The Current Garden Space

So there it is. The garden. The wonder of my world in the spring and the bane of my existence in the late summer when the vines and weeds have taken over. But this year I'm bound and determined this space will remain in my wonder until it's covered in snow.

I think open space in a yard is to a gardener what a prime $29.95 Las Vegas buffet is to those who love food. We see space. We.must.fill.space. Space gets filled. Summer comes. Weeds come. We go on vacation. End of happy garden buffet. This piece has gotten bigger over time and I'll admit to most of it being wasted.

So what do you see in my space? (picture below) In the lower left corner is the 'nursery'. Extra plants, transplants, things I bought but didn't find a space for. At one time it was also filled with beautiful Iris. I got a wild idea one day to dig 'em all up to treat 'em for Iris bore. Then I forgot to treat 'em and they died. Sad moment in my gardening life and never to be mentioned again after this post.

As you move up from the lower left you see an inlet of grass (okay, really it's clover and weekds but grass sounds better) creeping into what used to be some decent strawberrries. I might find a few plants in there still, we'll see this spring what I can salvage. We finish off with the blackberries and raspberries. They need a new home, too, but that location has yet to be determined so for now the stay. Now on to the working part of the garden...

By August this area is the bane of my existence. On the left are some grasses we purchased at a garden center auction, oh....let's see...maybe three years ago? Still in holding. Behnd them and between the fence is a space where I had some tomatoes and bell peppers last year. On the lower right is the bean/pea/cucumber tent. In the upper right corner is The Kid's sandbox and between it and the fence are some daylilly seedlings The Husband planted a few years ago (also in holding, see a pattern here?). This is the area we'll be utilizing the square foot gardening techniques in. The rest will be turned back into lawn so The Kid has more work to do this summer.

It's another cloudy, cool, breezy day here in central Iowa. The forecast calls for more rain, hopefully it will come to an end soon and I can get dirty again. Happy garden dreams!

Going Green

Patience is not something I've been blessed with. Boiling water, drying soil, growing plants...they all need to hurry up and get on with it! With the ground saturated, the sky cloudy and the wind cold my patience is wearing thin. Especially after last week's record and near-record highs! Mother nature is such a tease.

Anyway, to fend off some of that anxiousness I did a little research and planning for this project. Today's topics of choice were using plants to ward off insects, attracting pollinators and kids in the garden.

If you don't have pollinators in the garden you won't have a garden. Attracting these helpful insects is rather easy, but there are some tips in this publication that are worth the reminder. It's also a very good primer on pollination (especially if you slept through freshman biology, which I think I might have...)

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/RG212.pdf

I've always been wary of using chemicals in the garden and I continue to be. We keep chemical means of eradication (whether it be a plant or insect or critter problem) to a minimum and this publication has a basic overview of design and implementation techniques that can help keep your gardens insect pest free.

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/RG207.pdf

I think one of my favorite parts of gardening is watching the wonder in The Kid as he joins along. Okay, as I said before patience is not a virtue I have, nor is the ability to let go my need for 'perfection' and there have been times I've been close to tearing out my hair with him while we work together (?) in the garden. But in the end it's all worth it. Here's an activity publication put out by Reiman Gardens at Iowa State University on how you and your child can become "Insect Investigators". There are nine insects to search for and there are suggestions on how to track your investigations.

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/RG901.pdf

Speaking of Reiman Gardens, if you have a day to venture to Ames this is a must see spot. When it's warm out there's lots of room for the kids to run about and when you're tired of being cooped up and cold the butterfly atrium is just what the doctor ordered.

I've spent the afternoon perusing and have found some information about companion plantings on many websites. I've compiled a list of what to plant to repel insects and critters, what to plant to attract the good insects and a couple of other little tips to keep your garden green and not a welcoming home to bad insects. Click here to download my PDF file.

Keep on dreaming, planning and wishing. Mother nature will straighten out soon and we'll be able to plunge our hands into the warm earth and bring forth life.

Green with Envy

I know I'm not supposed to be envious, it's not a good thing. But check out what my friend Karin has been doing this week on her New Mexico ranch (right click to open in a new window):

http://dirtroadscrapper.blogspot.com/2009/03/let-gardening-begin.html

I on the other hand am sloshing around in green rubber barn boots and cursing the inches of rain. Some day it will dry out and warm up for good (at least until October 12 when I start to anticipate the first snow fall - blech!). Until then I'm planning and dreaming. I'm sooooooo excited about the prospect of jumping headfirst into this 'new' method of gardening.

To pacify some of my garden envy I picked up two eight-packs of pansies at Home Depot yesterday - big yellows and smaller lavenders. Their cheery colors and faint scent make me smile. I'm going to go find a pretty terra-cotta pot in my recently cleaned and organized garden shed to put them in and plop 'em on the kitchen table so I can smile day and night.

Happy spring!

Welcome to A Little Square Garden!

Join me as I venture into the exciting world of square foot gardening! As the weather warms so does my garden fever. I can't wait to show you what we grow and how we're going to do it this year.