This my first post since May 2012.
I wanted to begin this again as I am beginning a new phase in gardening and mini-farming preparation and I want to share it with everyone as I work through the season. The season has already begun -- by some accounts I should have started growing transplants this weekend, but will delay until next weekend. This past weekend I focused on developing my basic concept, including the garden design, and which plants would be planted in which bed and when. This amounted to most of Friday and part of Saturday, Sunday and today.
This weekend I focused on gathering the necessary equipment which I don't have. One of my primary objectives during this growing season is to minimize overall costs -- if I have anything that works, no matter what the appearance, use it. Anything new must be scrutinized carefully for its necessity and practicality. Most items that require purchase will be for the basic materials. For example, I will not purchase a garden trellis, I'll buy the materials to make one to reduce costs. Seeds, at least this season, were a necessary purchase. For seed propagation, after mulling over several options, I determined that I would need to purchase a new shelf system and install new lights and lights I had purchased in El Paso when I did this before. I bought the cheapest - these are not specifically for indoor gardening, but rather basic shop lights that I could install on the shelves. Instead of setting this up in the garage, I did it in the basement to avoid additional costs to purchase heating mats (I have only one, not sure it would have been enough) plus it gets much colder here than in Texas (-11 F two weeks ago at 7:30 a.m.!). Plus I have plenty of space in the basement and it provides a much easier location to grow and maintain transplants.
I installed two sets of lights on two of the shelves. A third shelf will act as the initial germination shelf (seedlings don't require light until they actually sprout and break through the dirt.) I have two additional lights for installation if necessary; I believe based upon my growing schedule I will be able to rotate the plants on the shelf into the garden about the time I start the next group. For example, I start growing broccoli next week, and it's due to be transplanted into the garden March 8. I don't seed all varieties of tomatoes until March 1, and the tomatoes won't require light until the broccoli goes outside, thereby freeing up the space.
This year's garden has several primary objectives:
1) Plan, prepare and manage a garden of a larger size than I have in the past;
2) Germinate seeds directly and through transplants; no purchasing of seedlings;
3) Synchronize the schedule for transplants and direct sowing to maximize overall production during the growing season, including multiple plantings for a spring and fall crop;
4) Apply a new set of skills learned through study over the winter;
5) Manage a year's garden and maximize home-grown vegetables, at the very least breaking even on costs (I will use market value of vegetables and yields to project savings and measure that against my costs.)
Last year I seeded lettuce and purchased seedlings for a few varieties of tomatoes and sweet peppers, grew from seed several cucumber vines, grew a few herbs and seeded and re-seeded several iterations of lettuce. The amount of garden space utilized included a 4x4 foot bed, a 4x8 foot bed, some planters and a small garden strip along the back of the shed that was heavily shaded. It was not well planned and the time and discipline necessary to manage it (though small) was not available. Rookie mistakes were made, including watering. Long, infrequent waterings are preferred in most circumstances, and I watered for short periods of time (I would count slowly to 20 or 30) and didn't realize that shallow watering cause plants to grow shallow roots that spread out and compete for more space, making the plant more susceptible to damage from heat and requiring regular watering. Further, I watered all plants from above (I had learned that emulating rainfall was a good practice) and didn't realize this worked well for all plants - cucumber and other plants are more vulnerable to mildew and disease if their foliage is wet.
I realized that though I don't live here permanently, I need to continue to develop gardening plans and use it as "practice" and a means to provide feedback as I develop a long term plan to make mini-farming and market growing my next career. I will not be able to afford the trial and error once it becomes a full-time effort. Therefore, I must be disciplined enough to careful account for my costs and document yields, health of the plants, soil, climate and all other variables to gain the knowledge and experience to move to the next level.
My list of vegetables, selected by considering many factors, include:
Beets
Pole Beans
Bok Choi
Broccoli
Carrots
Chard
Collard
Corn
Cucumbers (two varieties)
Kale (two varieties)
Kohlrabi
Lettuce (five varieties)
Onions (two varieties)
Peas
Rutabaga
Spinach
Sweet Pepper
Tomato (eight varieties)
Turnips
Watermelon
Zuchinni (two varieties)
Potatoes
I will utilize several principles of the bio-intensive farming method, including planting everything close together. I will still following space guidelines, but there will be no rows so as the plants grow they create their own canopy and micro-climate, trapping moisture in the soil and requiring less space and water. The goal is to maximize yields in a much smaller space. I will have a total of 128 square feet (four 4 x 8 raised beds) plus a few planters. A cherry tomato variety will go in a planter and another in a hanging basket. Monica will grow herbs in the area behind the shed.
Some crops are test crops and yields are less of concern that the experience from growing that particular vegetable. For example, the corn I'm growing requires spacing of 15 inches. In one bed, that amounts to about 10-12 plants, each of which will only have two ears of corn. I can't plant less than that because there has to be more than a row in order to create conditions for pollination.
Some crops listed above might be on the chopping block due to space. I would like to grow potatoes but to make it worthwhile I probably need to dedicate an entire bed. Perhaps I'll do a fall planting.
Another principle of the bio-intensive method I'm applying is companion planting. Different varieties of vegetables benefit from sharing space, while others inhibit one another. I'm considering this as I map out what will be grown and when it will be grown in each bed. In the bed with the corn, I will plant cucumber and watermelon, which will benefit from the partial shade the corn provides. I'll plant marigolds in the shade of the tomatoes (which require 24 inches spacing, ugh) because they will attract beneficial insects like ladybugs which feed on pests. Lettuce benefits from shade of larger plants so I will plant lettuce near the tomatoes as well (lettuce roots are shallower and shouldn't interfere with the tomato root systems too much).
For some varieties of plants I will build trellises on the north side of the bed and ensure the taller plants are on this side, including the vine varieties (both peas and beans will have trellises).
Finally, though the soil in our yard is mostly clay, instead of purchasing the 32 cubic feet of required for one foot to fill each 4 x 8 bed, I will use the double dig technique to prepare each bed. I still may supplement with additional topsoil, but will use compost from the pile I started last summer and add any other necessary minerals, based upon the PH level. The double dig process involves removing the top 12 inches of soil, loosening up the next 12 inches, then adding a shallow layer of compost before adding the top 12 inches back in, then spreading compost on top. I'll building 12 inch high garden boxes from used lumber.
Next week I'll share some photos of the seed propagation preparations and hopefully have the garden plan near completion. My time is competing with my one MBA class this term, which requires a short paper to be written each week. As soon as the ground loosens up in late February (hopefully) I'll begin preparing the beds. Next weekend I'll lay down tarps to smother the grass where the beds will go.
I wanted to begin this again as I am beginning a new phase in gardening and mini-farming preparation and I want to share it with everyone as I work through the season. The season has already begun -- by some accounts I should have started growing transplants this weekend, but will delay until next weekend. This past weekend I focused on developing my basic concept, including the garden design, and which plants would be planted in which bed and when. This amounted to most of Friday and part of Saturday, Sunday and today.
 |
| My desk, with my master planning chart on the screen and my assortment of gardening references laid out. |
 |
| My new shelf, 48" wide and 24" deep. |
This year's garden has several primary objectives:
1) Plan, prepare and manage a garden of a larger size than I have in the past;
2) Germinate seeds directly and through transplants; no purchasing of seedlings;
3) Synchronize the schedule for transplants and direct sowing to maximize overall production during the growing season, including multiple plantings for a spring and fall crop;
4) Apply a new set of skills learned through study over the winter;
5) Manage a year's garden and maximize home-grown vegetables, at the very least breaking even on costs (I will use market value of vegetables and yields to project savings and measure that against my costs.)
Last year I seeded lettuce and purchased seedlings for a few varieties of tomatoes and sweet peppers, grew from seed several cucumber vines, grew a few herbs and seeded and re-seeded several iterations of lettuce. The amount of garden space utilized included a 4x4 foot bed, a 4x8 foot bed, some planters and a small garden strip along the back of the shed that was heavily shaded. It was not well planned and the time and discipline necessary to manage it (though small) was not available. Rookie mistakes were made, including watering. Long, infrequent waterings are preferred in most circumstances, and I watered for short periods of time (I would count slowly to 20 or 30) and didn't realize that shallow watering cause plants to grow shallow roots that spread out and compete for more space, making the plant more susceptible to damage from heat and requiring regular watering. Further, I watered all plants from above (I had learned that emulating rainfall was a good practice) and didn't realize this worked well for all plants - cucumber and other plants are more vulnerable to mildew and disease if their foliage is wet.
I realized that though I don't live here permanently, I need to continue to develop gardening plans and use it as "practice" and a means to provide feedback as I develop a long term plan to make mini-farming and market growing my next career. I will not be able to afford the trial and error once it becomes a full-time effort. Therefore, I must be disciplined enough to careful account for my costs and document yields, health of the plants, soil, climate and all other variables to gain the knowledge and experience to move to the next level.
My list of vegetables, selected by considering many factors, include:
Beets
Pole Beans
Bok Choi
Broccoli
Carrots
Chard
Collard
Corn
Cucumbers (two varieties)
Kale (two varieties)
Kohlrabi
Lettuce (five varieties)
Onions (two varieties)
Peas
Rutabaga
Spinach
Sweet Pepper
Tomato (eight varieties)
Turnips
Watermelon
Zuchinni (two varieties)
Potatoes
I will utilize several principles of the bio-intensive farming method, including planting everything close together. I will still following space guidelines, but there will be no rows so as the plants grow they create their own canopy and micro-climate, trapping moisture in the soil and requiring less space and water. The goal is to maximize yields in a much smaller space. I will have a total of 128 square feet (four 4 x 8 raised beds) plus a few planters. A cherry tomato variety will go in a planter and another in a hanging basket. Monica will grow herbs in the area behind the shed.
Some crops are test crops and yields are less of concern that the experience from growing that particular vegetable. For example, the corn I'm growing requires spacing of 15 inches. In one bed, that amounts to about 10-12 plants, each of which will only have two ears of corn. I can't plant less than that because there has to be more than a row in order to create conditions for pollination.
Some crops listed above might be on the chopping block due to space. I would like to grow potatoes but to make it worthwhile I probably need to dedicate an entire bed. Perhaps I'll do a fall planting.
Another principle of the bio-intensive method I'm applying is companion planting. Different varieties of vegetables benefit from sharing space, while others inhibit one another. I'm considering this as I map out what will be grown and when it will be grown in each bed. In the bed with the corn, I will plant cucumber and watermelon, which will benefit from the partial shade the corn provides. I'll plant marigolds in the shade of the tomatoes (which require 24 inches spacing, ugh) because they will attract beneficial insects like ladybugs which feed on pests. Lettuce benefits from shade of larger plants so I will plant lettuce near the tomatoes as well (lettuce roots are shallower and shouldn't interfere with the tomato root systems too much).
For some varieties of plants I will build trellises on the north side of the bed and ensure the taller plants are on this side, including the vine varieties (both peas and beans will have trellises).
 |
| A "rough" visualization of the raised beds. |
Next week I'll share some photos of the seed propagation preparations and hopefully have the garden plan near completion. My time is competing with my one MBA class this term, which requires a short paper to be written each week. As soon as the ground loosens up in late February (hopefully) I'll begin preparing the beds. Next weekend I'll lay down tarps to smother the grass where the beds will go.
