Get ready to…
Spring into Action!
Finally, we had a weekend without snow, freezing rain, ice giant invasion, sleet, or fog in central New England. We had a little rain on Friday, but it was nearly 60 Fahrenheit. Most (not all) of the snow has melted off my raised beds and there is just the slightest scent of mud in the air. That means I had better formulate a solid plan for the 2019 Food It Yourself Garden.
For reference, here is the plan I drew up for the 2018 garden.
If you read this blog at any time last gardening season, you will remember that this is what actually happened:
Well, I am pretty sure we have solved the woodchuck problem. Here is my plan for 2019, at least for the raised beds. (Check out my serious computer graphic skilz!)
The orange dots represent the old fashioned, smelly marigolds I will plant strategically to repel the adorable rabbits. Also note the gorgeous trellises I am designing to support the luffa gourds.
There are a few wild cards I have to consider. I have two packets of “thank you” seeds from Baker Creek; I forgot a few items from my first order so I made a second order. I do not want to give up growing “regular” basil. I always grow regular basil with my tomatoes. So, I think I will try the cinnamon basil in the front yard. Also, I have had mixed luck with tomatoes from seed, so I might put those Purple Russians in pots and see if anything happens. The asparagus peas might share the luffa trellis, or might get their own climbing structure in the same bed as the string beans. I am still working that out.
The front yard herb garden, besides getting extra basil as noted above, will also get some camomile, mint, and lemon balm. (I plan to buy those as plants when my local nursery opens for the season.) I spend so much money on teas, I think I need to start adding home-grown tea herbs to my DIYet.
Finally, in case you were wondering how our indoor growing adventure is progressing-here is that aquaponic seedling I showed you a few weeks ago. We now believe this is tomato, not a pepper as we originally thought. The leaves have that tell-tale tomato smell. There is what appears to be a pepper seedling next to it but I could not get a good picture of the pepper. I will certainly keep you posted on how these plants progress.
What are your plans for the 2019 gardening season? Share in the comments!
Cinnamon basil makes a lovely tea, and I love to put it into bouquets for the fragrance it adds. Do grow your own teas. It’s so easy and inexpensive. Drop a few fresh leaves into a pot and you’ll be amazed. I do jars of “sun” tea with herbs all summer and dry the excess harvest for winter teas. Happy growing!
I have done mint before for tea, and camomile. I have some bee balm, too and I have heard that the flowers can be used for tea.
It is so therapeutic to get out there and start growing something, especially now!
Agreed! There is nothing as full of hope as a seedling.