Four weeks ago, Saturday afternoon was spent planning the cool season garden.
I looked at photos of last year's raised vegetable beds, just to be sure to avoid planting the same vegetable in the particular bed where it had grown last year. ( That is my rendition of crop rotation. ) I took out my pad, ruler and pencil and drew a rough sketch of my new vegetable garden...the object being to include old favorites, some new varieties plus use a variety of planting methods. I tagged various parts of each bed with the type seed I intend to plant there. Some spots were reserved for directly sown seeds...others for transplants. Some areas used row planting, some, French intensive methods and others, square foot planting concepts. This year, I am planting taller vegetables in a row along the northmost side of the raised beds. This should allow all vegetables to obtain their fair share of sunshine!
Next step was to go through seeds I had on hand and prepare the order list for those I needed to buy. The most time consuming part was checking likes and dislikes ( companion planting ) of each vegetable I intended to include in the garden. Then another final look at the planting chart I had created to make sure each plant was going to be happy!
The elevated beds were still covered with plastic, but to get an earlier start, I filled two seed flats with Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix. I will plant seeds of various varieties of lettuce,broccoli, chard,boc choi, spinach, tomatoes, plus a few others and will wait until it is a bit cooler to uncover the beds for direct seeding ( beets, carrots, peas )
After the beds are uncovered and seeded, I have had more luck with hand sprinkling them until they show growth has been established. Seeds are just like little babies that need a lot of watching! Only then will the drip irrigation be turned back on.
UPDATE: Mice dug up each and every seed in my seed flats.( Sometimes gardeners get irked! ) Raised beds now uncovered and seeded. One six pac broccoli planted. Peas sprouted under shade cloth in six days. Radishes, same. Lettuce, chives, carrots showing. Beets, chard and spinach planted but not yet sprouting.
Basil, sage, dill and three tomatoes planted.
TIP: When planting seeds, be sure to label them! ( You just think you can remember! )
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