#50 Still in Lockdown

We are still in lockdown. And, we are all getting antsy, but as a retired healthcare professional, the madman says we have to be careful and not jump the gun. Or take on a project too big to handle.

We have heard a lot of chatter about people wanting to start gardens in response to all the shortages in stores. Great idea! But, stop to think about this. A friend of the madman’s bought asparagus roots and planted them. He asked when he could expect to pick them and was stunned when the madman replied, “three years from now.” Having a home garden is a great idea, but a garden doesn’t just happen.

Plan it Out!

You can’t just go out and throw seeds on your driveway, although the madman says you can do that with kale. But, who wants a ton of kale? Our rabbits have even begun to turn their noses up at it. Before you even begin, consider what you will plant. Keep it easy. You have plenty of time now, but will you have the time to weed, water and worry about your plants when they need it this summer? That said, we do encourage gardening at any level. Even though the calendar says May, you still have a couple of weeks before you should be planting your tomatoes.

For a successful garden you need three things: 1. Sunlight; 2. Soil nutrients; and 3. Water. Sounds simple so far, right? Let’s break down each element.

Sunlight

First is sunlight. Most garden vegetables require full sun. Our definition of full sun is 6 hours. The hard part is that the sun is best between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., so this may require some careful observation on your part. Hate to get scientific on you, but siting your garden means you have to consider two factors. Daily, the sun moves from east to west. But, yearly, the sun moves from south to north and then back again. This may mean that at this instant in time a spot may be in sun, but a month from now a building may block the sun.

A prime example of this is the madman’s greenhouse. It is situated on the west side of our house. If you stand in the middle of the greenhouse on the winter solstice when the sun is at its southernmost point, you are in full sun from sunrise to sunset. As the sun climbs higher, all is good until sometime in early April when the house blocks sunrise and shades the greenhouse until around 9:00 a.m. As the season progresses, greenhouse sunrise gets later and later as the house’s shadow has more of an effect. By this time, the madman doesn’t care because his plants are ready for their summer placements. But, you can see how a building can affect the garden. Long story short, siting is everything.

Shade

Now we have to consider trees. Conifers are easy – what you see is what you get. But the deciduous trees – those oaks and maples – are sneaky. In March and April when most people start thinking about gardens, these trees have no leaves and plenty of sunlight gets through their branches. But, in May and June, when the leaves pop out, sunlight is replaced by shade. Something you don’t want to have happen.

Our advice is to go out and look, but also use your imagination to predict future shade. As you stand in the center of your yard’s sunniest spot, you need to consider soil. By looking at your patch, you can’t tell what’s in it, so plan to get it tested. Now, let’s deal with the elephant in the yard – the grass that occupies your future garden spot. How do you get rid of it? There are lots of ways to remove it, but some take a long time.

Grass Removal

When we put in a new garden bed, we cover the area with cardboard (these days, there’s plenty of this) and a 6” layer of bark mulch, compost, ground leaves or a combination of these. Within 6 months, we’ll have a nice garden patch. But, we are assuming you want a garden now while the thought is still fresh so you have to get rid of the grass. Renting a sod-cutter is the easiest, fastest way to remove the grass – in fact, the madman rented one when he decided to move the cactus garden two seasons ago. Or, you can dig the grass out by hand – a tedious, back-breaking task, but you do have the time, after all you’re not going anywhere, right?

Soil Preparation

With the grass now gone, you need to break up and turn the soil. Rent a rototiller or turn by hand – the choice is yours. Add some good compost to your plot. Then send a soil sample to UConn. At this point we might suggest you could build a raised bed on your plot; many local lumber yards will deliver or offer curbside pickup. In deciding dimensions, remember that you always want to be able to reach the center of your bed from an edge. If you order topsoil to fill a bed, consider sending that soil for testing.

Soil Test

You might be sick of hearing about our soil testing, but it is important. You really need to know what is in your soil because plants need certain nutrients to flourish. The pH of your soil determines how well the plants can get these nutrients. The complicated part is that different plants to best at different pH levels. Most vegetables do best at a pH between 6.4 and 6.8 so this is where you want to aim. The really good thing about the soil analysis from UConn is that it ends with recommendations of what to add to make your soil work. This year, the madman’s soil report recommended the addition of phosphorous. “Gee,” the madman said, “I never would have considered adding that.” But, add it he did.

Water

Good sunlight and rich soil won’t do anything without water. Plants on average need 1” of water a week. Right now, in Connecticut Mother Nature is taking care of that requirement. But, when the skies dry up irrigation becomes the job of the gardener. Water weighs 62.4 lbs. per cubic foot. In case you don’t know, that’s heavy. In addition water is no longer free. You either have to pay your town to supply it or the electric company for the power to pump it. No matter what, it is an effort that must be considered. On a day your garden needs it the most, you are going to want to do it the least. All the more reason to start small and site your garden as close as possible to a water source.

Container Gardening

If this all sounds too confusing, here’s an easy suggestion to get your feet wet – container gardening. This can be as simple or as complicated as you wish to make it. At some point, most everyone has stuck a geranium in a pot. That’s container gardening. Substitute a half dozen lettuce plants for that geranium and now you’re growing your own food.

The madman has always dabbled with growing vegetables in containers; with mixed results. With containers, you still need the basics – sun, good soil and water. Garden soil is too dense for a container; it needs to be mixed with good compost and a substance like perlite to loosen the texture. If this is your first go at it, your local garden center is your best source – tell them your plan and follow their recommendations.

Earth Boxes

A few years ago, the madman and I were introduced to a wonderful gardening system. The Bristol Hospital Parent and Child Center had a grant to supply Earth Boxes to some of their clients. The idea was to introduce growing your own vegetables and they asked us to teach a class using the boxes. The Earth Box systems we worked with contained everything needed to jumpstart a quick patio container of juicy, plump tomatoes. You don’t have to get this exotic; with the right soil any container can work on your patio. Texas A & M has a nice article on vegetable gardening in containers so we aren’t going to re-invent the wheel – check out their suggestions here.

Remember how we said we throw cardboard and mulch on top of grass to create a new garden bed? Why not make this your container garden for the summer? Sink the pots into the mulch to help roots retain moisture. You will find what vegetables you like and next year your soil will be ready for gardening.

Hit the Farms

Not ready to get your hands dirty? Here’s a simple solution – Community Supported Agriculture, CSA for short. Farms all over Connecticut are offering CSA shares at a reasonable cost. Here’s how it works – you buy your share up front and every week you receive your share of what’s being harvested. The Connecticut Department of Agriculture has a listing of state CSA farms. This is a great way to eat fresh vegetables while supporting Connecticut farms, because like the bumper sticker says, “no farms, no food.”

It’s still cold here, much to the madman’s chagrin, so we are still drinking cocoa and it’s ready.

                Stay home, stay safe.