Winter Garden Preparations
As we finish up January and move into February, I feel the call of the garden. I know there are still many months to go before Andy and I can get out and start our planting but now is the time we can start planning! Mid-January I ordered several free seed catalogs so we could begin our preparations. Two catalogs have arrived thus far, Burpee Seeds, Plants and Supplies (burpee.com) and Johnny’s Selected Seeds (johnnyseeds.com). My goal in choosing catalogs was to pick ones that sold both vegetable and flower seeds as well as garden supplies such as heating mats and other equipment we might need for our current garden and perhaps for the future farm in Palisade (I call it a farm but really it will probably just be a much bigger garden).
Last week the catalogs arrived and thus began our search and selection. My friend Laurie gave me Zinnia Elegans (Queen Red Lime), Morning Glory and Gerbera (Jaguar Mix) seeds for Christmas. The Gerbera are a type of Daisy and the Morning Glories I’ve always associated with vines but have recently discovered that you can also use them as cut flowers. Laurie knows how much I love cut flowers and that a Flower Cutting Garden will be a prominent feature in my future Palisade homestead! With the seeds, she also included a beautiful basket to carry my cut flowers as well as a vase and the most amazing book by Frances Palmer titled Life in the Studio! I just finished reading it on Sunday and I swear to God it felt like it was written just for me as it focused on creating ceramics, gardening and cooking! I highly recommend this book!
But I digress, today I’m focusing on the first stages of garden preparation! This summer I’ve decided to dial back on my gardening so I can focus on helping the girls find an apartment near their college and get them moved out of the house. My focus for the garden will primarily be on the Back Forty raised bed that is located in our alley – it gets full sun, the Victory Garden which is also a raised bed, the window boxes that lined our fence, a few hanging baskets and then just pots. I’ve decided to give Andy the raised bed where I normally plant herbs and to not plant the window boxes that are usually situated along the windows of the house.
Andy enjoys growing peppers, and he plans to fill his newly acquired bed with a variety of peppers including a new pepper called the Nibbler Hybrid series which looks to be yellow peppers, California Wonder (a red pepper), Jalapeno and Serrano (he loves his hot peppers).
For veggies, I will focus on perfecting my lettuce growing skills by devoting the Victory Garden to two different seed mixes one that is called the Classic which is a Mesclun mixture of sweet gourmet lettuces that include arugula, endive, chervil, and radicchio; and a Sweet Salad Mix which includes red (lettuce and beet greens) and bright green (spinach, lettuce, and mustard greens). Last year was the first year in many that I was success at growing salad greens, and I want to see if I can do it again. This might sound silly but there is something very satisfying and joyful about being able to go out and pick your own salad for lunch! To accompany my lettuces, I am also going to plant a Trailing Nasturtium Mix in the window boxes that I use to line the fence. Nasturtiums are eatable both their flowers and their leaves and so they serve two purposes in that they add a touch of color to the fence as well as to my salad!
As an experiment last summer, I planted cherry tomatoes in a hanging basket and low and behold it worked! So, this year I’m going to pull out my other two hanging baskets and fill them as well with cherry tomato plants! The seeds I picked for this endeavor are called the Sweetheart of the Patio Hybrid and are advertised as the perfect plant for pots or hanging baskets for delicious fruits at your fingertips. They are a compact ‘super’ producer, blight tolerant, super sweet 1 oz. baby cherries.
A new experiment I am going to try this summer will be growing ornamental strawberry plants in pots. These specific plants are called Summer Breeze Deep Rose and are advertised as having cascades of deep-pink colored double blooms that overflow from hanging pots or patio containers that yield snackable sweetness all summer. My oldest daughter Tess likes to grow strawberries so I’m conducting this experiment for her even though she is moving out this summer. The picture in the catalog looks pretty so I thought I’d give it a go.
The flowering plants I’ve listed thus far are red and orange, I will continue with that palette and fill the rest of the pots with those colors expanding it to include white as well. Since I’m giving up the area, I normally plant my herbs in, I also plan on planting a few herbs (Thyme, Rosemary, Basil, Oregano and Mint) in pots as well. The herbs will add some visual texture to the patio greenery. I’m pretty sure my Sage and Chives will come back so Andy will have to share the bed with them!
In the Back Forty raised bed I’m going to try my hand yet again at trying to grow Luffas which are from the gourd family. I failed horribly last summer but I’m thinking it was because they didn’t have enough light. The Back Forty raised bed is in full sun all day so fingers crossed it will work second time around. I will also plant the seeds Laurie gave me in this bed.
Andy placed our seed order today, along with another heating mat. Once they arrive, our plan is to get the peppers, tomatoes and Luffas going in the green house which is in the garage. I’ve been reading a great book called Small-Space Vegetable Gardens by Andrea Bellamy and have learned that if you reuse seed trays (which reusing and recycling plastic containers is highly encouraged) you must first clean and sterilize them to get rid of any mold, disease or fungi that might be lurking in the used containers! I did not know that, but it makes perfect sense. To do this you first remove any dirt or plant debris, then rinse the containers. Next, you soak it overnight in a solution of water and hydrogen peroxide or bleach. (A 1:9 ratio of hydrogen peroxide or bleach to water out to do the trick). I will hold off and plant the Lettuce and flower seeds after we’ve passed the first frost, usually the weekend after Mother’s Day in May. That will be when I pick up the other plants for the pots that will adorn our patio this summer.
And thus begins our garden preparations for summer 2022. I have to say though as I perused these catalogs the call of Palisade was strong. Andy and I both saw many other veggies (and flowers) we are excited to try to grow once we have more space to expand our garden!
