Planting Day

It's finally warm enough outside to plant something. Of course, the garden itself is still too wet from Monday's rain, but I'll start out with starting some seeds today. It may just be bought potting soil, but there's nothing like sticking your hands in a bunch of dirt and then scrubbing your nails later.
I know it's a little late to get my onions and lettuce started. Don't really care. This is when I'm able to do it and this is when I'm going to do it. Hopefully, this time, I'll actually get a harvest from my onions. I never seem to do it right. I know what I'm supposed to do and I've followed the directions. This time I'll do what feels right. I think I let it get too wet before. Or, I didn't dry them properly. Or I didn't wait long enough to harvest. Or, I planted them too close together. Whatever it is, I'll figure it out eventually.
Going to sow some herb seeds in my hanging baskets too. It'll be nice to have some inexpensive fresh herbs for my recipes. Too bad Dad and Mom are moving to Belgium. I hope too have some good tomatoes, fresh basil, and homemade mozzarella this year. One of Dad's favorites. Of course, going by the last couple of years, my tomatoes may not turn out at all. I hope so. The only kind of tomatoes the kids like are fresh grown garden tomatoes. Store bought just don't have the right flavor or texture. If I get some Romas this year, I'll make up some spaghetti and pizza sauce.
May try to take the chicks outside today and let them roam around the tilled garden. They're two weeks old now and getting too small for their brooder. I need to give them something to do rather than peck at each other. It'll be warm enough for them to be safe. Since this is the first year I'm raising chickens and they're living things, I'll follow the instructions as much as I am able. But I'll push it where I think it's best. We'll see what's best for these chicks for next time. If all goes well, I may not have to order chicks again. As long as these survive, there's enough hens, and my dog doesn't like chicken meat (yeah right). Although, I'm thinking of ducks or turkeys or guinea fowl for next year.

Third year of gardening and I might have learned a few things or maybe not

I have been growing my family's summer vegetables for about three years now. I have learned a few things and yet it seems I have so much to learn. I never considered myself a gardener before. Until I moved into my parent's house to take care of it while they gallivant around the globe, it never occurred to me that I might want to. They have about 80 acres, of which all but 3 or 4 acres is used by the neighbor to run cattle. But that 3 or 4 acres has so much potential. Dad had grown a garden before - mostly tomatoes, peppers, the basic garden stuff. Growing up that's about all he had done in the container gardens he would have because we moved every few years. I don't know if he kept it safe because he didn't want to have to deal with stuff with which he wasn't familiar or he didn't trust himself and grew only what he knew could be grown in this climate.

I'm a little more adventurous. My first year, everything was new to me. I grew tomatoes, peppers, and corn because I like them. But I also tried broccoli, onions, garlic, potatoes, and lettuce. I picked out four different tomatoes and five kinds of peppers. In the end, I had enough food to feed a family of 20 for the whole summer. My family was only me and two kids. That year, I learned not to grow more than I could use, give away, or preserve. I haven't applied that lesson yet, but I did learn it.

The next year, I was married and my husband refused to let me till the garden. He felt it was his manly duty to run the rototiller. I let him do it because it makes him happy, but I get really tired of the swearing that echoes across the hills to my neighbors ears. When it gets too bad, I pack the kids up and we go to town. What gets me is that he thinks that's the hard part. He doesn't do all the weeding, harvesting, and clearing that I do. I've been known to be so sore the day after some hard core weeding that I can't move. That year, I grew too much again. This time I had no tomatoes though. They fruited, but they never ripened. I had tons of green useless tomatoes. My husband thought maybe it was because we needed to have the ground disced by a neighbor farmer on his tractor. I hate asking for favors from people I barely know, so we didn't do it the next year either. This time, though, I learned that letting the weeds get away from you is really not good for the garden. I harvested quite a bit, but it didn't last as long. By the end of the summer, I was tired and everything became grown over.

My third year, I did much better. My husband insisted I use string to make straight rows. It was easier to weed and till between the rows, but I'm still not convinced that was the best way to lay out my garden. My tomatoes ripened that year, but they were eaten up by bugs before they were ripe enough to pick. I also learned to test my soil and found that my dirt is almost perfect in all the essential minerals and ph balance and what not. After three years, I haven't had to add any fertilizer. The hubby still claims I need to get the ground disced, but until I have a tractor of my own, that won't be happening. The tiller will have to do. This year, I'm going to be even more adventurous. I'm trying artichokes. Dad says our growing season isn't long enough, but our garden store was selling the plants and I'm only out a few dollars if it doesn't work. If it does, my daughter will love me. I'm trying some cabbage and lettuce too. I have problems with the colder weather crops because I can't get the ground cut up until it thaws a little. But, I grew broccoli in the summer even though I planted it in late May. I did it once, I'll do it again. It's all trial and error for me. I read the books, note the important or interesting stuff, and then ignore it all. Next, I'll try turning my brand new chicks out in the garden before planting to get rid of grubs.