The Harvest is Coming

I enjoy gardening! This year's garden is a product of a labor of love that began in late January/early February. I decided to try out starting many of my plants myself. I set up a "plant nursery" in my home office window, and also in my livingroom window. I also decided to buy some heirloom seeds from Seedsavers, as suggested by my bro-in-law, Mike. I planted 2 varieties of tomatoes (Purple Russians, & Bloody Butchers), and then watched them sprout. I was so excited that I then started several more plants - brocolli, cabbage, several flowers, etc. Some sprouted, some didn't.

As the Spring unfolded, my little window nursery outgrew its location. I was not daunted, and teased my husband that I was hoping that the plants would take over the house, if only for a little while. In March I put a greenhouse on my front porch. When I put up the greenhouse, I also was finally able to pull the Christmas plastic candycanes out of the ground, although one was still firmly frozen and would not budge!



This greenhouse is actully a conversion of a Menard's ATV "garage" made from tubing and tarps. Instead of using the white tarp covering, I used clear plastic. The frame was literally a "snap" to put together, and each end/doorway has a zipper door - excellent for my use. The best part was this thing was on clearance for $129. All the "instant greenhouses" of any size were far more pricey. After I set this up on my front porch, I starting hearing that my greenhouse was the talk of the neighborhood.

My garden "babies" spent the daytime in the greenhouse and the nighttime in my livingroom for several weeks until the night temperatures started staying in the low 40's. I had a small heater in the greenhouse just in case. I used plastic "under the bed" storage containers that had wheels on them to hold my plants. It made it easy to move them inside and outside. I did have a few nights of worry. When we took a trip, we had to find someone who would not only feed the cat, but also could care for the plants!

By early May, my "babies" were certainly becoming adolesents. This picture was taken May 8th, and the tomato plants were about 12 to 18 inches tall. (The paper in the middle is a "Flat Stanley" that visited my greenhouse as part of a class project).

I started my vegetable garden "early" on Wisconsin standards. Some of my neighbors cautioned me to not be so eager. I planted onions first, and then potatoes. I also put in some rhubarb. It was really hard to not plant the tomatoes...but I held back until around May 20th.

My garden this year includes a "tomato hedge"....that I put in along my fence. I also decided to use the chainlink to support climbing beans. The "edge of the fence" garden actually grew into a larger area as I realized I needed more garden space. The main garden is mostly potatoes and onions, although I have one bed of tomatoes, and one bed or peppers and tomatillos, and I had one bed of sugar snap peas that has made its production cycle. I decided to plant squash in the back of my garden near a compost heap and the raspberry patch.

The news today is that everything is starting to produce. The peas are done (the best crop ever) and now used for mulch. The Bloody Butcher tomato variety was a good investment. Known for being an early tomato (although small), they have been producing ripe fruit since mid July. The onions are the largest I've EVER grown! I'm now harvesting lots of yellow beans, and we've eaten just about all the lettuce that I planted...we need more.

My gardening style is one of "raised beds", and as I read various books, I guess it is a French Style of raised beds. Mine are mounds of dirt that are 3 feet wide by what ever length I decide. I also use "square foot gardening" techniques, meaning everything is planted close together (as much as feasibly possible). I also tried companion planting this year. One surprising result has been the planting of tomatos in the asparagas patch. Both are doing extremely well! In fact, it has been the first tomato patch to produce ripe fruit and is more steadily doing so then the other tomato hedge areas in my yard.

Gardening....I do enjoy it. This year it has been a long term commitment. As the end of this growing season comes closer, I am now thinking of how I can extend it. I do have this portable greenhouse......