It’s time to design the Garden Plan! It is spring time. I feel it in my bones. The energy is stirring outside and in my soul.
I know the calendar says the first day of Spring is March 20th. It is the Vernal Equinox which is basically the time when the days and nights are equal in the the Spring. We also call it Ostara which is a celebration of the Spring.
I disagree with the date being the beginning of the season. I feel like it’s the high point. The very middle of the season. I think the beginning of spring is actually around Imbolc/Groundhog’s Day and ends/transitions to Summer around May 1/May Day/Beltane.
No one will convince me otherwise.
My point is I’m feeling the energy of Spring. I see it in my own behavior and energy levels.
A Family Sentiment
The princess was over yesterday and said to me, “I feel like now that the holidays are over and I’m settled in my school schedule, I’d like to start making the tik-tok video’s again. I don’t really know why I stopped. Looking back, I feel like I’ve had the time and plenty of ideas, I just didn’t have the energy.”
I get that. Every year I drop half my juggling balls in November and don’t pick them back up until February. I suspect it’s because I’ve been living seasonally for so long my body just tunes in to the energies naturally.
What do I’ mean by living seasonally
Here’s an example, In the last week, the temperatures are slowly rising, the day’s are getting longer and I’m just automatically waking up a little bit earlier. If this year continues the trends of the last few years, by the End of May I’ll be up a 6:30am with out an alarm. However, by October, I’ll be having trouble waking by 8 with 3 alarms.
My energy levels and ambition are also affected. I’ve been feeling very ambitious lately.
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What Spring Energy has Brought
In the past week, I’ve revamped an apron design, took some pictures and listed it on Etsy. We also shot the first tik-tok video of it. Working with my daughter on some of these projects is so much fun!
@greenwitchfarm Gardening season brings new merch! Check our website to get yours #goodvibes #witchtok #apron #greenwitch #magic
♬ Haus of Holbein (Sing-A-Long) – SIX
Spring Garden Plan
I’ve mapped out my garden plan and started half my seedlings. I’m limited on space so I have to start them in stages. Tomatoes and peppers first because they take the longest time. I like to give them the full 8 weeks indoors then spend two weeks gradually hardening them off before I put them in the ground mid-May.
Other flowers and herbs will wait until these have sprouted. I suppose if I had more room and more heat mats I could do them all at once but it is what it is and I make it work.
Spring Projects for 2022
This growing season I have 2 projects and one focus in my garden plan. I need to revamp my vegetable garden, build a trellis to start growing grapes and my focus will 100% be improving the awful soil on my property.
The Vegetable Garden Plan
My big garden project for the year is to re-build a raised bed. In the past, we’ve built them as inexpensively as we can with 1”x 12” boards. We had two 4’x4’ beds one 4’ x 8’ bed and one 3’ x 8’ bed. I’ve had a number of issues with those.
Problem #1
The first problem is my dirt SUCKS! I filled them with homemade compost and native soil adding a little manure and peat to amend it. I obviously don’t have my balance right.
Once upon a time, about 150 years ago, the whole area was dune and swale. We’re located on the Southern boarder of Lake Michigan. As the lake receded it created ridges of swampy marsh land followed by sandy dunes.
My neighborhood wasn’t developed until the 1950’s, either in anticipation of or in response to an influx of workers for the steel mills. Based on the dirt, I’m pretty sure the whole neighborhood sits on an ancient dune.
Solution to Problem #1
This year, as I build my new box, I’m going to bite the bullet and just buy a big bag of organic garden soil and call it a day. My mom promised it will do better than what I’ve got now.
Problem #2
The second issue is that untreated pine boards rot really quickly! I expected to get a few years out of them. Unfortunately I was only getting 2 seasons before I had to replace boards.
I suspect it’s partially because my dirt is so sandy that I was watering them 2-3 times a week. Since the water wouldn’t stay in the soil it was absorbing into the wood, causing it to bow and then rot.
I’ve already pulled apart the two long boxes, busting up the rotting boards and burying them along the back fence to hopefully improve the soil there.
Solutions to problem #2
Last year when I decided to rebuild them, I wanted cedar boards since cedar is resistant to rot but the price of cedar did not come down to anywhere near affordable so I’ve been toying with other ideas such as corrugated tin panels or some kind of treated soft wood. I’ve done a lot of research on this.
I think I’ve settled on using pine again but this time treating each board with a mix of Linseed oil and beeswax before building. I have both so there will be no extra expense. If it doesn’t work, maybe cedar will be cheaper next year.
Problem #3
The third problem is that we have moles. I keep trying to tell myself it’s not that bad but it is. Moles are really bad because they eat earthworms and disturb the fragile roots of my seedlings.
I’ve had some success by dumping handfuls of coffee grounds in their tunnels. They don’t like the strong smell and will avoid the area for a few weeks. The problem is that I can’t fill the tunnel until the tunnel is there. Which means the mole has already done some damage.
And they did serious damage last year!
At the beginning of last spring, I did what I always do; I added my homemade compost to my garden beds. In addition, I made sure I was taking some of the earth worms to continue breaking down the last of the organic matter that was in the compost. I’ve taught the kids to throw rogue worms into the garden beds whenever they find them. It’s a favorite past time.
At the end of the season when I took apart the big beds and started moving the soil to make room for the new bed. I didn’t find ANY WORMS!
None!
ZERO!
I must have put a couple dozen in that bed. It could’ve been that it was too dry or it could’ve been the moles. I can’t be certain either way.
Solution to Problem #3
So just in case it is the moles killing my helpers, I’m adding 1/4” wire mesh to the bottom of my new bed. I’ll still have them in other areas but that’s a problem for another day. If anyone has suggestions, I’m open to hearing them.
The Actual Vegetable Garden Plan
My plan is to make it 3 foot by 8 foot long since it will be against the fence line. I’m short; 3 feet is as far as I can comfortably reach. The plan is to build it about 16 inches tall with 2×4 cap. I will also add a trellis to the back so I can grow climby things like cucumbers and pole beans.
There are some half rotted logs that will go on the bottom along with some sticks and I plan on filling in the spaces with a mix of the native soil mixed in with last years fall leaves. I mixed them together in a big ol’ pile last fall. I’ll be turning it weekly until I can use it.
The top 8-10 inches will be store bought garden soil. I think this year I will actually use wood mulch in my vegetable garden. I’ve never done that before. I’ve used straw and grass clipping to keep weeds down with varied results.
I also have some big planters that I’ll grow various vegetables in. I’ll expand and add more raised beds if this new plan works and I get good results.
The Grape Vine.
I’ve been wanting to grow grapes since I moved out of my mother’s house. We had a grapevine on our property when I was a kid and every year we picked the grapes to make grape pie, grape jelly and grape juice. I miss that. I’ve been talking about it for years.
Since we didn’t own the place until last May, we didn’t want to plant a perineal that we’d have to leave if we moved. I did that once. I planted blackberry bushes and the following spring the landlord decided to sell the house, forcing us to move. We never got a single harvest.
Ultimately, I want to grow all the food things that I can. I want fruit trees and berry bushes and enough vegetables to get us through the year. I’m limited on space but that just means I have to be more creative.
The Soil
Finally, the focus for my garden plan this year is amending the soil in the rest of the yard. It’s sandy and dusty, full of grubs, crabgrass, and lots of bare spots. If I’m going to grow what I want to grow I have to improve the soil everywhere.
I have been working on it for the past few years. My herb garden has beautiful soil. I have a number of other growing spots that has shown marked improvement since I started mulching and growing comfrey. I compost the extra leaves after a harvest. Comfrey is amazing at improving soil.
Geeking out about Soil
I’m going to geek out for a minute about soil because I just learned something and I’m really excited. I was listening to a gardener talk about improving soil, however, I was also doing other things. If you’re like me, you miss things when you multitask. So when this guy started talking about mycorrhizal, I heard Michael Rize-oh. I thought he was talking about a person…needless to say, I was very confused.
He was talking about fungi. And this is where I get excited. I loved learning about photosynthesis in school. It was the coolest thing, but apparently, I only knew half of it!
So photosynthesis is the way a plant makes food for itself. The plant ‘breathes’ in air thorough its leaves. Then, using the power of the sun it breaks apart the air, releasing the oxygen and converting the carbon into energy. That’s what grade schools teach. That’s what I remember and shared with my kids.
What I just learned is that plants take the carbon, release it into the ground via its roots and the mycorrhizal fungi will break it down so the plant can actually use it. It strengthens the roots system of plants making them stronger and healthier. It also helps alleviate transplant shock when planting seedlings and young plants. I’m adding that to my practice this year. This is the package I bought. I can’t give a review yet, obviously.
Back to the Garden Plan
1) Treat for grubs on the lawn area. I’m planning on trying beneficial nematodes to treat the lawn. It seems to be the best non-chemical option but I’ll have to do a little research on the timing.
2) Bare spots. I’ll be honest. I don’t like grass lawns. I like lawns full of clover and dandelions because I like watching the bees bop from one flower to another. So instead of trying to grow grass, I bought clover seeds to fill in the bare spots. Besides, clover is considered a nitrogen fixing legumes which means it adds nitrogen to the soil making it healthier and more nutrient rich.
3) Adding Nutrients by amending with grass clippings, composted leaves, and mycorrhizal fungi.
4) Water regularly.
That’s my plan. I’ll be writing more about each project if anything interesting happens but I’ll definitely be posting pictures on Instagram. Follow us if you want!
Tell me about your garden or get excited about soil with me!
