HERD ABOUT IT?
by Ana Grarian
I’m sitting comfortably in my bedroom listening to “Democracy Now”, sipping hot coffee, pondering my next move to brace this house against the below zero temps outside, and trying not to be distracted by garden dreams.
So far I’ve searched out Hostas, discovered a similar plant that retains its leaves all winter and stumbled upon a heritage seed sharing site.
Note to self:
“Must keep garden plans simple for this year.
New garden, new soil, long learning curve.”
Since we moved into this house on January 1, I really have no idea how good or bad the gardens are. I need to learn about sun exposure, quality of soil etc. The front bed has been perennials so I will discover what is there as spring opens up. There’s a rhododendron! I hope to plant the median between the sidewalk and the road. There is no parking in front of our house so it will not intrude on folks getting in and out of parked cars.
There is also a tree. A perfect place for Hostas, and bird feeders.
I want at least: tomatos, peppers, cucumbers, spinach, broccoli and brussell sprouts. I love fresh brussell sprouts. I never had them until a few years ago. I thought the plant had failed, never realizing that they are harvested in fall. Oooh, but the deliciousness when they were ready.
I’m not sure about root crops, until I see what the soil is. It may be hardpacked clay. Though I suppose I could sow a few in containers.
I have a few asparagus toes. Hopefully I can find a good permanent place for them.
I need to plot the hours of sunlight on the side of the house. That may be a good space for veggie gardening. Some members of the household are not excited about veggies in the front garden. I envision cherry tomatos dripping from hanging planters, beckoning to be picked as we sit in our porch chairs and read.
The back yard is a question too. It must be available for the dog to roam and relax. It has been neglected for years. There iare two trees and severalovergrown bushes. I think they are lilacs. They need heavy pruning because they are too gangly and also are disrupting the fence and gate and, they are beginning to impede pedestrians on the sidewalk. I would like to add a forsythia which I have started in a pot indoors.
This house is old enough to have a root cellar. So I can learn about preserving food too. In the meantime another good winter project will be to improve the steps so that they are safer to use.
Winter work to do while dreaming of spring.
Summer dreams, makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind
(apologies to Seals and Crofts)
I hope you have better luck with your garden than I did last year, Ana (and I’m sure you will because you know more about it than I do). Out of my heritage tomato and celery seeds, I only got one tomato plant to grow, and it bore no fruit. (Probably because I started too late in the season.) The marigolds did middling good, but the black-eyed susans refused to grow past the sprout phase. I’m going to try again this year, but I think I’ll buy the plant sprouts from the local organic gardening guy rather than start from seeds. Also, I’ll start earlier, of course.
This will be my first year with a big city garden. Hopefully I can transfer my skills from one area to another. My biggest concern is light. I couldn’t grow veggies in the last place because of lack of light.
The front of the house, along the road should do well because it runs east and west.
Hopefully the landlord will get the gutters replaced and the downspouts in so I can collect rain water. Otherwise I will be hauling water from the lake. Not too bad – an excuse to go swimming!
I had the same problem with light. There are large trees in my back and side yards, so any plant can only get a couple of hours of full sunshine a day. I was hoping that would be enough for tomato plants, but maybe not. (The marigolds were fine, though.) I also wonder how much air pollution in the city might have to do with this — maybe it’s stunting the plant’s growth?
Tomatoes need at least 6 hours of full sun, more is better. Most fruits require high sunlight. The good thing is that tomatoes will do well in a pot, or hanging planter, try that. At the apt. I was going to try a planter on wheels and put it in front of the building in the afternoon, and in the back in the morning.
Thanks for the advice, Ana. Maybe I can grow them in pots on the roof, or pots in the yard that I can move around to get the most sun.