Clark Creek Blog: How Does Your Garden Grow?

: Name: Scott in Washington; Location: Longview, Washington, United States

I live in a small town in Washington State, USA, with my wife, two sons, two dogs, a cat, and family nearby. I work at the local community college as an I.T. Specialist. In March of '02, we bought a 70-some year old house that needed a lot of work. When I'm not working on the house, I like to throw pots, be outside, and read a lot.

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Sunday, March 06, 2005

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Today I started into the gardening season. I got about one third to one half of my beds spaded and started my seeds for tomatoes.

I want to do a ‘real’ vegetable garden this year – one that will provide a bounty of food that we can put up or freeze and enjoy throughout the year (Basically, I want a truck garden like Keith’s). I plan to grow tomatoes (I got seeds for Beefsteak and sweet cherry varieties), potatoes (reds), carrots, corn, beans, Peas, pumpkins, and lettuce. The general plan of attack will be to get the ground broken up and my seeds started in-doors in the next couple of weeks, and then put the cold soil crops like the peas and lettuce in the ground. Then plant seeds in the ground for things like potatoes and corn. I’m using the vegetable plot at my parent’s house rather than breaking ground on our property because theirs has much improved soil, gets better light, and is much closer to being ready to go. My dad was a prolific gardener until about the time I started middle school at which time he became more interested in long distance running and going to law school. He broke ground for his garden at about age 30, so its apropos that I pick up where he left off I supposed.

The crude map below shows the bed scheme Dad laid out. I plan to follow it. The slope of the hill runs gently from the top of the map to the bottom and true North is about where North by Northwest would be on the map. I think he laid the rows so as to take advantage of the sun as it travels East to West rather than worrying about erosion.

The plan as it is now is:
Bed Number: Plant:
1. Lettuce at top, beans on the top side, tomatoes on bottom
2. Peas at top, Beans on bottom half
3. Lettuce at top, beans on the top side, peas on bottom
4. Pumpkins or maybe water melon
5. Corn on left, carrots on right
6. My mom has flower bulbs planted here
7. Potatoes
8. Corn on left, carrots on right
9. I don’t know if I’ll get around to putting this one into use

I’m curious to know what people think. Are there considerations regarding light, water, etc. that I should take into account? Yummy crops I forgot to include or consider? I plan to try keeping my tall crops to the West so as to let the shorter plants get more light. Should I swap around the corn and potatoes so the corn won't overshadow the beans and peas? Should I move all the beans to the left of the peas?

14 comment(s):

Sir, you should've started those tomatoes indoors a month ago. They don't start well outside, especially over here.

By Unknown, at 3/07/2005 05:54:00 PM
Potatoes will give you a crazy bounty, and will never go away. You have potato sets right? Easy crops that you didn't mention (if you like em): zuchinni, spinach, brocolli, radishes, loufa gourds!

The cool thing about a lot of these that I mentioned is that you'll get multiple harvests. Spinach will be done by August and then you can plant something else...radishes or something. Brocolli has a limited lifespan too...

By Unknown, at 3/07/2005 06:03:00 PM
Yep, I started my tomato seeds in little paper booties full of sphagnum. I soaked them and set the dish on a heating pad and put a lamp bulb down close to the surface. I checked them a little while ago and while they aren't warm to the touch, they aren't cool either. Hopefully this weekend I can get a little seedling nursery going in the basement.

I'm not sure I know what you mean by potato sets. Is that like raising two crops in one season? The potato patch my dad had (bed 7) when I was growing up was almost self-replenishing. There are still a few volunteer plants to be seen 15 years later. I thought of zukes and cukes today. Spinach is an enticing suggestion as well.

By Scott in Washington, at 3/07/2005 09:03:00 PM
Pumpkins might be a fun crop. I am growing some this year. Whatever we don't use, I figured I could give away this fall.

By Kasmira, at 3/08/2005 07:40:00 AM
WOW you have a great plan,Leave the corn where you have it ! My garden is an art that I create every year. Now to protect your vegies from deer and bunnies there are certain things you can put in your garden. Marigolds are beatiful and great in the house in the fall, during the summer they protect your garden from deer, they smell like wet dog and if you plant them with you lettuce, tomatoes and beans you should have better luck. I get crackerjack marigolds, I just sow the seed and they do great. Be sure and place a few heather around, the bunnies ignore them, the cabbage, and lettuce. I alwasy plant an extra row of carrots just for the bunnies to keep them busy. Were you doing pole beans or bush beans. And yes you are really brave to plant you seeds(tomatoe) this late, I normally make a trip to the nursery and get mine already started, this area is really bad when it comes to black spot. You have to have white potatoes also, if you go to any feed store or nursery you can get potato sets, one spud can be cut into many starts, I normally start a new crop each year for the bigger potatoe. Now what about flowers, Cosmos is easy and adds color, I plant some with my corn, it does not take up space and it looks great. Did you do zucchni, it makes great bread, stir fry and relish to preserve. Watch out for sunflowers, they eat the dirt away, they are pretty but wow they get big...Pumpkins are fun...I do not plant them any more they come up every year in the compost pile all by themselves. Have fun will be waitng for pictures of the garden...Next comes canning tips..

By Anonymous, at 3/08/2005 01:40:00 PM
Sets are pretty much potato (and onion) infants. Farmers overseed an area and get little stunted guys that they then give them to you. And they flourish.

By Unknown, at 3/08/2005 09:54:00 PM
Your garden is going to be amazing! I wish we could grow corn! Stupid raccoons and their hyper-washing ways.

If you get into crop rotation, plant the tomatoes wherever the peas or beans have been last. That is my one crop rotation insight.

By Beth, at 3/09/2005 08:09:00 AM
Also, are you planning any herbs in there?

By Beth, at 3/09/2005 08:27:00 AM
Well, onions and garlic... Do they count as herbs? Most of the herbs we grow, we have in pots and planters so we can move them under cover for the cold season - not that we always remember to do that, but that is the plan anyway. We may end up putting most of the tomatoes in pots as well so we can move them around to take advantage of changind light conditions throughout the season.

I like the Marigolds idea and I bet my mom will too. The only pests I remember my parents having to deal with in their garden when I was a kid were slugs and moles. My dad shot the moles (no kidding) and they used a lot of Cory's Slug and Snail Death. It has been a life long dream of mine to have a Cory's Slug and Snail Death teeshirt, but I'm maybe not so crazy about putting chemicals on the soil to combat slugs as I once was. Any suggestions?

I'm wondering if I can put in secondary crops around the base of my corn, like garlic or climbing plants like beans and peas.

By Scott in Washington, at 3/09/2005 09:45:00 AM
I do not use slug bait, use beer. It does not add chemicals to the ground and you have happy slugs before they pass, or forget what they were there for. Onions are a must, you will need those when you make your green beans with onions and bacon, there is nothing better than to sit down with a plate of your own vegi's. In adding other things that climb with your corn, the corn is a water hog and will keep the ground really dry. I add seed to my peas for a secons crop, the beans take a while to cook and will actually produce a lot. Waked Yellow beans are another idea, they are great in a salad. With your beans if they are really good, I allow mine to grow out and use the seed forthe following year.

By Anonymous, at 3/09/2005 11:58:00 AM
Beth- I'm the herb planter....its about the only thing I can grow, that and zuchhini. Scott made me this awesome herb planter (heavy as heck) I'll post a photos soon. Some of my favs are Rosemary and Lavender (in the garden, not the planter) I cook with them all the time, Thyme, Coriander/cilantro and Sage. Although I have a hard time keeping sage a live...also chives and lemon sage

By Anonymous, at 3/09/2005 01:17:00 PM
Sage in this area is hard to keep going, the cold nights and wet seem to affect how it survives. I started cutting mine back really far each winter and that has really helped, did not loose it this year at all. I plant it between the heather and lavendar in my garden, they all seem to family together well.

By Anonymous, at 3/09/2005 02:45:00 PM
I love running out on the deck with a pair of scissors and a little bowl and snipping some herbs for whatever is on the stove top. Woo hoo! Summer is coming!

By Scott in Washington, at 3/09/2005 08:33:00 PM
Holy moly. What a chunk of posts. Personally, I have zero porblems with vertabrate pests, or mollusc pests. Porbably since I live on the East-side eh? ;)

I just put sunflowers around the firehydrants and power poles, eat dirt? Who cares?

Technically, it's silly to grow corn over here, since it's cheaper than hell and sucks so much water and nutrients. My mom always had the damndest time trying to garden in Packwood between the deer, elk, rabbits, slugs, and lack of light. All we grew was potatoes, rhubarb, and...salal? She used beer on the slugs too. And pointed sticks. We've no problem with lack of sun over here! Just sometimes we have to water a couple times a day, even with tons of mulch.

Let's see...I had Jack-Be-Little pumpkins climbing my sunflowers and corn last year...shades their roots too.

Plants legumes everywhere! Or just let your chickens shit everywhere.

We've no problems growing sage over here!

(There's my $3.76)

By Unknown, at 3/09/2005 09:01:00 PM

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Sunday, March 06, 2005

How Does Your Garden Grow?

14 comment(s):