Promise

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Will Atkinson

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”
Robert Louis Stevenson

Today is an exceptionally good day. Although the garden is not yet ready to be planted, I’ve just received these beauties in the mail from the diligent folks at Baker Creek Seeds.

Non-GMO Heirloom Seeds

I’m excited because I haven’t yet grown any of these varieties. I’m particularly looking forward to the rouge d’hiver lettuce, a French heirloom that translates literally to “red winter.” Apparently the leaves are green until the temperature drops to a certain point, then they turn a brilliant red color.

If you’ve never purchased from Baker Creek before, I can’t recommend them enough. All of their seeds are non-GMO, organic, heirloom varieties. Jere Gettle and his wife Emilee have built a company that is a fantastic source of hard to find seeds, and have accomplished this while being a lot more affordable than seed giant Burpee. They also go the extra mile when cultivating a loyal customer base, evidenced by the free gift I received with my order:

Free Carrots!

Serendipitously enough, I was actually considering trying the Parisienne carrots when I started to worry about running out of space in the garden. If I do run out of room, I’ll just plant the Parisiennes in a container.

Posted in Gardening, Heirloom, Organic, Raised Bed, Vegetables | 3 Comments

Practically Free Raised Beds

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Will Atkinson

A garden is an investment. You invest your time, certainly, but you also invest your money. While it can be expensive to put in a garden it doesn’t have to be.

We moved into this house three years ago and until now I haven’t had the time required to put in a proper garden. After measuring the area that was to become our outdoor pantry I estimated a one-time expense of over $300 to put in raised beds using cedar planks. I chose cedar because of its natural insect repellent properties, as well as its availability and low cost. At first I thought that I’d need to put in 1″ X 6″ planks, but after watching the excellent tutorials on building raised beds from John at Growing Your Greens I was confident that cedar fencing would work just fine. Then I had a thought- I wondered if I could get used, weathered but still viable cedar fencing for free?

Raised bed from free cedar fence boards. This is the first of many.

I called a local fence company and sure enough, all I have to do is show up and I can get all of the free fencing I desire. Whenever a fence company replaces a fence they have to do one of several things with the old material:

  • Haul it off to the dump. There are fees, which cut into the profits.
  • Put the old wood into a shredder and turn it into mulch. This would be a good use for cedar fencing, but they’d still have to pay someone to remove all of the nails in order to avoid damaging the expensive blades in the shredder. Increased labor costs equate to decreased profits.
  • Let the boards pile up in a corner of the lot where the fence company is located. Not ideal- in addition to being a fire hazard, it would take years for the boards to break down and become soil. In one busy season they’d be overwhelmed with old fencing.
  • Allow gardeners and do-it-yourselfer types to pick through the piles and re-purpose the cedar boards for free.

This makes me happy. Not only have I just saved over $300, I’m doing something good for the environment by recycling.

Posted in Fence, Gardening, Organic, Raised Bed | 1 Comment

January’s Child

Posted on January 1, 2012 by Will Atkinson

The August garden is January’s child, for this is the month that determines the season. Seeds have been ordered, sketches have been made, and wood and soil await final placement. This year I hope to complete all of the raised beds and fill them with dirt before the final first-round planting in March.

We’ll have San Marzano tomatoes for paste and Carmello tomatoes for salads and at least six other varieties for I don’t know what. Sweet peas, radishes, cucumbers, and kale. Swiss chard, lettuce, basil, chives, sweet peppers and possibly corn. Brussel sprouts and okra at my wife’s request. Cabbage and tomatillos. Blackberries and table grapes. Beans and onions, and quite possibly potatoes. Carrots to munch on while I tend to the rest of the garden. Carrots are at their best when eaten within minutes of pulling them out of the ground.

This is a new garden and although perfection is the goal, chaos is the most likely result. Some of the varieties I fell in love with from afar, like mail-order brides from flashy seed catalogs, simply won’t work. The hot Texas sun will be merciful for some and merciless for others.

We lost a few pecan trees in the drought last year, but if all goes well there will be apple trees. Apple trees, but few apples. You spend the first few years growing the tree, pruning the apples before they can take precious nutrients destined to become wood. The same goes for the grapevine. One bunch of grapes will be allowed to grow, but the vine itself must become established in the soil so that we can reap the bounty in subsequent years.

Window sills will soon be filled with re-purposed egg crates holding potting mix and seedlings, and doing the dishes will provide a front row seat to the miracle of life.

Posted in Apple tree, Berries, Fruit, Gardening, Heirloom, Organic, Raised Bed, Tomatoes, Vegetables | Leave a comment