Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Goin' for Broke - Garden Style

Well, we've put all our proverbial eggs in one basket.  We have officially planted (or sowed) our entire garden.  We realize we are living on the edge here, with the potential of morning frosts still looming.  But we're risking it in the hopes of a payout of an earlier harvest. 

Is that the sound of seasoned gardeners snickering at me?  I hope not.

So tonight we transferred our bell pepper, artichoke and green bean starts out to the garden.  I've been taking them outside on field trips for the past few days, so hopefully they're fully hardened off. 


We also sowed seeds for carrots, onion, zucchini, yellow squash, and green onion.  Also tonight I noticed the cabbage and broccoli we sowed a few weeks ago are popping their little heads through the soil.  This might just work!

We are planning on keeping our garden as chemical-free and organic as possible.  So one thing I am trying is lining one of the beds with green onion plants.  I hear the aroma of the onions helps to keep pests at bay. 

I need to read up on more organic gardening tips, like promoting lady bugs to keep aphids away.  Do you have any other suggestions? 

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey, Shana! Your garden looks so nice, all fresh and weed free.
I just got a neat brochure in the mail yesterday about all-natural pest repellants, etc. It's from jerrybaker.com. I'm ordering his book (free 21-day trial), and hoping we can get some good natural ideas for keeping squash bugs and aphids away.
Best wishes for a great gardening season and an early harvest! [:-)
Rachel

Anonymous said...

Use a plastic drop cloth over the plants if frost is in the forecast. That's what I've done in all my gardens and I've never had a single problem.

Shana said...

Dad, just to clarify, exactly how many is "all my gardens"?

Todd said...

You need to start composting. Use compost on the soil to add nutrients and supress weeds and also make compost tea to spray and control bugs. Anything that sticks around can probably be hit with beneficial bugs which you can order online after identifying troublesome pests.

spoonerbyrd said...

Oh my word, we really are going to have start calling you "Pioneer Shana". Please let Calvin be your apprentice.