I have been doing a lot of Gardening homework in all of my free time. I don't have much of it so I had to read very fast! My good friend Laura, who has used some of her free time to become a Master Gardener, allowed me to borrow a gardening book. After reading a few pages and checking out the Appendixes, I knew that I had to get one of my own so that I could write notes, scribble and fold pages over. Alaska Gardening Guide by Ann D. Roberts has given me all the beginners knowledge I have needed to start this monster of a project. Ooo, and I just noticed that the title also says Volume I, Alaska Vegetables for Northern Climates. Are there more volumes?!? I can't wait to find out!
One section asks a few questions...
1. What kind of garden do I want? Herb, vegetable or flower? Well, all of them of course!! But the more realistic answer involves some details. Herbs don't really interest me this year. I want to grow some vegetables and start with ones that I know my boys will eat and those that I will use. I don't need to learn how to grow veggies right now that are risky.
I want to grow...
Broccoli
Carrots
Lettuce
Spinach
Zucchini
Onions
Peas
I already have three rhubarb plants that produce more than I can use!! And I plan on transplanting some Raspberry bushes to begin giving us some berries next summer. Flowers are a must. I love looking at them and deadheading blossoms. I am sure I will love weeding too. It is tedious work but I like detailed work and the time away all by myself in the beds will be blissful, yes even while weeding! I have experience with Pansies and Marigolds and I would like to add Gladiolas and Nasturtiums to my planters and half barrels.
2. How serious do I want to get about gardening? Well, I want something that I can enjoy doing. It will be small, maybe two 4x6 raised beds.
3. How much do I need to feed my family and how much will I need to plant to obtain that? Whew! I have no idea to either of those questions. I went to a U-Pick farm last year and picked a lot of veggies. The first thing I noticed was that they lasted longer in my fridge so I didn't need to buy broccoli or lettuce so frequently. That also helped me see how large some of these plants can get! So this one will keep me guessing and provide all the info I will need for next year.
On paper it doesn't look like much. The list looks pretty short and manageable...but we will see. I am an organized mom, but this may be tough! But that's okay...those veggies can bring it!
Just saw your blog pretty cool. Just a couple of notes from me, maybe you've already learned this stuff...btw i'm going to look for that book. My mom always had a great garden and we have had what i consider a small garden for the last couple of years. When you are figuring out what size you want to make it, make sure you can reach the middle from both sides. We made this mistake with our strawberry bed and made weeding very challenging. Also raspberries do very well and will spread quite a bit, but something i just learned is they only get berries every other year, they grow one year, produce the next. Strawberries are amazing if you guys don't have allergies, make sure you get the plants from a local place though, i bought some a few years back from lowes and they never produced anything. they are awesome because they give off so many runners you'll have more plants then you know what to do with, the berries are smaller and more orange than in the stores, but soooo good.
ReplyDeleteWe have had luck with the following veggies:
Peas
Carrots
Green Onions
Radishes
Kohlrabi
Artichokes (actually did awesome)
Cabbage
Lettuce
Zucchini
I just planted seeds last Thursday so we are behind this year also...oh well!