Farm Update: It’s Fall Garden Time!
There is so much turmoil around the country this week I want to write about, I just don’t have all the words yet. In the mean time, while I try to find them, here is an update on what has been happening around the farm:
Last year we had a small spring garden that was moderately successful. We grew cilantro, parsley, dill, and oregano in a raised herb garden and they did great until the oregano went rogue and choked everything else out. I accidentally drowned our tomato plants because I didn’t realize the plastic pots had punch out holes in the bottom of them and I didn’t punch them out. The pepper plants grew but never got as big as they could have because we didn’t space them properly. We had fantastic luck growing a variety of lettuces but we didn’t know how to harvest it correctly and it bolted and turned bitter. See? Moderately successful. I really am a desperate wanna-be-farmer and I’ve been embracing a “learn by doing” mentality the last two years. Unfortunately, I’ve killed my fair share of plants as I’ve learned.
We didn’t intend to do a fall garden this year because we are so busy. But, then I went to Lowes for marking paint to outline a patio area. The seed stand called to me. Half an hour later I walked out with corn seeds, cucumber seeds, two types of pepper seeds, two types of tomato seeds, two types of pumpkin seeds, butternut squash seeds, summer squash seeds, and zucchini seeds. For good measure I also bought a blueberry bush (to go with one we already had) and two grape vines. (What did I forget to buy? Marking paint.)
I went from skipping a fall garden to GROWING ALL THE THINGS in the amount of time it took me to pull up my gardening pinterest board on my phone.
Of course, when I got home I remembered that we have very little free time, so we have been working on the garden slowly and doing a lot at night after Ellie Jo goes to sleep. Seriously, I drove 18 miles into town at 9:30pm to the nearest Walmart because I needed a hand tiller. At midnight I mapped out a plan. I planted herbs by floodlights. (Having a baby has basically forced me to become nocturnal not because she is awake at night but because it’s the only time she isn’t.)
I started the two types of tomatoes and two types of peppers in the bathroom and so far my little seedlings are thriving. (If I can start chickens in the bathroom why not vegetables?) We built a trellis stand for the cucumbers and planted those seeds right into the ground- the first sprouts are coming up now! We planted the grape vines and stretched smooth wire between posts for them to grow up onto. I found a seed packet of wildflower seeds, so Derek hand tilled a little patch for them and I built a 16th century style wattle fence just for pretty. (It was going to be taller but it turns out fence building in the 16th century is a lot of work.) So is hand tilling, so fortunately we were able to borrow a tiller from a friend to use on the tractor so we could till the space for the rest of the vegetables. It’s on my to-do list to get those seeds in the ground this week. I am unreasonably excited for a pumpkin patch this year. Come on, fall!
Of course, when I went to the grocery store I realized herb plants are basically the same price as buying cut herbs so I stocked up. I transplanted the unruly oregano into a giant pot and then planted cilantro, basil, chives, rosemary, and parsley plants- all in their own pots with plenty of space this time!
The garden is designed loosely around what I want to be a relaxing patio space under a tree in the backyard, so we also have a variety of plants sitting around to be planted including a coleus, some ferns, and the blueberry bushes. We had this pretty hanging plant that I ended up with after a work function so Derek and my father in law helped me turn an old tire into a planter for it.
Contrary to what my instagram photos might suggest, it’s a constant work in progress. After last year’s spring garden I’m still worried that somehow I’ll start killing things by not planting them properly. But, for the moment, everything planted seems to be growing. So far so good!
It’s important to me that Ellie Jo grows up gathering eggs from chickens and eating food we grow here at home. I want her to be comfortable caring for animals and nurturing plants. I want her to appreciate the delicious goodness that can come from getting her hands dirty and a little hard work. Maybe by the time she is old enough to garden alongside us I’ll even have this plant growing thing all figured out.
Do it all with love.
