May Basics - May 5th

So a friend suggested I start a blog about gardening.  Here is a photo of my garden. It sounds like fun to do a blog but... silly me....you have to post things.  In order to post you have to have time to post.  So I will try... but bear with me as it is soccer season (I have 3 kids in soccer and a husband that coaches one of them) and I am working on my soccer mom/gardening tan...I have had a garden since college.  Even in college I had a little plot out the back of the rental house I shared with 4 others.  I do love gardening.  My mother has 2 gardens & lives on a farm in Iowa....and her mother before her had a large garden and lived on a farm.  Its in my DNA, I am sure.

Basics. Back in February I was planning.  Planning what to plant in the garden that we now are planting.  I got gardening catalogs (Burpee, Gurney's, etc).  Usually you can go to their website and get them for free.   I like pictures too because its very helpful.  Sometimes its hard to find the same varieties in the catalogs as in the nearby store but each year I feel like they get more varieties.  Our nearby Countryside Garden center in Crystal Lake is amazing.  Check it out if you can.  They have a website and blog too.  Choose items you like to eat alot of or would like to try. 

Some notes on sun & soil.  In planting a garden make sure your spot gets at least 6hrs of sunlight a day.  If not it may be hard to get optimum growth and plants will be small...and may not bear fruit.  Also if you till the garden or plant an above ground plot remember to add some compost manure.  This should be done each year when you turn over the soil.  This is like nourishment to the plants.  You will get bigger and healthier plants and veggies.  So lots of sun and good soil.

Planting.  Always adhere to the plant specs on the back of the seed packet or the tag on the plant.  If you plant closer or not deep enough the plant will also not do well.  Also certain plants are supposed to be planted in the early spring, spring, early summer, summer etc.  Make sure to adhere to this also.  Some earlier plants like asparagus, kale, lettuce, carrots can do well in the colder temps.  But plants like watermelon and squashes do better in the warmer temps.  They will be stunted and won't do well if planted too soon.  I am a stickler about this.  I will get out my husbands measuring tape to be precise.  I also take string and attach it to 2 sticks.  The string should be the length of your row.  I always measure the row and leave the string so I can see the row.  If not my row would not be straight.  I also create some row markers and write what I planted (example a stick that says "peas").  You can get creative with those too.  After each row is planted I make sure to measure 18" or whatever the plants require to create the next row. 





So that is the basics to starting a garden or at least how I go about it.  I will post some basics & tips about asparagus tomorrow as requested from my friend Anne...I think.