Sunday, October 18, 2009

Final Day #3 Step-By-Step Photos of Planting My Winter Garden 2009:




Planting my green bunching onions was fairly quick and easy. I loosened the soil, in order to aerate it and give plenty of room for the roots to easily grow deep down. They were very small starters and don't need tons of room as they mature, so I planted them about 2" down and about 5" between each bunch. NOTE: My only concerns are the sun exposure and moisture level, especially in the far left corner at the end. That area tends to stay more moist and gets less sun. I may have to water less, if I notice an issue arises.




Getting ready to plant my flat of Thumbelina Carrots! This is the designated space for my carrot patch. Although it is a bit shaded by 2pm, I still think they will be fine. Last year, I planted my carrot seeds in front of my trellis and the sugar snap peas on the trellis dominated the sun. However, my carrots survived, and with a little extra time and pruning attention to the snaps, they were wonderful.





Keeping in mind that my carrot size is 2" by 2", I made sure to dig deep (at least 6" or more), loosening my soil and planting at least 2 1/2" down and about 3" across. This will ensure enough room for ample growth.


The root system was roughly 2"-3" for each starter at planting time. My carrot patch!


So, I must be honest, last year I initially planted my beets 6" apart (like the package suggests) in this same space, planting a total of maybe 8 seeds. I realized eventually, that I could plant many more seeds depending on how large I wanted the beets to become. I then, added more seeds and learned to harvest as the season went on and thin out spaces, where it was needed. This ended up working out great. So, in all honesty, I did follow the package with planting the seed depth of 1/2" (as you can see my finger in the hole displaying this below), however I planted my whole package of seeds between these four separate rows created below. I definitely plan to thin out my rows as I go.



This is the food I've used for years. I usually dig it into my soil before planting, but this time since I was doing my garden in sections, I fed everything at the end. I usually do this at the beginning of a season and then the rest of the time, I am using my homemade compost and compost juice.

I took this picture to show how much my garden needed to be watered, even after the rain from this week. If you notice, the water is sitting on top of the soil (and did for 15 seconds or so), instead of soaking straight in. This is an indication of the soil being dry. It stopped raining on Thursday early afternoon and I didn't water until Saturday. I thought my plants would be fine, but in all honesty, the soil and plants were a bit dry when arriving on Saturday afternoon. The heat was so extreme after the rains, things dried quickly.


Street side bed entirely planted. Sweet Pea seeds have started to sprout as of Sunday, October 18th.



The inner bed completed using starters.

The completed Winter Garden 2009!!!

6 comments:

  1. I was going to plant carrots for the first time this year? Are the Thumbelina's a personal favorite or is this your first time planting this variety? Your garden looks like it is off to a great start. BTW, you look great!

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  2. Actually, Thumbelina's were definately not my first choice. Although, they'll be yummy (and a great size for kids), I wanted to have a larger carrot this time. Last year, I did fingerlings by seed and they are the mini style carrot. They were tasty too. Both are easy to grow. I should have meantioned too that carrots like a little sandier soil I've heard, but I successful without. Probably one of the most fun to grow!! To pull them up and eat, is great! Especially for kids!

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  3. Wow. I am so impressed, amazed, and inspired by your commitment and passion for your garden and feeding your family. I would love to come visit you while you garden sometime. xoxoxoxox Tara

    P.S . Not sure why it is coming us as Kevin (my husband) guess I don't know how to blog.

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  4. Hey, I LOVE that you are commenting Tara (Kevin's name or not)!! Thank you, thank you! Absolutely you can come by, FOR SURE!!! Maybe a coffee, garden date! When you get a chance, let me know if any of the other topics I posted on FB seem interesting to you. I'll make sure to make them a priority. Thanks again!! XOXO

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  5. Amanda dear, I am amazed at how much you are able to pack in to such a small area! We are continually overwhelmend by trying to stay on top of all of our bed space, which probably equals about 600 sq ft. Right now we have 4 raised beds planted with beets, lettuces, carrots (Alex insists on planting in starts as well, but I like to sow and thin...), garlic, onions, and shallots, a full (4x20') bed of brocoli, one of kales, and another of potatoes. It is a dream/goal to someday grow all of the fruit and veggies we eat all year long...and a good portion of the grains and legumes as well...Alex has been amazing at getting Emmett out there planting and weeding with him, but I struggle with "getting into it" with him in tow. Virgo moon perhaps??? Or just the slow, sensuous pace of the Bull...? Anyway, I am so glad you are doing what you're doing and sharing your process with the rest of us. And how inspiring it must be for city-dwellers to stroll past your beautiful plot! And I love that your "city kid" knows where his food comes from and how it grows. My adolescent cousin came to visit us a few years back and upon seeing a tree full of apples asked why they didn't have stickers on them! Seriously!!! Crazy.... Lastly, I think that any and all of your discussion topic ideas would be interesting, but I'll look at them again and see if I can choose my top 3 or 4. XOXO H. :)

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  6. Wonderful!!! You are so fabulous Hadley! I love hearing about your garden!!! Send me more photos (like we did with our summer gardens) on FB as the season progresses. I loved that we exchanged Solstice garden updates!!

    It is interesting that you mention working with Emmett in the garden...I had someone ask me if Jordan plants with me. And, you know, at this point, he doesn't...he just plays with the dirt alot. I know our boys are about a year or little more apart, I'm wondering if and when that transition will occur. For now, I just let him dig and play (in the proper places of course...I AM a Virgo after all! And we ARE particular and want it organized and clean looking. And I AM a Taurus rising and we DO want control over most situations! :0) But, I would eventually love to plant with him or have him actually planting it himself. More space would also be optimum! Then he could have a little garden of his own! Someday.......

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