June 3, 2008
In this corner of the world, the rule of thumb is: Don’t plant before Memorial Day.
This year, that holiday came a little early, and it happens I was out of town so was unable to plant. Good thing, for we had frost three mornings of the following week!
But then summer erupted. The last weekend of May was a marathon of outdoor labor, resulting in completed yardwork projects and a fully installed vegetable garden and flower planters.
Because I grow only enough food to feed two people during the season (vs. canning and preserving a big harvest — maybe someday!), my garden is small. In previous years, it comprised several plots scattered around the property, each with different soil and light conditions. This year I consolidated into one big experiment: The lasagna garden (see blog entry of 4/22, or various discussions of this in “Open Your Heart with Gardens”).
Our only location that gets full sun is atop a rise to the north side of the house, adjoining a field. That hillock is composed entirely of sand, which is why a lasagna garden made sense. It proved to be as easy to plant as the book said: Just pull aside the top surface, insert plant, re-cover, water. I packed it with tomatoes, red bell peppers, snow peas, carrots, lettuce, celery, green beans, and broccoli, then inserted marigolds and some herbs for companion planting and deer deterrent.
Although we live in the country, we get few deer in the yard. I bought deer fencing just in case, but am hoping to avoid installing it. I read somewhere that the strong scent of marigolds either masks the scent of other plants, or repels deer altogether. We’ll see. Different people testify to different results. It only takes one, though, to clear out a garden bed, so if you hear a loud scream through cyberspace some morning, you’ll know what I woke up to!
In the meantime, the peas I planted in April are already climbing their little trellis, and the carrot and lettuce seeds I put in a few weeks later have sprouted. Sparsely, though, owing to the weather, so I will start another set. Everything else was transplants.
Now we wait.
Carolyn Haley
Author: Open Your Heart with Gardens
Posted by: Opening the heart — Carolyn Haley
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