#gardening
Some of the bad news first
This was the last picture of progress that I took of my conclusive 6 garlic cloves being cold stratified through the harsh cold weather in the window in a paper towel.
At times, I had them in different containers, yet still inside the towel. These other containers were trash bags or a small plastic container. As I was transitioning with a new screen, I forgot that they were in the old trash bag and I ended up moving them to the dumpster. Although this is somewhat upsetting, I wont forget to go and get more because as exciting as it sounds, February is going to have another artic blast.
Of course, I was going to add to the collection so this time, I will start with a good 5 full bulbs to separate, clean and cold stratify. My main goal for garlic is to have a good 30-40 individual plants to harvest. My choice this year is to keep them inside for longer, and direct ground sow 3 weeks before last frost date, outside in the ground, not in raised beds.
Starting to collect seeds to sow at the end of winter (direct ground)
My goal is to share everything throughout the season very quick and with a good archive. Not only is my first full year of research and experience from last summer/fall good to take note of for new gardeners but also, perhaps the experienced ones.
There are so many things to focus on, so I wanted to make sure to get a head start and avoid plastic trays and direct ground sow all of my garden.
Finding a place to plant is just as equal of a challenge. There are rocks, and tilling is needed (or at least some form.) My goal is to focus on everything very adamantly and make sure that I remember the number 1 rule for a successful harvest; persistence.
The first thing you think is add perlite or add something else to the recommended soil standards, but my primary concern is the overall efficiency I will be able to manage in terms of plotting out Fall crops and Summer crops like melons. There is definitely a good bit of land that I have to cover and I am starting to sow these seeds and plants in the beginning to middle of February.
Starting with the ones I have bought so far to sow in winter:
2 packs of Walla Walla (Which I believe were the ones that I have been writing about in pots)
2 packs of Texas Grano Onions
2 Packs of Sweet Spanish Yellow Onions
Other seeds that I am planning to sow in winter are not summer seeds but they are the cole crop seeds that can benefit from a winter ground sow like broccoli, sprouts, kale, cabbages, cauliflower, lettuce, etc. I think I will skip spinach, and might see how thyme and sage do with a winter ground sow.
Stay tuned for more updates to hear about my plan for summer crops, hard to determine if these are my favorite.
I am trying to keep it minimal because the total garden plan will look like this:
- Specialties – Onions, Garlic
- Herbs – Thyme, Sage, Rosemary, Dill, Basil
- Summer Crops – Peppers, Tomato Varieties, Eggplants, Cantaloupes, Watermelons
- Cole Crops – Broccoli, Kale, Brussels, Lettuces, Cabbages
Soil, soil, soil
In comparisons, raised beds let you have an easier container on your soil and even in terms of depth and consistency. My interest this year is to leave out the extra building and tray handling and work right on a way to ground sow the seeds and have them root just as efficiently with basic fertilizer. This is such an exciting thing to look forward to, and with my recent decision of leaving trays out, we are looking at more important things to study this season.
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