Hello and welcome to the 2022 Garden Season! It took me a bit of time to rest from last year and get excited for the upcoming growing season but I’m pumped and ready to grow. My name is Melissa and I am trying to grow as much food to feed my family through the year as possible. I grow in Maine, zone 4b. I have been gardening on and off for a few years and really becoming dedicated to learning, trying new things and relying on the garden to store up food for the year over the last 2 years. Here is what is happening in the garden!
My Set Up
We will expand the garden this year to about double the size from last year. I want to focus on quantity of specific crops to really put up a lot in the freezer and canning. Last year we started with raw soil so we tilled it up and used ground covering. It worked well but I would love to get away from tilling and really work on amending the soil now. For the new portion of the garden Mister suggested putting in raised beds. At first I was reluctant but the more I thought about it I realized we aren’t getting any younger so it’ll be a good option for certain crops. I plan to use wood chips to define the walking paths and keep the weeds down.
Seedlings
I really enjoyed adding grow lights to my list of tools this year. I have a rack with 5 shelves on it and put it in the basement. I use seed blocks as I really like using less plastic and I believe they contribute healthier root systems for the seedlings. I started tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, cabbage, broccoli, basil, thyme, parsley and rosemary. As well as lettuce, kale, romanesco, and flowers. Most of these are currently hardening off under my deck in a nice spot that protects them from too harsh sun and wind. This is a very important step so your seedlings dont get shocked by temperature, wind and sun. Place them outside for gradually longer each day and your plants will thank you. It is a pain but it is crucial! I have transplanted lettuce, kale broccoli and cabbage into the garden.
In The Ground
Asparagus and strawberries- I planted asparagus crowns last year. These beauties are coming up strong! It is best to wait for one more year to harvest any and it is a true test in discipline. Among the asparagus are strawberry plants. We had major weed overtaking last year so I plan to mulch this space well to protect the soil and keep weeds down. The school of thought on these companion plants is that the strawberries shade the soil for the asparagus . I am really hoping to enjoy some strawberries this summer.
Garlic and beets- I planted quite a bit of garlic last fall and it is coming up beautifully. I have amended the area with seasoned cow manure as garlic is a heavy feeding plant. I put beet seeds in the ground last week in between the rows of garlic.
Lettuce, kale, and broccoli- I transplanted these cooler weather crops about 2 weeks ago and put them under low row covers. After I took the covers off they were a bit ‘enjoyed’ by the chickens but we re secured the chickens to keep them out of the space and I’m already seeing regrowth so I am no longer mad at my chickens.
Peas- I popped peas in in April and they took a while to come but this week they really shot up. I think the chickens got a couple of the seeds so this week I tossed in a few more seeds to even out the rows. I’m hoping the super hot day we had on the 14th didn’t heat the soil up too much for these cold soil loving seeds. Last year my peas did not do well and I think it’s because I waited until too late and the soil was much too warm.
Spinach, lettuce- I direct sowed these seeds. They come up so much slower than seedlings under grow lights and the chickens feasted on them a bit but sprouts are coming up and definitely showing growth.
Cabbage- I had compost delivered and laid a row 3 inches thick and popped my few cabbage plants in the row.
Pumpkins- I started pumpkins in April and potted them up about 2 weeks ago and kept them under the row covers. They got a bit too dry and hot but they are doing better now. I haven’t planned where vine crops will go yet so they are going to hang in the pots for now. I’d really like to grow enough pumpkins for decor in the fall and try and see how large a pumpkin we can grow.
Flowers
The bulbs I planted in the fall have been a delight! Tulips, daffodils and hyacinth have been so enjoyed. I started seeds of straw flower, cosmos, dahlias, zinnias, mums, snap dragons, nicotiana, salvia, marigolds, and a couple of others. I’m trying some new seeds and several varieties of zinnias which I am very excited about. I’m working really hard on weed control in my flower beds. My preferred method is to use newspapers and cardboard under mulch. I like recycling the newspapers and cardboard and I like how it is easy to place the barriers around existing plants.
We are off to a great start, I am practicing wearing gloves and using my kneeling pad more often to save my hands and my back. If the blackflies are managed, I’m having so much fun getting out even for a short bit of time here and there. Thanks for reading and I hope you’ll stick around for this garden season and see what we are growing!
