Seeds

April 18, 2024

I have been mulling over a planting arraignment for my vegetable beds since the beginning of the year.  I settled on the grow mediums early and have them prepared.  My potatoes will go into the ground beds on either side of the back door.  The tomatoes and peppers will go in the grow bags and containers along the back fence.  The three sisters (corn/beans/squash) are set for the bed along the back of the house.  That still leaves my four hügelkultur beds on the south side of the house.  I have narrowed these beds down.  I have struggled with an opossum (Didelphis virginiana) that devoured past crops of melons so they will go in the tall (32 in/81 cm) bed.  One of the shorter (17 in/43 cm) long beds is reserved for roots crops while the other is for leafy vegetables.  The shorter u-shaped bed is for a combination of peas, beans, and squashes on trellises.  Now it is a matter of getting the different seeds in the ground.

When I looked online, I found Amy Andrychowicz’ website presented a five step approach for what seeds and plants to grow.  Step 1 is, what does your family like to eat?  Growing exotic vegetables will do no good if no one eats them.  Step 2 is to determine why you want to grow vegetables.  If the goal is saving money, grow vegetables that are expensive to buy.  If you want organic crops plant low-maintenance vegetables.   If you want consistent harvest grow vegetables that produce continuously, rather than the one large crop.  If you want the fun of watching things grow plant varieties that are fast growing, low-maintenance, or easy to grow from seed.  Even if they do not produce much, you will have fun watching them grow.  If you are into canning and preservation, choose vegetables suited for this.  Step 3 is asking what you have had success growing before.  If a vegetable did not grow well for you try a different variety, or just skip it.  Step 4 concerns what grows best in your area or growth zone.  If others have success growing these vegetables, there is a good chance you will too.  Step 5 is the garden space available.  The size of your garden will determine what and how many plants you can grow.  Limit yourself to space and what you are willing to care for. 

I was able to get the root crops in to fill one of the beds yesterday.  Most seeds were planted directly into the ground.  The exception was my onions, which I am still struggling to make produce.  Out of the forty seedlings I started (two varieties) only six remained as sets I could plant in the bed.  The choices I made for which vegetables to grow came from a combination of what I like to eat and what will provide a constant supply.  This year’s garden is my next step in creating a sustainable food source that includes fresh as well as canned/preserved food stuffs.  My foray into canning last year made me a little more comfortable but I know there will still be a huge learning curve with the variety of vegetables I am growing.  What to preserve, what to freeze, what to dehydrate, what to eat fresh, and what to give to friends or the foodbank.  This is rapidly becoming a full-time job.

THOUGHTS:  I was overwhelmed by the 100’s of seed packets Melissa gave me as it created too many choices for what to grow.  This was compounded by the need to get the seeds into starter sets by January or March.  All of the vegetables are heirloom varieties which will allow me to save seeds for future planting (something else to learn).  There is something about just using the Admiral Farragut approach in the War of 1812 (“damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead”).  My garden will either grow or not (or a combination of both) and hopefully I will learn from the experience and be better suited for producing a sustainable crop next year.  The willingness to try new things is a human trait that has served the species well, even if individuals were lost.  Thankfully, my garden is not of that caliber of learning.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.