn’t.  So the garden got put to the side, and we never reaped any of the fruits of our labor.

Last summer, we were busy with renovations inside the house, and were too busy to start a garden.  This year, I decided it’s time.  But since the last experience left a negative impression in their minds because of all the work and no harvest, I wanted this one to be something they would feel good about.  That meant doing some research, since my knowledge about gardening is limited to stick the seeds in the ground and hope they grow.  🙂

So I did some online reading, and read about something called square foot gardening.  It takes less space, less time, but the yield is higher than with traditional methods.  Sounded good to me!  It’s recommended to build raise garden beds to do this, and because I wanted to do it inexpensively, I got about ten wood pallets from someone on Craig’s List.  I read that pallets are a good source of cheap lumber since it’s untreated wood – all you have to do is take them apart.

Well, that wasn’t so simple.  The boards were attached very securely and were splintering when taken apart, and it took them ten minute so get just one board off.  The kids were getting frustrated, taking the boards apart was becoming an overwhelming idea, and I decided that as nice as the pallet idea sounded, it wasn’t working out.  So off to Home Depot I went to buy some lumber. 

I don’t have a very large yard, and I want to leave the majority of the yard for the kids to play in, so I decided to build the beds against the fence, two feet deep.  It’s very simple to put them together.  You just make a box, basically, of the size that you predetermine.  In order to maximize the gardening space and use as little lumber as possible, my son planned out one very large U shaped box, that would fit around all three sides of the area where we want it.  Last night he finished putting it together.  Today I think I’ll have some of the other kids build some more with the leftover lumber and scrap pallet wood that’s usable for other parts of the yard.

Then I gave the younger kids piles of newspapers and cardboard to put down to kill the weeds/grass.  One of the premises of square foot gardening is that instead of improving your soil, you fill the boxes with the perfect mix for growing.  I had anticipated that was going to be the biggest expense, since the ingredients for that aren’t cheap.  (That was before I walked out of Home Depot many dollars lighter.) 

Later today I’ll see what seeds we have left in the garage from our past gardening experience.  My husband picked up the gardening books I ordered yesterday (Square Foot Gardening, and Lasagna Gardening), so I’ll read them today and tomorrow.  Once I’ve read that, I can plot out on paper what I want to grow, and where.  On Friday, I’m going to a plant sale for charity and will see what they have.  I’d like to finish buying any seeds and soil ingredients (peat moss, vermiculite, and organic compost)  by Friday so I can start planting on Sunday.

It’s a big project but I’m feeling optimistic about it!

Avivah