Chapter 4 - What have you learned from Spring?

Note the deer footprints tip-toeing through the beans

Now that the spring rush is over, and the garden 'is in', I've already learned a lot of new things.

Here in zone 5 we actually had scattered frost on our 'frost free date' of May 15. That ain't fair. So for next year I will do a better job protecting the garden. The frost took out 1/2 of the sprouted beans - it was a gamble anyway and will quickly be replaced when reseeded. But I should cover them anyway. I have a huge tarp (someone was throwing out a pool cover) that could have been used.

Also I noted that some warm season plants are more cold intolerant than others. I don't mean kale versus tomatoes. I mean that some warm season plants can handle some cold temps (though they will not grow). The squashes and beans were real sensitive - tomatoes, watermellon, patty pans did ok as did cucumber.

Lesson 1: have a good plan for plant protection and execute it

Tarps and blankers, or hoop cloches, etc. should be used for protection. And the hoop tunnels can be used to actually accelerate early growth.

Second, I see way to much weed growth already. I used a stirrup hoe and it goes pretty quick. Still, how to cut down on all that growth? And where does it come from? Well in the past I've never been to fastidious about the weeds. That and incorporating manure are probably the 2 biggest sources. Now manure you have to have. So this year I'll tackle point 1 better. Besides, I'm now convinced a tidy garden will encourage birds to find the bugs. I've read where people advocate bio-diversity in the garden so good bugs get bad bugs and they need habitat. But I don't agree anymore. Good bugs will come find them if they want. So rather than bugs, I vote for birds. I even am going to put up bird feeders to attract them as allies.

Lesson 2: do better weeding especially not allow weeds to go to seed

I have been dumping nutrient rich water on plants closest to the paths. They are 10% bigger and a lot greener than the other even though I applied fertilizer. So I need to up the doses.

Lesson 3: fertilize like you mean it; get scientific, following recommended application rates

I've been getting some spotty germination. It could be due to old seed for some (like the spaghetti squash) and crappy supplier (Burpee's and Livingston). For now, that's OK, this is just a kitchen garden to learn from. But if I depended on it to augment a retirement income or if I had paying customers I would buy from top-notch suppliers like Johnny's Select Seed.

Lesson 4: garden like a pro means getting the best seed

A second cause for spotty germination has been seed bed care. For small seeds, I should have blended in, say, 50% screened compost in with the tilled soil along the 3 or 4 inches of the seeding row. Then after sprouting the seedbed should never go completely dry. I would estimate watering every other day unless it rains. It would also help to cover with burlap if it is in full sun and hot temperatures.

Lesson 5: treat your seedbeds like a child day care - the added attention is only required for a few weeks

But overall I'm now finding I have time to just stop and admire the progress in the garden. No frantic days of exhausting tilling, stooping, transplanting. How nice!