Garden Drawing

It was a casual Saturday afternoon while the baby slept and it rained depressingly cold outside. I was sick of the immobility of winter, the constant laziness, so I picked up a pad and pen and insisted, "What do you want to eat this summer?"

Pulling poor Dave from his own restful thoughts, he gave me a list. "Well, tomatoes. We don't really eat cucumbers. Maybe peppers?" Before too long, I jotted down the items we'd be growing. On the top of the page, I drew two rectangles -- the main event (raised garden beds) -- and a few smaller circles -- potted plants to be located at a later date. Maybe near our garage, maybe one our deck.

This is what we came up with...

Hard to look at a bit, I know. Sorry! The asterisks are for marigolds or oregano (funny, we don't each much oregano)...or maybe thyme, which are all good for keeping pests at bay and adding nutrients for the other plants. Oh, and pretty. They're pretty. The jalapenos are for eatin' but also to keep pests (namely, the neighborhood kitties) away. The numbers of the other plants are up for debate, but they're a good starting point. The bell peppers are so "plentiful" because I'm hoping to have a few kinds.

Oh, and I'm also thinking of putting up some sort of short fencing to keep things looking orderly (and, yes, keep pests at bay).  

Last year, we tried to grow all of our raised bed plants and herbs from seed with middling success. (We also had a couple of hand-me-down tomato plants that took over our front porch.) If I had the space/capability of starting my seeds indoor without risk of cat interference, I'd be all over it. But, a few years ago (we're talking pre-Jasper), Winston took matters into his own hands...and we remain a "let's just buy the plants" family. Maybe some day.

I think half the battle when gardening (whether your gardens are massive fields of food or a tiny container set-up) is admitting your boundaries. Don't over-buy, but don't underestimate how much you can grow in a small area. Bringing this sketch along will help me to remember approximately what will fit where. It's all in the planning.

While sketching, I also brought up a chart similar to this one on my phone to determine what plants work well together. This way, I knew that carrots and tomatoes could be in the same bed without fighting each other off. I also took into consideration that the tomatoes like to take things over, and since they're a high-growing plant I put them in the back so that the carrots will *hopefully* still get enough sun. I'm also going to try to be obsessive about caging them this year. Good stuff to think about.

So, as I write this, I'm anxious to get my hands dirty. In Upstate NY, it's wise to wait until the end of May to plant anything (frost abound), and I'm jealous of folks I know who have already been out working. We've had some crazy arse weekends that have left us with minimal time and/or energy to get much done. I mean, dude, I haven't even weeded yet. It's jungle city over here.

I'll keep you posted on our garden journeys (anyone ever hear that phrase before? Our local news station has a segment called "garden journeys" and I always wonder if that's a "thing" or if they pulled it out of their you-know-whats), and do tell -- what are you growing this year? Anything?