This Imperfect Plot

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May 31st, 2012

It’s good to have goals, right? Goals provide direction and a way to measure your progress. So here it is, the end of May, and I thought it would be a good time to check in on the goals that I set for myself this past January.

1. I will start all of my own seeds.

Check. This worked out way better than I thought it would. As with most successful endeavors, I had a lot of help. Thanks to Alex Norelli for the grow lights and heat mats. Thanks to Doug Hall for the flats and pots. Thanks to Mark Highland at Organic Mechanics for the seed-starting mix, and thanks especially to High Mowing Organic Seeds for graciously supplying most of the seeds.

2. I will only grow seeds from High Mowing Organic Seeds.

Yep, pretty much. I contacted HM a while back and told them my plan. They donated an excellent order of seeds. But then I kept seeing the High Mowing seed display at Kimberton Whole Foods and certain things would catch my eye, things that I didn’t know I wanted when I placed my original order.

3. I will not overplant tomatoes.

Somehow, I’ve managed not to overplant the tomatoes by planting more tomatoes than I’ve ever planted. Figure that one out. Fifteen plants! But this year they have plenty of space and I’m supporting them with the cat’s cradle technique instead of those stupid wire cages.

4. I will grow more flowers in my garden.

So far, so good.  Marigold, zinnia, cosmos, bachelor buttons, nasturtium, nicotiana, calendula, poppies, and lots of sunflowers. Hey pollinators, come on in!

5. I will plant a sunflower house for my kids.

Sort of. It’s not quite a house, but the edges around the play area (sliding board, bean teepee, balance beam) are thickly planted with sunflowers. It may end up feeling like a room by the end of the summer.

6. I will grow strawberries.

Check. Six ‘Mara des Bois’ day neutral strawberry plants given to me by OG deputy editor Doug Hall. Thanks again, Doug!

7. My garden will be productive earlier in the season.

We’ve been eating kale from the garden since February.

8. I’m going to buy (or make) a rain gauge.

Fail. I have not gotten a rain gauge yet. And all the “make your own rain gauge” websites and videos are flawed beyond words. They essentially tell you to tape a ruler to a jar and—presto—you have a rain gauge. I wasn’t the greatest student of mathematics or science, and I never took a meteorology class, but my instincts tell me that there is more to making a rain gauge than this. If you have any insight, please let me know.

9. I’m going to keep a detailed garden journal.

Almost. I started a garden journal. My first entry was on March 4 when I planted my onion seeds. Unfortunately, my most recent entry was on April 25 when I repotted my peppers, eggplant, tomatillo, and parsley, and planted nasturtium.

I suppose I could go back and fill in the blanks, but so much has happened since then. I will thank myself in the future if I can get back into journaling.

10. Keep my hopes high and my expectations low.

Always.

My garden, so far (this morning May 31, 2012).

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Stay tuned for my next set of gardening goals…

Tags: garden goals, goal, planting, planting strawberries, seed, starting seeds

January 12th, 2012

My garden at sunrise, early January, as seen from my bathroom window.

Let me be clear: I’m not a New Year’s resolution kind of guy. Which is why this post isn’t really a list of New Year’s resolutions, but more of a list of My Top 10 Gardening Goals for 2012. Ready? Here we go:

1. I will start all of my own seeds.
Last year, I had great luck with the seeds I started indoors and most that I sowed directly. But I also supplemented my plantings with seedlings from the Rodale Institute’s Spring Plant Sale. And what really overcrowded my garden last year were the extra seedlings I brought home from work, things that Doug Hall started in the greenhouse for the test garden, things like tomatoes and peppers, and celeriac. Don’t get me wrong: I appreciate free stuff like you couldn’t imagine. But this year, I’m taking a less-is-more approach—a Thoreau-like tact of simplistic self-sufficiency: If I didn’t start it from seed, then it’s not going in my garden. One possible caveat: Strawberries (see #6).

2. I will only grow seeds from High Mowing Organic Seeds.
I love their seeds. I love their company.

3. I will not over-plant tomatoes.
Every year, I seem to have too many tomato plants. Not this year. No, I will have the exact right number. Whatever that is.

4. I will grow more flowers in my garden.
Last year, I grew zinnias, calendula, nasturtium, and moonflower. This year, I will grow these and more. And I will interplant them among my other crops.

5. I will plant a sunflower house for my kids.
Last year’s fun project was a bean teepee. I might do one of those again, but we’ll definitely grow a sunflower house.

6. I will grow strawberries.
I love strawberries. Why haven’t I grown them before?

7. My garden will be productive earlier in the season.
How? By starting my own seeds indoors, I’ll be able to start my greens and whatnot in February and get them in the ground in March. I might even start some peas indoors to get a jump on fresh peas. Ah, fresh peas. I can’t wait for spring. It’s been a long winter and it’s only early January. Yep, I’m starting to champ at the gardening bit, as it were.

8. I’m going to buy (or make) a rain gauge.
I know how much rain we got last August and September: way too much. But this year, I’d like to be a bit more in touch with my precipitation.

9. I’m going to keep a detailed garden journal.
I have a good memory. For some things. I can remember people’s birthdays like Rain Man can count toothpicks. For instance, today is my Grandmother’s 90^th Birthday. Tomorrow is my cousin Emily’s 25^th birthday. Sunday is my friend Kevin’s 39th. The Monday after next is my nephew Calvin’s birthday. He’s turning 13. Ok. You get the point.

But there are some things that just seem to slip away. When did I plant my potatoes last year? What kind of beans did I plant two years ago? How much rain did we get last June? When did those Mexican Bean Beetles first appear on my bean Teepee? OK, you get the point there too. Yep—garden journal. Count me in.

10. Keep my hopes high & my expectations low.
Not sure if this counts as a goal. But it’s my M.O. and I’m sticking too it.

Tags: garden goals, garden journal, planting strawberries, starting seeds, sunflower house