Getting Back to Gardening

With the approach of summer and the days getting longer, you can probably guess what time of year it is again....that's right, it's gardening time!!!

If you've read some of my historical posts, you probably might already know that gardening is one of my favorite hobbies.  The ability to watch something grow from a seed all the way to producing wholesome and delicious food is such a great positive reinforcement.  Even better is that this all takes place within the span of 1 growing season, so you can definitely see the rewards of what you sow.

If you currently don't have a garden, now is the perfect time to set one up.  The start-up costs can be a little pricey, especially if you have to construct raised garden beds, but over time, your renewable costs will be minimal.  My Wife and I practice composting so most of our fertilizer comes directly from the veggie scraps we didn't eat throughout the year.

With the start of May right upon us, here are some things to be doing right now:

1.) Till the garden bed you plan on sowing.  Now is the time to start loosening the soil and getting a last bit of composting in before you full on plant.

2.) Start planting colder weather crops.  If you are in a high frost risk zone such as where I live, you can still start planting some colder weather crops.  Lettuce, chard, and radishes can all be planted a couple weeks before the last average frost giving you the chance for two or even three crops throughout the year.

3.) Start setting up your square foot markers.  If you practice the square foot gardening method, you need to start getting your garden ready for planting and it makes things much easier if you have your garden all squared off.

4.) Plan what you want to plant.  Now is the perfect time to finalize your planting list, and figure out where everything is going to go.  You might want to do a crop rotation if you have a bigger garden and take advantage of the nutrients certain plants provide and take, or you might want to think about companion planting.  Basil and tomatoes grow great together.  Also, make sure to only grow food items that cost a whole bunch in the store.  If you're trying to get the most bang for your buck out of this garden, then growing potatoes isn't really going to help out very much.  Instead, grow the items that cost much more like sweet peppers, herbs, and tomatoes.  These will pay for themselves and more.

Hopefully this little list will get you started and excited for your garden adventures ahead.  Here's to happy planting!

Wonderful Moment of the Day: Having friends come over, want to use your grill, and make dinner for you...can't beat that!