Sue’s ‘Dangling Carrot Veganic Farm’
I’ve decided to document the progress of my veggie garden this year. Come back periodically, for new additions to this page. (Actually, since this page would be too long, if interested, it would be better to type “veganic” in the search window, or click on the word in the tags section on the right, to see miscellaneous posts/photos of this year’s garden.)
I planted garlic last fall, and it’s starting to grow. (It’s planted close to my driveway, marked off by some old bricks, in case I couldn’t tell where it was by the time it came time to plan other things.) I’ve decided that if I want to grow enough garlic to last me for a year, I’d need to allow about 3 inches by about 5 feet. That is like one hoe-width out of the way where I’d be planting other things, so I don’t need to depend on ships to deliver my garlic half-way around the world from China.
I’m using old flower flats to start veggies, hoping they’ll be big enough to bring to church next week for Rogation Sunday (which is very early this year). If they aren’t, I’ll bring my seeds along (just in case they warrant a prayer), and hope the seeds I’ve planted already will be big enough by Mothers’ Day, which is the Sunday before we can safely plant in this part of the country. I hope to be able to bring seedlings to church, to encourage people to take them and plant them in their own yards or in balcony pots. The idea is to green up our corners of the world, one “square foot” at a time; to grow locally grown organic (veganic) food — for free, so it is accessible to anyone who doesn’t want to, or can’t afford to pay extra for it in the grocery store. I’m hoping this will become more than a hobby, and that it will be an opportunity to build community among a new mix of people, to learn from each other, and maybe even to “grow an extra row” for the hungry.
VIGEAT RADIX!
I have lots of other things to start as soon as possible. And I have three types of potatoes in the background of this picture, which I’ll probably plant directly in the ground soon. But I have to decide where would be a good place for them, first. So I may wait a couple of weeks before I worry about that. (As of 4/13, I see one beet and one giant sunflower sprouting.)
Here’s how things are looking on 4/17 — only 4 days since the last picture:
The biggest things are bush beans. There are also sprouting tomato plants & cilantro.
(Last night I planted other things, too — cabbages, more tomatoes, two types of lettuce, blackberries & strawberries. We’ll see how long it takes for them to sprout.)
On 4/20, I planted 13 potato plants in a new part of my garden, and on 4/21, I added a row of corn. Below is my indoor “green house” — as of 4/21. You can see that my beans are getting too tall for their own good. I may have to plant them outside with stakes, and may have to cover them if we get any more frosts.
On 4/22 (Earth Day), I decided to take my chances, and plant 13 of the tallest of the bush bean plants (close together as I would if they were in a square foot garden), and put a tomato cage around them to help support them in case we get a storm before they strengthen up. I planted them deeper than original, so the dirt would support the stems, which seem to end abruptly where the roots start, so it seems like they could break easily. I also planted 4 cucumber plants, because one was getting too tall for it’s little starter pot. Planting season here doesn’t start until May 15th. So if we expect any frost, I’ll have to cover them. Those, along with sunflowers, seem to be examples of plants that are better direct-seeded in the garden.
I ordered some varieties of more or less pink daffodil bulbs last fall. These are the first ones to come up, although they’re more orangy than pink. I’m posting it because they’re posing with my grandfather’s garden sign. It seems “meet and right so to do”….
This picture shows my garden plot for this year. The far end is really shady, and not much would grow there. It’s about 3′x13′. The next section is a little sunnier, and my tomatoes & green beans did well there last year, along with my strawberry plant. It’s where I planted my garlic & cucumbers, and the area is about 13′ by 4′. The next stretch is in more sun, about 15′x3′, and it’s where I planted my potatoes & corn (which the squirrels will eat before I have the chance). The closest section is an area I’m still burning leaves in, to clear the grass without injuring the earth worms. This will be where I’ll put my 4′x4′ “Square Foot Garden”, which I’ll divide into 16 square foot areas for whatever I decide to plant in full sun. I chose this picture, because my barn-like garage is in the background. It adds some pretense to my future endeavors of a budding “farmer”.
Here’s a picture of one of my potato plants. (I marked where they were planted with white pebbles.):
On Sunday, April 27 (Rogaton Sunday) I did the little prayers at the end of the service in the Book of Occasional Services, with intentions for my garden and for the safety of my worms. On Monday, April 28th, there is an overnight frost warning. I covered my potatoes with more dirt, and two of my cucumber plants with an old skirt, but not the beans, because I wasn’t sure how to without crushing them. I did cover most of my blooming flowers with table cloths and towels, and picked a few daffodils to bring inside.
On the first weekend of May, I made my 4′x4′ wood frame for my Square Foot Garden. My neighbor helped secure it with some extra deck nails. I cut two pieces of quarter round into pieces about 4′4″ long, in case I decide to fasten them to the top instead of laying them on the dirt. I tried to make “Mel’s Mix”. Here are three preliminary pictures to show sort of how it will look:
Visualize growing 16 different crops, in just this small area!
My neighbor, who mows that yard, and who snowblows my driveway suggested that I sink the wood below the driveway level, because the winter freeze will cause it to rise up, and he doesn’t want to hit it with his snowblower. But I think I’ll install a couple of posts with fencing, to mark where it is, and to have a place for things like peas and other climbing plants a place to grow up. If I do, I’ll probably leave it there all year round. (And in fact, I might be able to make some sort of tent-like thing that could work like a “green house” or window box, if I want to plant earlier next year. Who knows?)
Saturday, May 24th, I went to Ace and bought a flat of veggies: grape tomatoes, Better Boy tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, red cabbage, eggplant, head lettuce, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers & cayenne peppers. That would be a full garden in one small box. They are small, but much larger than the plants I started from seeds. So, just in case, I’ll have something to fall back on.
In my Earth Box, I planted a cauliflower, a red cabbage, a regular cabbage, a broccoli, a head lettuce and a cayenne pepper. Below are three pictures I took today of my Earth Box, and the older garden area. Things are planted pretty closely together. And that part doesn’t get full sun. But my tomatoes and beans always did well there. So it’s where I’ll have to plant things, at least temporarily, until I see how the Square Foot Garden grows with things I transplanted. (I don’t think some will do well.)
Right now, so I’ll know where things are planted, I have things marked with branches and clover “mulch”. Clover is high in nitrogen, potassium and magnesium. So, I’m thinking that if I decide not to plant anything more in what is now my path, I may grow clover there as a cover crop. I might as well fertilize the area, if I can’t fill up the walk-way with produce.
Added 6/27/08: I’ve posted pictures at various times on more current posts. If interested, you can use the search window to find them by typing in “veganic”. I may post them here eventually, but I’ve taken so many pictures.
Over the past couple of weeks, I was able to pick a ripe strawberry or two on any given day. They seem to be gone. So I guess the animals got them. Today, I picked my first lettuce (from plants that re-seeded themselves in the older part of the garden) and cooked my first 4 green beans, which I shared with my dog. A couple of my broccolis are ready to pick, and I’ll probably do that tomorrow.
Although the potatoes are a novelty, I’m most likely to take pictures of the Square Foot Garden. Maybe that’s because I like the way it looks, and like to see how things are getting bigger. Maybe it’s because there are 16 squares with (at least) 16 different plant species. Or maybe it’s because it’s my greatest “science experiment” to see how to “feed the world” with only a small growing area, and minimal water, and maybe 1 minute a day of work, only because I want to do something out there. I also like the dirt mix, and the fact that I don’t have to walk on it, and compact it, because it is so easy to weed.
The irony is that I’d rather take pictures, than actually pick and eat the food. But really, I am not a gardener at all. Only recently did I try growing tomatoes and bush beans, and only this year did I try growing a wide variety of veggies (and berries). And I really am looking for an eco-friendly and effortless way to grow food, to make the case that this is something the Church could be promoting even in areas where the dirt isn’t workable, where water is scarce, or where there are a lot of orphans or young people who are left to fend for themselves.
I could say so much more, but I probably already did in related posts.
But I’ve decided to post a couple of recent photos, since I hadn’t posted anything here since the ground was just dirt. Here’s a view of my Square Foot Garden as of the last week of June. And the potato patch and my Earth Box are just behind it, but in front of the older section of garden.
Instead of coming back to this page (which for some reason, I’m not able to add tags to), you can see the random progress posts on this year’s gardening adventure by typing “veganic” in the search window on the right side, or by clicking on the “veganic” tag.
And I’ve added a separate page with pictures & comments about my Square Foot Garden, which might be a little redundant, but does show the progress, and is quite a novelty for me, since I’ve never tried very seriously to grow food before, beyond a hobby.
