A scaredy-cat gardener does a soil test

So today I realized I should have called this blog -- the Scaredy-Cat Gardner because I swear I am gardening through fear.  I face each task with a bit of dread mixed with anticipation.  Today I decided to tackle the soil test.  I have been putting this off for a while -- mostly thinking that the soil was too wet to test.  True, the directions from UMass Soil Testing specifically mention to avoid sampling 'very wet soils' -- but I also hear that I am supposed to sample before I plant and in the Northwest it rains.  Today is our third dry day in a row so my regular excuse gave me no defense.

My other fear about soil testing was it would be difficult.  Ha.  Again, only in the mental preparation.  I picked three sites to sample and found that my cultivator easily went into the soil (it has been above freezing overnight for weeks.)  A few twists and I loosened enough to put in my Tupperware. 

In the end, I only need a cup of soil for my sample.  UMass recommended at least 12 scattered subsamples -- I collected over a cup easily.  I continued following directions and laid out my samples on cookie sheets covered in clean paper and set them on the kitchen table under the ceiling fan to dry.  What UMass didn't tell me was to look for wiggling things.  Trust me, if you are as worried as I am about creepy crawlies -- the big stuff is already gone by time you get inside -- but it turns out there are a bunch of mini-worms that look like root hairs that start moving around once the soil is spread out. 

I starting to worry about how I am going to overcome my discomfort with bugs.  After my soil test I wandered around my yard and saw that the tyfon I planted as a cover crop over a bed I want to fill with wildflowers in the spring is getting big.  The package said it could be used as a turnip when mature.  So I pulled one to take a peek.  It looked mature (though I don't cook with turnips so I don't know what to do with it now) -- but it also looked like someone else already had the first nibbles.

And memories flooded back to me of earlier garden tries -- including a Mexican bean beetle infestation and worms in my brocoli. ... Deep breath ... I am doing this for my kids.  And I will fake whatever confidance I need to for them -- but really, is it okay to share food with the rest of the natural world?  I rarely share food with other people. 

So I am not changing the title of the blog.  I plan to push past my fears, to gain some knowlege and some experience.  I expect to transform from a scaredy-cat to a (sub)urban farmer.  This is just step one.  And to help myself out, I looked for good signs in the garden and found these buds starting on the blueberry bush that did well last year.

Oh Dear.

So I spent some time this morning at a local hardware store looking for seeds starting supplies and a soil thermometer -- and to price soil components.  In the process I wound up speaking for a while with a knowlegeable gardener named Terry.  I got a lot of great information from her. 

Then she mentioned that I could plant my beans under my peas since I will be harvesting the peas when the beans get started.  And I realized, I KNOW NOTHING.

The seeds arrived!

As predicted, the seeds came in last Thursday.  I have been so busy that it took me until Saturday to open the box.  How exciting! 

I spent a couple hours planning.  I used a great tool at Skippy's Vegetable Garden (under her...his planting tools.)  You just plug in your date of last expected frost and it generates a plan for you.  There are a few vegetables I have that weren't mentioned, but the tool meant I didn't have to do the hand method much (consult seed package and catalog directions and do the calendar calculations myself.)

I was only able to get as far as what needs to be sowed early indoors and what can go into the ground at last frost.  I still need to figure out what 'when the soil is workable means.'  Plus I will have to figure out when to do second plantings.  And I guess I need a soil thermometer to determine when my soil gets to 50, 60 and 65 degrees.  But so far my spring schedule looks like this:

February 18: Sow Fish and Anaheim Peppers indoors.  And I think I can sow my Regal spinach outside (my only hybrid.)

March 18: Sow Chioggia beets and Bright Lights Chard outside.  (And maybe Ching-Chiang pac choi -- is this what they call early spring?)

March 25: Sow Sweet Basil, Perfection Fennel, Tigger melon and Moon and Stars watermelon indoors.

April 1: Can sow Galeaux D'Eysines squash indoors -- but it might not make a difference as it can be hard to transplant.

April 15: My strawberries should be in the ground by now if I want berries.  This is also the last expected frost date -- so I should be safe to start outside sowing everything outside and to start transplant plants (I am buying my sweet peppers -- Gourmet and Healthy -- and my tomatoes -- Coure di Bue, Japanese Trifele, Chocolate Cherry, Golden Nuggets, and Yellow Pears as plants.)

I still haven't fixed dates for my Red Samarai carrots, Little Gem lettuce, Buttercrunch lettuce, Super Sugar Snap Peas, Cannellini Lingot beans, or Maxibel beans  -- it seems like they could all take some cold but then their packets say things like 'when the soil is 60 degrees.'  So I guess I will figure it out in time.

And my edamame seeds didn't arrive.  They are on backorder.  Backorder?  What does that mean for a seed?  Later this spring?  Next year?  I will contact Territorial if I find the time.  If I am lucky, the seeds will show up before I make the call.

My list of things to plant is huge!  And I don't have any seed starting pots.  And I haven't tested my soil.  My raised bed isn't on the ground.  And I can start planting in three and a half weeks!  Will my project lift off?

Put in my order...

I finally committed myself to this summer's garden with a big order from Territorial Seeds.  I picked them because they are regional -- and I understand I will have better luck with plants tested in my climate.  At first I went through and made up my dream list -- basically looking for short growing season (most of the attempts I have done with edibles in the past seem to be hindered by not enough time for food to ripen.)  I was pretty happy with my picks and then Edible Heirlooms by Bill Thorness became available for me at the library. 

With Edible Heirlooms, I began to think about biodiversity and sustainablility.  So I reviewed my wish list with an eye for open-pollinators rather than hybrids.  When my list was complete, I ordered it -- mostly to keep myself from overthinking.

My picks?  Well, I found it hard to say no to much  so this year we will be trying: sauce and cherry tomatoes (we really don't use slicers); hot and sweet peppers (I am hoping for lots of pepperonata); beets, lettuce, spinach, and chard (because we need more greens in our lives), red carrots (because plain ones would be boring); pac choi and edamame (we have been incorporating more Asian foods into our diet); fancy galeaux squash, tigger melons, and moon and stars watermelons (these will be my experiement in vertical gardening -- they will all grow up); snap peas and green beens ('cause they are easy and you have to?); basil and fennel (because they can be expensive and I like them), cauliflower and canellini beans (just caught my eye.) 

Once the seeds get here (could be by the end of the week), I will have to figure out where and when -- and I still have to test my soil, install my raised beds and vine trellising, and figure out a watering system. 

I also put in an order from another regional supplier, Raintree Nursery.  Here I purchased strawberries, blueberries and kiwi vines.  The strawberries need to be in the ground by Tax Day -- and I think everything else will arrive in May.  Lots of work ahead but the dreaming makes me happy.

A Cheat

... and a grateful sister -- that's what I am today. 

It sounds stupid but I was afraid to buy the wood for my raised garden bed.  I went to my local Home Depot and Lowe's to scope out supply prices.  I knew who had what -- HD had no 2"x6" cedar!  Had my supply list.  Knew I needed to look for straight wood.  But was worried about how to get a bunch of 12 foot boards into my car and back home.  Paralyzed really.  But then my brother came to town.  And he did my shopping for me.

And now he is building the bed.  I will still have to prepare the ground and get it into place -- but this is a huge help!  Now I have to figure out what to seal the bed with.  I almost bought boiled linseed oil but then got worried about the additives.  I am looking for a non-toxic alternative.  Figured I will contact my garden supply store -- though I am open to suggestions.  Have any?

  

The bed is coming along nicely -- and I am so happy because there is a good chance this project would have gotten shelved if my brother hadn't arrived.  This raised bed is going to look so much better than the mound of dirt I would have resorted to in the end!

Today ... Or Soon to be Before

So this year I have been inspired by the urban farm movement to convert more of my garden space to edibles. I am not an experienced gardner. I only started gardening in earnest 2 years ago when we bought our house. My efforts began in the front yard, eliminating the big boxes of hedge plants and replacing them with natives and climate/space appropriate choices.

I worked section by section. The first bed was near the garage. I planted it in the spring and it had no edibles. I replaced foundation plants and introduced underplantings to a maple near our driveway the following fall. I managed to plant for 'bloom-interest' year round but only managed to add one edible: huckleberries.

I thought about planting a vegetable garden last summer -- but with three kids under 5 at the time, I felt overwhelmed. Instead I planted some columnar apples, an espaliered pear, a collection of blueberry bushes, daisies and Echinacea. The plants were pretty much left to survive by their own devices. The trees and the Echinacea never bloomed. (I wasn't surprized by the trees.)

But this year I have been reading: Farm City by Novella Carpenter, The New Low-Maintenance Garden by Valerie Easton, Fresh Food From Small Spaces by RJ Rupenthan -- and even the Square Foot Garden by Mel Bartholomew. And I am thinking edibles. I am thinking structures and watering systems. I am thinking if I plan it well enough now, maybe it will be less work later. And I am thinking maybe my kids will be delighted by watching more stuff grow that they can eat.

So I am feeling ambitious. And I am planning on revamping my backyard to make it delicious (still leaving a large chunk of grass so the kiddos can play.) I want to put in a 12' long x 3' wide x 1.5-2' high (there is a slight slope) raised bed below my deck here for vegetables and cool crops since it gets partial sun at best. (There is a sick crabapple at the back, a scruffy nandina at the front, and a whole lot of weeds in between right now.)

On the deck itself I am going to try some "Topsy-Turvy" containers to make the most of available sun on the South facing deck. Between the deck and the house I am thinking razzberries or blackberries (to replace the dying clematis on sticks).

Around the corner on the East side of the house you can see one of my columnar apples. I plan to try some melon and beans nearby. (I will probably take out some grass to enlarge this bed -- and maybe try to line it with wine bottles to warm the earth.)

My main edible garden is across the grass from my house (pictured at the top.)  It is about 5' wide -- and 25' on the East Side of my yard and 12' on the North. Here are the blueberries, espaliered pear, one of the columnar apples, flower remnants, and lots and lots of weeds. Especially, chickweed (thanks Seattle Tilth hotline for telling me what it was and what to do about it!)  Below is a detail of the bed.  I really like the red wood of the blueberries. And I heard Valerie Easton when she said, "simplify." So this year I am pulling the flowers, adding a few new blueberries, and a lot of new strawberries as groundcover, figuring out a watering system -- and hoping for the best.

For the amount of time I have on my hands, I am being overly ambitious. But maybe, if I start early and persist we will have an abundance of things to eat growing in our yard. And if we are really lucky, maybe the bunnies and moles will let us have some too.