I am sitting with the warm morning sun on my back at the kitchen table this morning...planning my garden.
There is a lot to think about.
And I thoroughly love it.
I start my planning with grid paper and a calendar.
Penciling out row by row and leaving room for more planting every three weeks.
One thing I hope to master this year is succession planting, so I can fill my little farm stand up!
I am also planning on growing a substantial amount of flowers to sell...hopefully..and have been reading and researching growing techniques.
My biggest obstacle are weeds.
Oh, they really do get the best of me if I can't stay on top of things.
After reading about how Erin at Floret uses landscape fabric to control weeds, I am pretty convinced this is the way to go.
My brother is in construction and I am able to get leftover weed fabric from him.
We have used it when planting Christmas trees and it works beautifully.
So, why not the garden?
I saw this lovely picture {source}.
What a novel idea!
The thought of making weeding less of a priority has me so thrilled!
So, back to my grid sheets and calendar planning.
I hope to share it all with you :).
21 comments:
what a great post Julia! I have always wanted to plant a lot of zinnias (because i love them and would always like to have bouquets around!) but in the past haven't had much luck once the hot southern sun zaps them, as sun loving as they are; i look forward to seeing your plan here......you have such a beautiful, serene garden, and i love the outbuilding and fence.......very cottagey!
Thank you Devon! I love zinnias, too, and we do get pretty hot weather here. I have found that increasing a good amount of water at night or early in the morning really helps them last a bit longer.
~Julia
With this spring like weather we are having here in the Northwest, gardening has been on my mind too!
I love your garden stand...so cute!
Gorgeous photos too!
Love hearing about your garden planning. I have mine sketched out too- I can't wait to see your plans. I'm thinking about doing a little produce stand too in front of our house for fresh herbs. I'm not sure if they would sell as well as produce or flowers, but I feel more confident about growing them as they are generally pretty hardy and I could grow a lot with a small green house.
Thank you Nadine!
Megan, it is so neat that you have a greenhouse! Yes, I agree that herbs are so easy to grow. I love that they are pretty drought resistant, too. I bet you have a lot of success selling them at a roadside stand :) So excited for you!
This post both inspired and intimidated me! ;) lol!! I've only done a small amount of gardening but hope to rev it up in the coming years! I appreciate the links!!! And the photos - they have me dreaming...as I gaze out the window here at the 5 foot snow banks.... :P
I've been thinking about my garden too, but only *lightly* since I won't be able to plant anything until May. I'm planning something new this year -- mushrooms!
Wishing you the best with your garden plans and farm stand.
Mushroom! Oh, what a fun endeavor Jodi!!
Kaitlin, I started small and just grew year by year. Good luck with your garden plans!
Thanks for the inspiring photos. In Northern Ohio below 0 again this morning and not much relief in sight. Keep those garden pictures coming--and all that good information--going to be awhile before gardening starts here. Jackie.
Thanks for the inspiring photos. In Northern Ohio below 0 again this morning and not much relief in sight. Keep those garden pictures coming--and all that good information--going to be awhile before gardening starts here. Jackie.
Loved this post! Please let us know about what you've learned about growing mass quantities of flowers. I am a beekeeper, and I need lots of flowers! I am trying a meadow planting for the first time this year. I want to let you know that I've used cardboard covered with wood mulch to keep the weeds out of the garden. All of my paths have this and there were little to no weeds - and when you do have them, they are super easy to rake or pull up. Also, when the plants get to a certain height, I used the same around their bases. I had to use a tiny bit of sluggo at first, but then I did not have any problems at all. Cardboard was free - and the wood chips were free too - I just called the local electric company and told them I'd take chips whenever they had them. Love your blog!
Rebekah
You talked about using landscape fabric to control weeds. can you reuse this or do you need to buy
new each year? love your garden pictures it makes me want to get in my garden but we have 10 inches on snow right now so I will need to wait.
Rue
Always love looking at your garden pictures! I was just thinking about going through the seed catalog! Spring here is a LONG way off, but the planning is always fun! I love my zinnias and never remember a year without them. Keep your garden ideas coming! I use a large mat for my tomatoes and works great! One side of the garden is peas and beans in early spring with squash planted very close,To cover that area when the beans are done. I just let the "flower end" go pretty much, weeding just a few times. Some reseed and when the zinnias are tall enough they choke out most of the weeds. Weeds are just a constant battle! I love a cottage style with the flowers so just keep adding anything and everything each year. This was a fun post to read on a very cold day! Happy planning!
Patty
Hi Jackie! Stay warm over there :)
Hi Rebekah!
Yes, those wood chips are so wonderful! My husband works for the county and we get them free, too. I love your idea using the cardboard. I used the weed screen under my paths in my herb garden, but they are quite wide. I will keep that idea in mind for smaller pathways. I am just starting out with more flowers, but plan to share what I learn.
~Julia
Hi Rue!
Yes, you can reuse certain types of landscape fabric year after year. At some point you will have to replace the fabric, but if you get the right kind, it will last for years. I learned a lot from Floret...I shared the link in the post. She has a great method for burning holes in the fabric. At the end of the season, she mows over the plants, then just pulls the fabric up and folds it away. Good luck with your gardening endeavors!
~Julia
Patty, that is a super duper smart idea to plant the squash close to peas and beans. You are right...I bet the squash cover everything and you are left with very few weeds. Thanks for the tip!!
~Julia
Lovely photo, for a moment I had forgotten the 15-18 inches of snow out side my front door. I look forward to all your post on the garden and garden stand.
Hi Teresa!
I love your posts on gardening, too :). Even though our weather has been warm, I really wish we had 15 inches of snow. Our mountains have 30% of what should be there...which means a drought is coming!
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