Garden Envy: Year 2

I’ve eaten healthy for the past decade, but it wasn’t until I saw the Mormons in action that I realized just how much healthy food you can grow in your backyard. With a new house, I vowed to step up my garden again this year.

The soil here is complete crap: hard clay with no drainage. Luckily, the former owners left behind two Square-Foot Box Gardens with rich soil. I capitalize that term because it’s a brand, and a theory of gardening. I bought the book (the guy who created the system lives about 30 minutes from my house) and went to work.

Two, 4x4 gardens were not quite enough for what I wanted to do, so I also planted some tomatoes and peppers in “permanent pots” (dug into the ground).

Based on the book, I really branched out from what I grew last year. Here are a few things I’ve learned so far.

-       Broccoli: It’s cute, but I’m growing 6 plants and each head (what you eat) is about as big as a wine cork. That means if I get one from each plant, then I have enough for a salad garnish. They take up a square foot each, so this is a veggie better saved for the grocery store.

-       Strawberries: I planted three squares of strawberries. The fruit is out, but not ripe yet. So far, each plant has a ton of flowers. I can tell the fruits themselves will be a bit small, but I’m happy with them so far. According to the book, strawberry plants are a perennial that will live for several years….we’ll see about that.

-       Greens - Kale, Swiss Chard, Spinach: We love greens, so I’m growing some of each. I bought transplants, but I can tell the plants were shocked when I transplanted them because they just sat there, stunted, for about two weeks. Next year, I will definitely plant from seed. These plants are all growing well. It’s getting warm for the kale and spinach, so those will be done in a few weeks (but more can be planted in the fall). I’ve heard spinach is harder to grow, but I have not experienced that yet. I have a lot planted, but I still have to mix and match varieties to get enough to sauté as a side dish.

-       Tomatoes and Peppers: Last year, both of these did not do well growing in pots at the Uintah house. I have a few theories about why. First, it’s very windy there; I’m amazed the plants even survived. Also, Dirk was in charge of watering them for 3 weeks before I moved. I am hoping that in our new house with no wind and my own diligent watering, they will be fine. Heat could also play a big factor, but that’s something that just won’t change this year. 

-    Beets & carrots: I can see the little tops, but Im still not convinced there will be anything down there when I dig them up...