My Planting System

Okay, so it is getting closer and closer to the time to plant. Are you ready for my secret planting system? After gathering information from my Parents, neighbors, friends and books, I came up with this system. It is pretty simple and I use it for almost everything I plant.

First, make sure the ground isn't too wet to work and plant.
If you are planting in a wide or regular row, rake or hoe away the dirt to prepare the bed for planting. Remove all rocks and clods. Next, if you are using a fertilizer, sprinkle it in the prepared bed. Then water the bed, be generous with the water, allow it to soak in. Next, plant the seeds and cover with soft soil or compost, three times the thickness of the seeds.

IMPORTANT: WHEN YOU WATER THE ROW BEFORE PLANTING, DO NOT WATER THE SEEDS AGAIN UNTIL THEY ARE ABOUT 1" TO 2" TALL. IF YOU WATER THEM BEFORE THEY ARE 'UP', A CRUST WILL FORM AND THE PLANTS WILL HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME COMING UP THROUGH THE HARD CRUST.

If you are planting single plants, such as peppers or tomatoes, dig a hole about 8 to 12" deep. Put in about 2 tablespoons of garden fertilizer and then fill the hole with water. Next, plant the plant and give it a good drink of water.

When I plant, I work on several rows at a time. First I make my rows, a section at a time, then fertilize all of them, next water them and so forth.

Ready to plant?

Pam's Planting Plan
Now you have your seeds and are getting ready to plant. So how do you plant seeds anyway?

When you plan to plant your plants, planting can take some planning. Got that?

For example, how many seeds do I plant? How close to each other? How deep and how soon.
Always read the seed packets, there is lots of information there.

Let's start with how many seeds to plant. Radishes, lettuce, carrots, spinach and cress should be as thick as you would use salt or pepper. They shouldn't be overlapping but should be about 1/4 inch apart. I like to plant all of these plants in a 18" wide row. That will make the most of your space. Leave room to walk around the 'rows' or try two 10" rows with 24" or 36" between the rows.

Beets, beans and peas can be planted in a wide row too, or you can trellis the peas and beans. Plant beets and beans about 1/2 inch apart. I plant my peas much thicker, actually don't tell anyone, but I plant my peas so thick you can't see the ground. This year I am going to try to trellis my beans and peas. I will use a net wire fence and plant on both sides of the fence.

Planting peppers, tomatoes, califlower and cabbage are a little different. I plant peppers about 1 foot apart, tomatoes, califlower and cabbage about 2 feet apart.

A rule of thumb is plant the seed at a depth of three times the size of the seed. So if you are planting carrots or lettuce that is 1/8 of an inch thick, only cover it with 3/8 of an inch of soil. Peas are 1/4 of an inch, so plant them 3/4 of an inch deep. A note about peas, plant them thicker than it recommends on the packet. Peas are self fertilizing so they can be planted much thicker.

Cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and watermelon can be planted in rows about 36" apart. They should be planted in groups called hills. I plant 3 to 4 seeds per hill and then when the plants are about 3 inches tall, thin to the best 2 plants. A note about thinning, don't pull the plants up, pinch them off or trim with sissors. Then the roots of the remaining plants won't be disturbed.

Now the million dollar question, when to plant. You can plant by the moon, middle of May, after Memorial Day, or the first of June. Your guess is as good as mine. I usually plant all of my garden around the 20 of May, this year I will plant around the 29th of May.

This Spring has been a cool wet one and if a garden is planted too early it won't grow too quickly. The ground needs to be warm before the seeds and plants can grow with vigor. Plant early if you want, but notice the same plants planted later usually mature just as fast. I can remember planting potatoes in March and they did just fine, but with a wet Spring you take the chance of seeds rotting in the cold wet ground.

Vertical, Vertical, Vertical

If one cucumber plant grows 3' X 3' and you have 4 plants, that adds up to a lot of space. But if you grow them on a trellis you can grow the same number of plants in a much smaller area.
Build a homemade trellis, or use a manufactured trellis, but try the vertical method. They claim cucumbers, cantalopes and even watermelon will grow on a trellis. Cucumbers will be straighter too. The pruning is kind of tricky, but they say the vines will be stronger to handle the weight of the fruit. I plan to try it this year and I will keep you posted. I will plant on both sides of the trellis, to make the most of the space. Try to trellis peas and beans too.

Garden Creating

Okay so this is probably the first time you have heard the word creating when talking about gardening. Sometimes you just need to be creative. Like starting seeds in the bathtub (more about that later).
This may be your first garden, if so, congratulations !!! What a big step. A garden will be a great improvement in your garden and on your table. Start small and do some research. You will have so many decisions to make. Such as where to plant, what to plant and how much to plant.

Lets start with where to plant.
1. Choose a sunny location.
2. Well drained soil
3. Keep your first garden small.
4. Plant it in a close, convenient spot, one that you can see from your kitchen window.

Next, what to plant.
1. Vegetables your family likes to eat.
2. Lots of veggies for salads.
3. Plant a variety.
4. Have fun with your garden, try something new.

Last, how much to plant.
1. Plant in a compact area, make the most of your space.
2. Decide if you plan to eat the vegetables fresh or do some canning too.
3. Estimate how much you will harvest from a certain vegetable and then plant accordingly.
4. Try this, keep track of what vegetables you buy for a few weeks. Then plant what you think you will need. Keep in mind that you will eat differently out of your garden than out of the store. For example, you will probably use radishes and green onions from your garden in a salad, but may not go to the extra expense if you buy them at the store.

My Mother used to say, plant too much so you will have enough.
Plant what you eat and eat what you plant.

Four-O-Clooks, My Favorite for the Week

Four-O-Clocks
Four-O-Clocks are a flower that grows about 3 feet tall. I first tried these last year after finding an old seed packet of my Mothers. It quickly became a favorite of mine. They come in yellow, red, pink and striped colors.
They are also self-seeding, in other words, the flowers go to seed and the seeds drop to the ground. If the conditions are right, they will grow the following season.

SAVING SEED

http://www.croptrust.org/GlobalSupplyFood/index2.html
This is a link for information about saving seeds in a seed bank in the Arctic. Also, a little about the huge variety of beans and rice. It has a very interesting information about screening seeds and seed banking in the Arctic. It made me realize the importance of saving seeds.

Did you know that if you save your own seeds, (peas for example), that they will become acclimated to this area and will become tougher (more resistant to frost) and earlier (have a shorter growing season)? Pretty interesting huh?

So after learning about the Arctic seed bank and how the seeds you save will be acclimated to this area, I decided to learn more about saving seeds. This is what I know so far:
1. You shouldn’t save seeds from Hybrid plants. More about this in a later post.
2. You can save the seed from Heirloom plants only if they are pollinated from the exact type of plant or self pollinating. More about this later too.
3. Decide before you plant which seeds you would like to save. This will determine how much you plant and the location. For example, to save bean seed, so you will plant the seed you want to save far away from any other bean plants. Mark the plants you want to save and choose not to pick any of the produce until it is time to harvest the seed.
4. Some seed saving is a two year process. For example, carrots are harvested the first year and then re-planted the second year. The second year the carrot will go to seed.
5. Lots of useful information about seed saving is available on the Internet. Search for more information about particular plants there.
6. Seed saving is exciting and learning to be self-reliant is a relief to me.
7. Heirloom plants may not be as attractive as Hybrids.
8. Heirlooms may not be as disease resistant as Hybrids.
9. Heirlooms usually taste better than Hybrids.
10. I have saved Cress seed for about 20 years, and it hasn’t failed me yet.

So, consider saving some of your seed this year. It will be interesting, plus save money too.

Eight Ball Zuccini Squash, My Favorite for the Week.

Eight Ball Zuccini Squash and One Ball Zuccini Squash.

They are a type of zuccini squash in a bush plant. I plant them about 3 feet apart. The 8 Ball is dark green and the one ball is yellow with a little green on the top and bottom. They look like billard balls. They are harvested when about the size of a baseball. They are tender and very good producers and I get about 20 squash from each plant.

CAN THE IDEA

I sometimes use gallon cans around or next to some of my plants. I learned this method from my Parents, and I also found this example in an old garden book printed in the 1930's. It is a very simple method and I recommend it to everyone.

Plan ahead to get your cans from your local school cafeteria. Ask them to cut both ends off for you.

This is how it works. After you plant tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower from the plants you raised or purchased from the nursery, place a gallon can over the top. Push it in the soil about two inches. Make sure both ends are removed.

Using a can AROUND a new transplant will do several things:
1. Protect it from wind damage.
2. Keep in the moisture.
3. Keep in the heat, for a more consistent temperature.
4. It allows you to fertilize by putting the fertilizer directly in the can and watering it in.
5. It is easy to water the plant and gives the plant more water.
6. Keeps the weeds outside the can from growing as much, because you are not watering them.

How to use a can next to other plants. When planting cucumbers, cantaloupe, watermelon, squash and pumpkins, place the gallon can NEXT to the plant. I put it on the south side of the plant, to protect the delicate plant from the cold Spring winds.

I create a large bowl with soil, two to three inches high and one to two feet around the plant. I water these plants in the cans also. I just let the can overflow with water and fill the large bowl. This system insures that the plant will get at least one gallon of water each time you water it. It will stay moist longer and its roots will move to the water.

Watering in the can will also keep the weeds around the plant from growing. This is the biggest advantage of this system. You will have to hand water the plants, but the reduction of weeds will be worth it.

BLUE LAKE POLE OR BUSH BEAN

My favorite bean is the Blue Lake Bean. It has been around forever, and is a good producer. It has also has good flavor, whether you can it or eat it fresh. I recommend it because it is an Heirloom too. That means, you can save the seed for planting next year. I saved some seed last year, and I plan to plant it this year to see how it works.

Last year I planted pole beans around the bottom of a four foot tall tomato cage, and had good results with it. Plant about 20 to 30 seeds in and around the cage, keep them watered well. I turned the cage upside down, and staked it with a medal fence post. This year I plan to let them climb a net wire fence about 4 feet tall. I will plant rows six to eight inches wide on both sides of the fence.

THE DIRT ABOUT SOIL

I’m far from an expert on soil, but here are the few things I know.

1. If you mix sand with your clay soil it makes cement.
2. To improve your soil, add lots of manure, or organic matter. It is good to add manure, leaves, lawn clippings (without weeds) in the fall. It will break down during the Winter and you will have very mellow ground the next Spring.
3. Sawdust takes NITROGEN from the soil, so if you must use it, apply manure with it. Sawdust takes a long time to decay too. I don’t recommend it.
4. Adding SOIL PEP to soil is a very good thing. It is reasonably priced and is good in your garden or on your flower beds.
Wait until the ground is dry and ready to work, then spread it on the top and work it in. Two to four inches on top is a good start. I try to spread a couple of inches over my flowers in the fall and during the winter it sinks in and breaks down. It is a good mulch for the flowers and lightens up the soil. But it doesn't add much in the way of nutrients to your soil.
5. Don’t work the soil when it is too wet, you will end up with hard clody ground.
6. Don’t walk on the soil when it is too wet, it will pack down, causing clods when it is worked. Plants need air pockets in with the dirt to grow a good root system. That is why you want light soil. If your ground is compacted, the roots have a hard time working their way through it.
7. To test the soil for moisture, squeeze a handful, if it stays in a ball, it is too wet to work, it if separates it is dry enough to work.

REMINDER !!!
1. Buy your seeds.
2. Apply Caserone in raspberries and in areas where you don’t want weeds to grow.
3. Spray dormant oil or Neem oil soon.