January 1st is traditionally the time of year for resolutions, but as far as my garden goes, we’re coming up on the bitter end now.
Generally, I’m very pleased with my first real attempt at gardening! I’m still proud as punch over my sub-irrigated planter, which works pretty fabulously except for the drain getting clogged at one point. I made some rookie gardening mistakes, sure. Writing about them, however, made me research the problem and try to think about what I could do better next time.
Yes, I am already thinking about next time, and I’m getting ambitious.
First-the mistakes:
- My tomatoes need a better support system. I have to work a sturdier one out.
- I’ve been lucky–not too much to deal with in the way of pests. Leaf miners and flea beetles are consuming my crops, though. I didn’t get a fall crop of spinach between the two… the sprouts were consumed as fast as they germinated. It’s bad, since the two pests multiply exponentially and survive the winter. Since I can’t rotate crops, I have to find another solution. I’m thinking natural predators first thing in the spring, maybe in the form of nematodes. I’ll probably also have to replace the dirt.
- I did get cucumbers, but my plants were kind of unhappy. Of everything in my planter, these did the worst. They clearly need something they’re not getting in the sterile soil and my fertilizer. Or maybe they’re just not getting enough.
Now the ambitious:
- I’m thinking about removing the grass from my backyard, and replacing it with a kitchen-worthy meditation garden with some raised beds and mulch (where even my grass doesn’t do well). I would like to get to this point, but it may have to start with one or two beds.
- I am going to start more plants from seed this year. I’m giving myself a pass for 2013 because I started late, but I won’t take that excuse from me next year. I plan to get my seeds from Laura Watt of Cubits (really awesome person) who I met at the social media conference. She sells her organic seeds for these beautiful heirloom varieties I’ve never seen before on Etsy. I’m so there. In fact, this is one of her pictures of her heirloom tomatoes:
- I want to grow and process enough of any one thing that I don’t have to buy it from the store for all of 2014. I’m guessing the most likely plant will be tomatoes. How many tomatoes do I need to grow to keep my family in ketchup, salsa, and spaghetti sauce for a year? I have no clue! Can’t wait to find out. Oh and I’m canning them. Gotta get my canning on.
- Seed saving from at least five plants. I only saved the seed from my California Wonder bell peppers and some unidentified salad green that was part of a mesclun mix that obliged me with a great many happy-to-propagate, easy-to-collect little pods.
- I want to grow a ginger plant from scraps. Why? I don’t know! I just do. It’s going to be my indoor, winter project.
So, even though fall is technically my favourite time of year, part of me already can’t wait for spring! We’ve got big plans, and we’re going to take the next step in our little urban garden project.
Kitchen'r JOn says
Hey Anne,
I’d love to hear if you have luck with the ginger. I use to grow it in Atlanta outside in my garden but haven’t been able to get any to start growing here, maybe I need more heat?? My reason for wanting to grow it is otherwise the organic stuff comes from a whole continent away (or farther!).
Everything you’ve got going looks totally awesome!
-Jon
Food Retro says
Hey Jon! Did you try indoors or outdoors? I’ve read a lot of places that you can do it indoors over the winter season, but it’ll take a long time to get a crop. I figure since I’m a trial by error sort of gal anyway, don’t have much to lose… like you say, the organic stuff is definitely not the 100 mile diet type. 🙂