Brown Thumb Gardener: Plan Your Garden

Okay, time to get back to gardening!

It is almost the end of January, and at this point there are two things that must be done soon.

First, if you haven’t already done it, order your seeds. Organic, heirloom seeds are not infinite, and I’ve heard that if you wait too long to order, they can sometimes be sold out of the more popular seeds. So place your orders, Brown Thumbers!

Also, and yes, I’m stating the obvious, but you’ll need to have your seeds in hand so you can start them early. Most have a recommended indoor starter date of 6-8 weeks prior to your last frost, which, believe it or not, is a date quickly approaching some areas of the country!

The Farmers Almanac will calculate an estimated average last frost date for you, or you can check the National Climatic Data Center. That one is a bit tricky to read; I had to follow the instructions from Mother Earth News to be able to understand it.

Second, it’s time to go get your soil tested. I picked up some sample boxes from my local organic gardening center, provided to them by the county extension office.

If you haven’t done so already, go here to find your local Department of Agriculture Cooperative Extension office. You probably have one near you, and they will have lots of pertinent information about your local growing season and conditions…not to mention, they’re the people you can take your soil samples to for testing. Call them up and ask what you need to do for soil testing – then do it!

Soil testing isn’t difficult, but it does mean you need to know where your garden will be so you can test that soil. You don’t want to test areas that you won’t be growing things, after all!

If you already have a pre-existing gardening plot, you might be ahead of the game (as long as it was placed in a good location). If you don’t, though, you’ll need to decide where you want to plant.

Ideally, your area will get lots of good sun (6-8 hours) per day. There are some plants that do better with some shade; if you’re growing some of those vegetables, you’ll want to have two garden beds: one in full sun and one in partial shade.

Wherever you decide to plant, you need to know what kind of soil you have. So go figure out the best location for your garden and take some soil samples.

I’ve just done this and am waiting to hear the results. So I don’t yet know exactly what sort of amendments I will need to make to my soil.

I do know that I have lots of clay-like soil, so I will likely need to either till the crap out of it while mixing in some “loamy” sort of dirt, or decide to do raised beds. 

I’ve honestly wanted raised beds anyway, simply because I’ve read that they’re better suited to year-round gardening. There are lots of benefits to raised bed gardening that fit my needs…however, I’m concerned about the up-front costs.

Obviously there is the cost of the frame, which could be considerable. In my circumstances, I can’t just use any old recycled materials, or the cheapest thing available; whatever we use to build the beds will, eventually, leech into the soil, which will then leech into our foods. So I have to be particular about what we build our beds with.

Then there is the cost of the soil. Again, I can’t just use any old soil; I’ll have to source organic, “non-jacked with” soil that is corn-free in every possible way. That’s probably going to hurt the pocketbook.

Truth be told, we just don’t have the money this year for raised beds, as much as I would like to have them. What little money we have would be better served in finding safe amendments to the soil, and investing in good fencing/critter protection. 

So for us, this year, we’ll probably be growing right in the ground. Raised beds will be in my future, though, especially if this years’ garden goes well.

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While I wait for the results of my soil testing, and start making plans for exactly how I’m going to lay out my plants, I’m thinking about trying to grow some things in my new “greenhouse”. 

Remember when I talked about closing in our front porch to reduce the amount of junk brought in the house that Zac could eat (and react to)? Well, thanks to some generous donations from friends, some deals worked out at Lowe’s on our behalf, and the sweat, blood, tears and physical labor of my amazing parents (thanks again, Mom and Dad!), it’s almost done!

All that is actually left is the outside siding, some sanding and painting on the inside, and some sealing. But we’ve been in and out of snow and ice storms for the last month, so those tasks have been held off for kinder climate conditions.

Even without being airtight with good seals, it is CONSIDERABLY warmer on the front porch than it is outside. 

As in, “rarely drops below freezing” warmer. Which isn’t terribly surprising, when you think about it: basically, we build a greenhouse!

That is an older photo during construction; it looks nicer on the inside now, I promise. And the glass extends all the way around on all three sides.

It dawned on me that this would be an ideal place to start seeds, and also an ideal place to grow certain things in containers – I can get a jumpstart on some of my gardening! 

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By the way, I have to share an additional gardening resource I have: my parents. 

They have a huge garden area to plant, and while Mom wants to grow some things that I don’t want, and I want to grow some things that she doesn’t want, I fully plan to share seeds with her. We’re not far away from each other, but some of my things might grow better on her property than on mine.

Plus, she really wants to help feed Zac this year. (I know – awesome, right?)

So you might consider if you have someone you know, love, and trust who would be willing to grow some of your food, too…especially if you’re growing it to feed your allergy-restricted child and don’t have room to fail too much. Back-ups are always good to have.

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So that’s the plan this week, Brown Thumbers: order your seeds, test your soil, and start thinking about how you’re going to lay out your plants. 

Oh, and you might want to make sure to read the comments on these blog posts, and the comments on my Facebook page. I’ve already learned some really useful stuff from some of my Green Thumb readers! 

Where you are you at in your garden plans?

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