When spring came, Robinson and I chose several tasks to complete this summer. One of them was the same on both lists: build a better garden.
We've had our garden boxes ever since we moved into the house. They've slowly expanded from one to three to five, with two smaller ones behind the rhubarb which have yet to take shape. We've always had mixed results. In some years we've had a pretty decent garden (as long as the moose didn't eat everything) and other years our vegetables were pretty sparse.
This year, our garden is lush. LUSH. We've already harvested some radishes and we'll be eating some of our kohlrabi in a few weeks. Our squash has flower buds and the carrots and turnips are looking excellent. Even the rhubarb (which we never, ever do anything to) is beautiful.
The secret? Simple greenhouses made of pvc pipe and plastic, fertilizer, and lots of water. Lots of water. More water than we originally thought. Happily, some of the junk the previous owners left behind has proven extremely useful - in the form of a 300 gallon water tank. A couple years ago, Robinson set up a water collection system on the garage that rivaled his attempts of mudroom draft patrol. Since then, he's added gutters and a 30 gallon barrel to the water system.
Next year I hope to start my seeds even earlier. I also hope to grow some peppers and tomatoes. And flowers. Lots of flowers. Maybe I'll even get around to making that mini greenhouse on the porch I keep dreaming about. Something that can easily be moved into the mudroom during the winter months.
Blessed be and happy gardening!
We've had our garden boxes ever since we moved into the house. They've slowly expanded from one to three to five, with two smaller ones behind the rhubarb which have yet to take shape. We've always had mixed results. In some years we've had a pretty decent garden (as long as the moose didn't eat everything) and other years our vegetables were pretty sparse.
This year, our garden is lush. LUSH. We've already harvested some radishes and we'll be eating some of our kohlrabi in a few weeks. Our squash has flower buds and the carrots and turnips are looking excellent. Even the rhubarb (which we never, ever do anything to) is beautiful.The secret? Simple greenhouses made of pvc pipe and plastic, fertilizer, and lots of water. Lots of water. More water than we originally thought. Happily, some of the junk the previous owners left behind has proven extremely useful - in the form of a 300 gallon water tank. A couple years ago, Robinson set up a water collection system on the garage that rivaled his attempts of mudroom draft patrol. Since then, he's added gutters and a 30 gallon barrel to the water system.
Next year I hope to start my seeds even earlier. I also hope to grow some peppers and tomatoes. And flowers. Lots of flowers. Maybe I'll even get around to making that mini greenhouse on the porch I keep dreaming about. Something that can easily be moved into the mudroom during the winter months.Blessed be and happy gardening!
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