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9.20.2010

Vegetable Gardening - Part 1

The kids are back in school and you have a bit of time on your hands each day. The weather is still beautiful - much more comfortable than working outside in the heat of the summer - and you need a project. Let's work on our garden so we are all set for next spring!

We moved into our home 6 years ago. I have a huge backyard and I've always wanted a garden. I dipped my toe into the gardening world when we first moved and we dug a small garden...we called it "The Grave" since it was about 2x6 feet and looked like a freshly dug grave! It was small, but big enough for us to plant rows of peas in the early spring and a couple tomato plants later in the season:



I knew about 3 years into our gardening adventure that I wanted more space and launched into all sorts of plans each spring only to realize that if I began then, I would miss the planting season! So, I tucked my plans away, vowing to get a jump on things earlier next year.

Fast forward 3 more years and I've decided that fall is the way to go when you are planning a spring garden. For the next few weeks, we will pace ourselves and get this garden ready for the next planting season.

Let's begin...

Creating A Vegetable Garden: Part I

First, we must choose the proper spot for our garden. We must consider three things.

Convenience: Let's choose a spot that is close enough to catch your eye (so you remember to water and weed) and close enough to reach with the hose.

Sunlight: Find a spot that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight a day.

Drainage: Locate a spot with well-drained soil, not a swampy or super dry spot.

Next, get inspired! BHG.com has a whole section of Vegetable Garden Plans you can browse or you can sit out on your patio leafing through gardening magazines (this is best done while sipping lemonade). I found my inspiration at A Soft Place to Land. Kimba's inspiration garden from This Old House magazine quickly became my own inspiration garden!



Take a little time this week to get inspired and choose a spot for your garden, we will meet back here next Monday to begin construction.

Don't forget to come back tomorrow to link up your own tutorials! If anyone would like to offer a prize for one lucky winner Contact Me.
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6 comments:

  1. We did just the opposite...moved to a 3 acre plot of land and immediately put in a 25 x 40 ft garden....HUGE mistake! The amount of work was unbelievable and so time consuming. We became a slave to that garden. So here is my advice as you start yours....keep the size within your means. Here is a case where size DOES matter...Lol. Good Luck!

    Janet xox

    PS...a word of caution...kids thinking weeding a garden is fun for about the first week...then get ready for some whining...just keeping it real!
    PPS...raised beds are the easiest set-up and I love the sheets of weedblock you can buy at Home Depot. Or go green and lay down sheets of newspaper over your dirt and cover with mulch...keeps weeds from germinating and will bio degrade on it's own.

    Ok...I'll shut up now ;-)

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  2. I LOVE my garden...It's the perfect size for us (ok...sometimes I wish it was a bit bigger, but then I think of the extra work and I am glad it's not any bigger)...can't wait to see yours!

    By the way...made your chicken and biscuit recipe last week...so freakin' good. I have a Thyme plant in my back yard and LOVE when I find a recipe that I can go cut some of it off to use...it's one of my fav herbs...anyway...it was great...even Mr. T (who isn't a fan of soupy things) thought it was delicious!

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  3. Janet I SO agree!

    Large gardens become more of a hassle than a pleasure. My inlaws have an insanely huge garden that after years of maintenance has become drudgery for them to keep up with.

    And while they can initially look orderly and charming, veggie gardens have a habit of becoming overgrown and unsightly. I'd recommend planting it BEHIND something like a shed. I've tried everything known to man to make mine look more attractive (planting flowers around it, sticking an adorable scarecrow in the middle, growing sunflowers and nasturtiums, etc...and yet it's still unattractive, really). If I had it to do over again, I'd have put our veggie garden behind a shed, out of plain sight.

    We compost everything so I use that to keep the soil nutrient-rich, and I use hay and grass clippings on the paths to keep it tidy and to keep weeds down.

    The good news is with lots of work, watering and care, your veggie garden yields a fun and delish harvest that makes it {almost} worthwhile!

    Judy

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  4. I can't wait to get our own home again. Condo living just doesn't allow you to do any of this but we plant seeds once in a while in pots and then the storms hit and kill them:( maybe soon! :)

    your garden looks lovely

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  5. Reading all this, I can't help but be reminded of our first garden in our first home as newlyweds. I believe the garden was bigger than our trailer house. After that, it got a bit smaller every year until it's just enough to still be therapeutic, not a burden, and produce a nice harvest of our favorites.

    I have to admit though, that while we love the veggie garden, we're glad to see Fall come. Not because we're like our lunatic friends who are now planting Winter gardens. But because we get to put it to sleep and get some rest ourselves.

    A few more left to ripen and we'll be tilling in next Springs soil.

    Your garden looks great and very well kept.

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  6. I'm so jealous of your garden. I've thought about starting one myself; yours gives me inspiration!

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