So, it’s been a while and I feel like every time I want to get out in the garden it’s either raining or freezing cold! So, imagine my joy to have a nice weekend! So – let’s go crazy….
First order of business is to get the beds filled and ready to go. I should mention that Greg did a heroic job of getting last years really dead pepper plants pulled out, the beds weeded, and new landscape fabric down for me. All that was left is to fill, plant, and go! Since the soil in the beds was getting a bit heavy, I went with a new idea this year. Strawberry Fields potting soil already has the peat moss and perlite in it along with some great composts. I figure, it’s light and airy and nutritious, so might as well use this to top off the beds. For those out there that would like to get some of their own, Lotus Urban Farm and Garden Supply has it in stock (along with a bunch of other stuff!). It’s an experiment as this is usually used for starting plants in pots, but we’ll see how it goes.
The empty tubs got planted with Happy Frog Potting Soil which is a lower cost alternative since we had to fill up the pots entirely. As you can see, only the bottom beds are ready to go right now – the top beds won’t be planted until April 15, last frost date in Greenville!
Now that we’re ready to plant, lets figure out just what’s going in! This bed’s got basil, dill, lettuce, strawberry spinach, spinach, parsley, garlic chives, and greek oregano.
Next bed has cilantro, lettuce mix, romaine, arugula, mustard greens, radish, swiss chard, and kale.
One pot got filled with sugar snap peas, but it may be a bit late for them. We’ll see.
Finished and plants marked with paint stirrers and a paint pen.
We’re so excited to finally get growing! I should mention, though, that we are still growing in the garage. The Habanado peppers are still looking spiffy in there with fruit on the plant. It’s amazing that they’ve made it all winter. I think they can probably go out full time in another week or two.
Finally, you may have noticed something green in one of the beds.
Those are the spring onions that were growing and just got harvested. How lovely are these?
Next week, we’ll have updates on the Habanado peppers and the tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant starts that we’re growing right in the office. Stay tuned!
What should I put in a new bed for planting medium?? I’m on a budget.
If you happen to compost, you could fill your beds with that. Some garden supplies will have potting soil in bulk packaging, so I’d check that as well. The thing is, if you’re going to do the square foot method, the mix is really critical. When I first filled the beds, I spent around $200 per bed on the actual compost mix. However, we more than made that money back in produce that we grew in year 1. Here’s what we used in the first year Garden Set Up