Grow Your Own

Down with the plants
Originally uploaded by Roadduck99

The time has finally come when those of us in Southern Maine can start in earnest to grow a vegetable garden. I had a small, traditional plot at my old house, but moved at such a time last year that growing veggies at home was impractical. I’m a big believer of eating locally, so Doreen and I took advantage of the local farmer’s markets to a great extent, even during the winter.

My back yard, however, is even more local than all those wonderful farms, so I was keen to start growing my own produce this year. Over the winter, Doreen’s cousin turned me on to the Square Foot Gardening method. (Note to self – return Denise’s book!) It’s a simple method developed by a gentleman named Mel Bartholomew, if a somewhat radical departure from traditional row gardening, wherein one maximizes the utilization of one’s space and enjoys a more flexible planting schedule.

Since I don’t have a ton of space at my new house for a traditional plot, this sounds like a perfect solution for my needs. In recent weeks I bought some 2x6 pine boards for the boxes, along with some 4’ ash lathe for the grids. Mel calls for making one’s own soil called “Mel’s Mix,” which is equal parts peat, compost, and vermiculite (or pearlite, which Mel doesn’t prefer but which is much more readily available – I have a little of each in my mix). I assembled the boxes in mid-April, and filled them with my freshly-made soil over the past weekend. Now to get planting.

Though I have in some years started seeds inside, I’m usually a little behind schedule for what the garden needs. (“Broccoli – ‘k it says here I need to start these 12 weeks before last frost. Last frost is toward the end of May and today is…..May 2. So I need to start these eight weeks ago.”) Fortunately, the local farmers are a lot more on top of this than I am, so I can get seedlings from them. Maybe it’s a little more expensive than seeds, but I’m not going to grow 100 broccoli plants anyway, and 50 cents for a plug seems perfectly reasonable.

So this week I got started with some seedlings from the Tuesday Farmer’s Market – and just in time for three days of nourishing torrential downpours, I mean rain. I’ve started with plants that should withstand any lingering frost we might get: broccoli, onions (Red Wing), lettuce (Romaine, Red Sail, Black Seed Simpson (I think)), and arugula. I also bought some shallot sets and put them in the ground this morning. I might pick up some radish seeds because they are fast and easy and can be planted right now.

I’ve still got a bit of infrastructure to build – mainly trellises on the north side of the beds to hold vining plants. Mel claims I can grow pumpkins on the trellis, but I believe I will start with cukes and tomatoes. Those will have to wait a few more weeks to go in. I also have plans for (short) carrots, peppers, and a few more things we haven’t decided on yet. A few squares will be dedicated to marigolds and basil to keep pests away, and maybe some alyssums or other flowers for a little color.

I’m excited to be growing food again. Keeping it fresh, local and organic is definitely the way to go!