Planning a spring garden.

Spring is quite possibly one of the best times of the year. The snow melts, mud dries up, and plants start to thrive and grow. But before that, is where the real excitement kicks in. The spring garden planning.

I am by no means a perfect gardener. I haven’t had a real garden in a few years because I have been surviving the postpartum life while running a couple businesses. But this year is the year! I am finally getting back into my green thumb era. Nothing brings me more joy than growing and raising our own food. It may cost less to just buy certain things from the store, but there is just a real gratification from doing things with your hands and getting a return from it.

Some tips for starting your garden:

1. Figure out your layout and what kind of gardening that you plan to do.

   Where our house is located, and where our home garden is, it is very rocky. I am unable to plant plants directly into the ground because I simply cannot dig without hitting rock! So for my situation, I have to use garden beds, or get my husband to dig holes with a backhoe.

2. Determine your soil type and if you will need amendments.

   Soil health is so important for your success in gardening and there are plenty of options. My favorite fertilizer to use in animal manure. Between the chickens, horses, cows, and ducks.. We make a pile of manure and add old hay or straw into it as well and let it break down. This is then eventually added back into the soil to help nourish the plant.

3. Plan what you’re planting

   In the past I honestly just bought whatever plants and planted them. But now I am trying to be more mindful of what we eat and what we plant. I really only want to grow plants that I know for a fact we we will be eating.

   Here is what is on my list this year:

   1. Lettuce and Spinach

   2. Carrots

   3. Potatoes

   4. Zucchini, Spaghetti Squash, and Butternut Squash

   5. Tomatoes and Tomatillos

   6. Garlic and Onions

   7. Asparagus

   8. Broccoli, Cabbage, and Brussel Sprouts

   9. Jalapeños and Bell Peppers

   10. Peas and Beans

   11. Corn

   12. Blueberries, Raspberries, and Grapes

4. Choose wether you are buying starts or starting your transplants from seeds.

   I always have plans of starting all of my plants from seeds but usually don’t. I do not have a greenhouse set up and my house is entirely too small to have starts scattered across. But there are some seeds that are sowed directly into the ground: squash, lettuce, spinach, carrots, legumes, and corn.

   My favorite places to buy seeds from are Baker Creek Seeds, The Urban Farmer, and The Seed Exchange. Ask three of these websites are non-GMO, organic, and/or heirloom.

   But if I am going to buy starts, I like to support our local nurseries with plants with plants that take a longer time to get established: tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, etc.

5. Now is finding the time, making the time, to get your garden in place! I struggle with this with two little boys running around but I am ready to include them in my planning. I really find joy in doing things with my hands and also love spending time with my children. My plans to get the kids included is to create a Childs area in my garden. I have a sandbox set up with plans of adding a mud kitchen and their own garden boxes. Lane is already so helpful by pulling weeds…and fall garlic that has popped up! But how can you be mad… he’s learning and technically…we’re pulling green things out of the ground!

But something so important to remember, that I too need to remind myself is that you can start small. I see all of these gorgeous gardens and I want them but there is beauty in designing your own with your own style and building as you can. And that is my daily reminder.

What this space looks like.

With all of the uncertainty in the world, there is not a better time to secure your own food source or learn a new skill. And here I am trying to do both for my family. Thankfully, we are already raising high quality meats without any additives in a natural, sustainable way. But what about the other stuff? The stuff that you do rely on the grocery store for. Is there a way to make it at home?

I am constantly trying to learn new ways to preserve food or make things from scratch. I think having my children really changed my perspective as well as having some autoimmune health disorders. I want healthy options for my my family but I also wan’t them to not be deprived of anything delicious and fun. But deprivation doesn’t mean that I need to cave and offer terrible ingredients to my children.

But, that being said, I have a child with sensory food aversions. So we are working on that because a lot of our safe foods are processed snacks. So, join me here where I share my passions of non-toxic alternatives or you know, just that chaotic mom life.