It’s planting season again! We are in the process of moving, so our planting season is seriously interrupted this year. However, we’re always asked gardening questions this time of year so I thought I’d post the information here. You’ll want to get the planting guide from your local county extension office so you’ll know what and when to plant for your zone. For us, we would normally plant pole or bush beans, corn (only do this if you have plenty of space – the yield is pretty small per square foot and the nitrogen demand is huge), cucumber, eggplant, peppers, squash, and tomatoes. Make sure you have plenty of herbs too!
If you’re like most of us in the city, space is an issue. You need to plan well and determine the reason you want a garden. Is it for basic fresh veggies, saving money, just a hobby, or trying to live off the land. I’ll address each of these:
1. You want some fresh veggies: If you don’t plan on preserving your garden, only plant the amount you can reasonably consume after harvesting with a little to give away. You can stagger plant (plant things 2 weeks apart) so you’ll have a constant supply yet you won’t pick 30 tomatoes today and none for the next two weeks. Only plant things you really plan on eating a lot of. For example, if one or two dishes of squash are enough for the season, don’t plant squash. You can also trade with a friend – let them plant squash and you plant eggplant.
2. You want to save money: Focus on planting things that demand a higher value in the store. For example, peppers are cheap in the summer but they get considerably more expensive later in the year and your pepper plants should still be producing. Tomatoes are always a good choice, especially if you will preserve them by freezing or canning. We even dehydrate ours (the smaller thicker fleshed varieties). You likely use tomatoes in lots of things: spaghetti sauce, any casserole, fresh sliced or variety of salads/relishes, catsup, stews/soups, etc. I use what I can fresh, freeze what I think I can use before hurricane season, dehydrate some and then can the rest. If you are gardening to save money, you may want to consider harvesting your own seeds so you’ll have to get away from hybrids. The heirlooms do cost more to buy and to maintain the plant. They are not disease or climate resistant but you can harvest the seeds for future gardens. I’ll write a blog on our experience with heirlooms later.
3. It’s just a hobby: Plant things that are easy to care for or your hobby will turn into a headache soon. The easiest and most productive crops tend to be cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes.
4. You want to live off the land: This is a visionary goal. This subject demands an entire article but I will summarize some tips here. Start small and grow your garden every year. You will need careful planning on where to locate your garden for success now and for future growth and success. We have two separate garden areas to allow for good crop rotation and to avoid pollination of some like varieties such as cucumbers or peppers. I can’t stress enough that you need to start small. The biggest mistake is starting large and becoming overwhelmed and deciding this is not for you. Having a garden will require a lot of time. When you start out, I suggest that you plant things you can preserve easily. You must get in the mind-set to use everything from your garden – waste nothing. This means you will have to learn how to freeze, can, dehydrate and look for creative recipes for the use of your fresh veggies. Cucumbers and peppers are the best to start with. Plant plenty of those and a little of the rest. With the rest, just eat it fresh which will allow you to practice your skills with preserving the cucumbers and peppers. Next item would be squash because it’s easy to preserve, then eventually add a ton of tomatoes which are also easy to preserve, but will take a considerable amount of time if you have a lot of them. Also, tomatoes don’t hold well after being picked so you will find yourself having to preserve them about every other day. You will want to be better skilled at preserving before tying yourself down to this. Okra is another excellent crop to preserve by canning, freezing and dehydrating but this is planted later on in the heat of the summer. You will also want to plant some fruit trees if possible because it will take a few years to get a bumper crop out of your tree and by then, you’ll be really prepared and able to preserve things. Herbs are also excellent and required, in my opinion, if you really want to live off your land. Plant parsley &/or cilantro, sage, basil and chives for sure. I dehydrate my fresh herbs and use them year round. If you plan on canning pickles, plant dill. Think about what you cook with the most and plant those herbs. Most of my herbs bloom year round due to the protected area they are planted in and those that die down come back the next year. Let them go to seed once you’ve finished harvesting from them and they’ll come back next year. The gift that keeps on giving. You will also want to plant your herbs close to your kitchen if possible. This will make it easier to use them fresh. I also have extra ones mingled in my formal flower beds to maximize my space. Later you may want to venture into chickens and bees. These all work together and will provide food for you. All my garden weeds, garden bugs that I hand-pick and veggies that fall on the ground or aren’t good to pick, will go to my chickens. They love it and I love that I don’t have to buy as much feed for them. The bees are also happy with the multitudes of flowering things, they pollinate the garden, and of course, we enjoy the honey they produce.
There’s much more to discuss on gardening techniques: bed selection (location and bed heights, depth, and width) , crop rotation, organic vs. chemical treatments, watering systems, plant selection (variety, hybrid vs. heirloom), etc. We’ll address specific questions you may have and will write about these specific topics in upcoming articles.
We hope you have fun with your garden this summer and enjoy God’s creation. Although it can be a lot of work, it provides great exercise, family bonding, mental health and physical health.
