Mrs ERJ suggested that she wants to have her kitchen garden north of the house instead of having it as part of the larger garden.
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| This is the plot she selected |
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| After mowing and pulling up landscaping fabric from earlier efforts |
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| After tilling. I planted turnip seeds in the raw soil. Young turnip plants are succulent and easy to till. They will collect any nutrients that would otherwise leach and will capture carbon to enrich the soil. |
And, since I was on a roll...
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| The swath immediately to the west of Mrs ERJ's plot is an overgrown plot of what used to be garlic. |
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| Assorted fruit-tree rootstock and other desirable trees had popped up in it. I saved all of the ones I saw. |
I will not till the garlic patch but let the survivors volunteer.
The Kitchen Garden
Mrs ERJ has firm beliefs about what works for her. She likes 100 square-feet. She likes one Sweet Baby Girl cherry tomato. She likes one zucchini plant. She loves Super Sugar Snap Peas. This year was a bust for SSSP in the new spot.
The patch I tilled was about 600 square feet so I will have to find something short that she will let me grow next to her garden. It must be something that is not appealing to rabbits, woodchucks and deer.
Good luck with the garden!
ReplyDeleteGrow clover and put the chicken tractor on it.
ReplyDeletesam
ERJ, do you have a sort of overall listing of what would be in the kitchen garden (versus the "garden" garden)?
ReplyDeleteKitchen garden = salad makings.
DeleteCherry tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet-peppers, leaf lettuce, green onions, snap peas, green beans, zucchini, maybe some basil.
Garden-garden = storable staples, land-extensive
Sweet corn, potatoes, tomatoes for canning, peppers for freezing, onions, (if I could grow them, carrots, beets) turnips, rutabagas, dried beans, winter squash, kale.
I'm glad I'm not the only one why knows about these things!
DeleteAfter we moved in, I built a chef's garden outside the kitchen door.
A chef's garden is much smaller, mine is big at about 30 sq ft, and is planted with fresh herbs for the kitchen (hence why so close). Often times you might see a planter or window box with basil and rosemary... same deal - many herbs taste different when fresh vs dried. You can slip in a cherry tom or some lettuce, but its not (meant to be) big enough to really harvest a crop. Maybe something for a garnish, or enough salad for 1 or 3 plates.
Thanks for the clarification ERJ. I have a section I could use for that, which is now largely inhabited by mint (which, to be fair, I do enjoy a great deal. It is my one accomplishment in gardening here as it requires some care (and a lot of moisture) in our part of the world.
DeleteWhat do you have for a tiller?
ReplyDeleteHave you ever tried onions, carrots or beets in a raised bed or in buckets? Tried it with potatoes this year and it worked great!
ReplyDeleteArtistic Gardens / Le Jardin du Gourmet
ReplyDeleteNeat little seed store that sells "mini-packs" of seeds for low prices.
I purchased from Le Jardin years ago before their merger (?) with Artistic Gardens.
Might be profitable to spend a little so as to experiment with new varieties