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By Alyssa, August 4, 2010 9:01 pm

Some of you may be wondering why I haven’t posted an update to my little gardening experiment since May. Remember how fresh and new my garden looked right after the seeds were planted?

Sadly, the reason I haven’t updated you is, well… I’m embarrassed.  It seems my thumb isn’t quite as green as I thought it could be.  My back row of cucumbers all died, even after reseeding them twice, and the only thing that really seems to be growing in this area is basil.  I’m really good at growing basil.

I’m not giving up.  After reseeding the carrots and lettuce, I have some good sprouts and I harvested enough beets today to feed… me.  But really, you should have seen Bubba’s face when he pulled them up. Definitely worth it.

Ignoring my attempts at square foot gardening, I’m actually pretty darn good at growing squash and tomatoes.  Check out these before pictures:

Now they look like this:

Nice, huh?  Yep, bring it tomatoes and squash.  I’m keeping hope alive even though my first harvest looked like this…

I’ve learned some great lessons like watering your garden regularly means more than once a day when it’s 90 degrees out, lettuce really is a cold season veggie so don’t expect great results in July, and remember to tell your 4-year-old that those 2 cm carrots aren’t quite ready yet BEFORE he pulls half of them out.

So my first harvest was kind of puny, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be up to my ears, literally, in squash before this gardening venture is done.  And even if it isn’t I promise to provide updates more regularly, even if I’m embarrassed!

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By Alyssa, February 23, 2010 11:03 pm

Seed Catalogs

Missed Part I?  Click here.

I almost broke the first rule of beginning gardening.  START SMALL!

As the seed catalogs came in the mail, I found excuses to visit my backyard and dream about my future plot of greenery.  With every visit, I had a new idea. I’d build this and then move that and then buy this and… yeah, I got a little out of control.  Thank goodness I’m married to the most logical, non-emotional decision maker I know.  Hubby looked over my plans, listened to my ideas, gave small suggestions, and then, when I mentioned the cascading ivy, wild flower sanctuary, and waterfall, he put his foot down.  One vegetable garden this summer, one, uno, that’s it.  I persuaded, then ranted, then threw a mini-fit, followed by a major fit… and, well, did the only thing I could do in this type of situation.  As the mature one in our relationship, I stormed out like a teenage girl, thought about everything for a bit, and, decided he was right.  I’m such a great wife.

If I want to set myself up for gardening success this year, I have to force myself to start small.  This means no herb garden and half the garden size I originally intended to grow. Check out the new plan (Yes, I used red to show my bleeding ideas, killed until next summer.  Can you say, Drama Queen?):

I’ll still be building the kid’s sandbox (well, er… assisting Hubby in the construction) and moving the doghouse, but everything else is going to wait until next summer.  I know at the very least I want to grow cucumbers, tomatoes, and squash, but I’m still rethinking the smaller garden.  I did narrow down the seed catalogs to heirloom seeds only and decided to use Seed Savers Exchange.  To be honest, the only reason why I chose Seed Savers is because Barbara Kingsolver, my absolute favorite author, uses their seeds in her garden.  Quite the logical decision, right?

I may have lost the war on my ridiculous garden plans, but I did win one battle.  Hubby’s buying me a pretty sweet composter from Costco.  It’s his logical answer to yet another one of my crazy ideas.  Wait, did I just put sweet and composter in the same sentence?  I’d say it’s time to go to bed.  Garden plot plans coming soon!

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By Alyssa, January 11, 2010 5:23 pm

I’m going to go through with it this year.  I’m becoming a gardener. The concept of going into my backyard and picking green beans for dinner sounds delicious, but the whole “gardening” thing has me a bit overwhelmed.  I’ve decided to share my trials here as I try to get things to grow.  Here’s my super geeky gardening profile:

Name: Alyssa Aarhaus

Location: Denver, Colorado

Gardening Zone (wow, I already sound professional): between 5 and 6

Prior Experience:  Despite three moves and leaving it in the car for a few days, kept a house plant alive for seven years (Plant name: Epipremnum aureum… oh yeah, I just threw Latin out there).  Continues to keep basil, parsley, and oregano alive in planters on the kitchen window sill.  O.K., honestly, the basil’s looking a little weak sauce lately.

Gardening Goals: Grow a small raised bed garden in the back yard to teach the boys about vegetables. Hopefully grow enough cucumbers and tomatoes to can relish and stewed tomatoes in the fall.

Resources:  1. My Internet researching addiction 2. All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew and The Backyard Homestead edited by Carleen Madigan 3. Gardening friends that are patient enough to answer a barrage of ridiculous questions

Yes.  I’m a nerd, but I’m NOT a gardening nerd so we’ll see how it goes.  My first gardening discovery was the importance of seeds.  You can buy seeds from the supermarket, but better seeds produce better veggies. I went a little nuts and ordered the following recommended seed catalogs that should arrive in the mail within the next few weeks:

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Burpee Seeds
Johnny’s Seeds
Park Seed Co.
Seeds of Change
Seed Savers
Stokes
Thompson and Morgan Seeds
Vesey’s Seeds

I told you I went overboard!  I also found Botanical Interests, a Colorado company, on Twitter and I’ve been reviewing their online catalog.  I haven’t decided if I will be purchasing hybrid seeds or heirloom seeds yet.  Hybrid seeds are professionally cultivated seeds, while heirloom seeds are from plants that have been passed down many generations.  You can’t save your hybrid plant’s seeds, but there are certain heirloom plants that provide seeds worth saving for the next gardening year.  I’ll report back when seed shopping begins.

Until then, I’ve got to convince Hubby of our essential need for a outdoor 55-gallon drum composter.  I mean, I’ve got to convince Hubby to buy the drum, build the composter, and, oh by the way, build the wood frame for my garden bed.  Wish me luck!