You don’t have to be a cartographer to produce a map of your garden. Because I mapped it out, using an orchard tree for shade is a strategy I’ll remember next season when choosing a site for cool-loving vegetables. It was a scorching-hot summer, and the bean plants, which prefer cooler weather, thrived despite long-term temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. This past season, for example, I discovered the merits of planting bush green beans so they’re partly shaded by our cherry tree. Maps also document successful seed placement. With a map, I can head to my garden with a basket full of seed packets and know exactly where to plant each seed. I determine which seeds I designate for transplanting and which are direct-seeded by using my planting guide research, typical spring weather patterns, and my best judgment. But when direct-seeded, vegetable plants seem to toughen up as they emerge from the soil. I learned the hard way that transplants wilt (and sometimes die) when confronted by a toasty 24/7 breeze. We get unrelenting hot wind in our area, so I only direct-seed plants that are hardy enough to survive. (See “Checklist: Transplants and Direct-Seed Plants,” below.) I also identify plants that can be started either indoors or outdoors, depending on weather conditions. I enjoy checking off completed tasks, so I created a checklist for starting seeds to keep track of seeds that should be started indoors, such as peppers and herbs, and seeds that go directly into outdoor planting beds , such as beans, winter squash, and corn. Instead, I note in my planner to “plant peas in early spring after rain has abated.” Transplant and Direct-Seed Checklist If we planted peas immediately after the soil thawed, they’d quickly deteriorate. For example, it’s often suggested to plant peas “as soon as the soil can be worked.” That doesn’t work in our backyard, because we have monsoon springs that last forever. I adjust industry recommendations to reflect my farm’s growing conditions. My planting guide data comes from a variety of sources, including reliable magazines, gardening reference books, seed and plant catalogs, instructions that accompany plant purchases, farm and garden websites, seed packet directions, and agriculture extension services. (See “Herb Planting Guide” below for an example of my herb plants.) Because my guide only contains the plants I grow, my template runs just three well-spaced pages. You can also create a template by hand on quad-ruled paper. If you don’t have Excel, you can use the “table” feature in Microsoft Word, which is less complicated than Excel. I created the guide using Microsoft Excel. I enter each vegetable and herb in my garden into a planting guide template, along with sowing recommendations, germination and growing temperatures, number of days to maturity, soil pH, planting depth, seed-spacing specifications, and light requirements. Here’s a look at those categories and what I keep in each one. I’ve designed my handbook so the information I need readily available is organized into seven categories. To remedy the problem, I began crafting a personalized garden handbook, which would become my best “guide on the side.” My handbook is custom-made, meaning it doesn’t replicate a typical A-to-Z garden reference it only includes information about the plants I grow in my garden, which changes from season to season. And vital green bean specifics – such as their preferred soil pH, planting depth, and lighting – had gone down the proverbial memory hole. And once the growing season commenced, I couldn’t recall exactly when we’d planted the bean seeds, or where in our extensive garden plot we’d planted them. But midwinter, when seed-ordering time rolled around, I couldn’t remember what kind of beans we’d grown. Sure, I recalled some things, like that the previous growing season, my husband and I had harvested a bumper crop of green beans. Besides, since I’d fully embraced raising our farm’s organic herbs and vegetables, I was certain I’d remember essential details. I thought I was way too busy to bother with it. I failed to document my horticultural pursuits when I began gardening full-time. Learn about how to plan a vegetable garden using your own customized garden planner to help you stay organized and maximize your garden yields.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |