My daughter-in-law, Erica, made this abundantly clear to me today. No, she has not been reading this column since she was 11. Nor have any of her peers who are interested in the subject. I am blessed to have a whole batch of young people in my life at the moment and they seem to be quite ready to settle into a garden. I am only too happy to introduce them to the joys and help them avoid the mistakes.
Find your spot. You want it to get as much sun as possible and be out of the wind. Wind is a deciding factor in gardening. If you cannot get your garden out of the wind, you will need to build a screen for protection.
Fiberglass sheeting material used in greenhouses will do the trick. Think about how far away from your kitchen door the garden will be. Or, if you haul water, just how far you are willing to carry it.
Prepare the plot. If you are a first time gardener, please, think small. I have 10 raised beds that are 3-by-12 feet. This is way too much for you. Start out with about two of these. My nongardening spouse, John, humored me with the construction of these beds, made from roughcut lumber. Do not treat the lumber or use pre-treated lumber. The chemicals involved in the process are not compatible with food production. Same goes for railroad ties. The raised bed gives the soil a chance to warm up and dry out earlier in the season, thus giving you a chance to get gardening just that much sooner in a short-season growing area. Watering is more efficient because the water goes directly on the bed and not into the path. This is a huge consideration if you are hauling water or paying a city water bill, which includes sewer usage fees even though you are watering your garden. Also, I just really like the neatness of the raised bed.
Strip the sod off the plot. If you just turn over the grass you will be pulling it out for the rest of your life. Believe me. Lay your frame down and fill with a lovely soil that you will probably need to buy. I have heard that the Anchor Point Greenhouse has a lovely product that they will load into your pick-up. In the future you will be using your own compost and manure to top off the beds and fill new ones. When we lived at Mile 15 East End Road, we had the most amazing topsoil on earth. I still miss it. There was never ever any soil purchased while we lived out there, no need. So take a look at your soil situation before you make a decision on this. There are rototiller services out there, look in the classified section of this newspaper. A rototiller will make quick work of a rather tedious job. If you choose not to use one, make sure your shovel is sharp.
You need to determine just what it is you want to eat.
The cole crops do so very well for us, you can easily start there. Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage are so successful. You will need to protect them from the fly that lays the root maggot that can destroy your entire crop. Just lay some floating row cover (locally available) over the seedlings and all will be well. You will need to buy seedlings at one of our excellent local nurseries. If you choose to direct seed these you may be disappointed.
Peas. Soak your seeds for 24 hours before you plant. This will soften the tough outer layer and help the germination move along. Go for the dwarf varieties, Sugar Ann has long been a favorite around here. These are the fat pods that you eat in their entirety. Excellent fresh or lightly steamed. We even had success freezing them.
All of the salad greens. Sometimes I think that beginning gardeners should just have a bed of greens to start with. You really can't go wrong. Head lettuce needs heat, and, often, we do not have enough of that. I suggest that you stick with the loose leaf lettuces. There are a zillion kinds out there, you will need to experiment to find the one you think is the tastiest.
Peas, lettuce, spinach, chard, radish, carrots and beets can all be started from seed. Potatoes are a tuber but the idea is the same. Just follow the directions on the package and you will be insured success.
And, please, don't plant the whole package of seeds. Store the leftovers in the refrigerator until next year. Read the directions and determine just how large the head of lettuce will get and space out your seeds accordingly. Same with carrots. These are tiny seeds and you will become impatient with the planting. Well, find the patience because spacing the seeds now is far less annoying that thinning the seedlings out later.
If this is either your very first vegetable garden, or the first garden in the Far North, stay small until you get the feel for what is going on and just how much of a gardener you really are.
Memorial Day weekend is the traditional planting day. Be sure to have your seedlings hardened off, that means that you have introduced them to the elements gradually until they are ready to spend the night outside. Once they have spent at least two nights outside than you can go ahead and plant them. I like to water them in with a dilute solution of Alaska Fish Emulsion. This seems to stave off transplant shock. An overcast day is ideal. Bright sunny weather may make you feel good, but it is harsh on tender seedlings.
Note:
The presentation for this months Homer Garden Club meeting is timely indeed. Three long-time Homer gardeners will present their gardening experiences and answer questions on Sunday, May 23, 2 p.m.downstairs in the City Hall council chambers. Daisy Lee Bitter, Dave Schroer and Del Schmidt will be the panel and knowledgeable they are. Do not miss this opportunity.
The Homer Garden Club Plant Sale is June 5 in the City Hall parking lot.
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