EDIBLE GARDENING - May Week Four

We have made big progress this week!  Jeff and I took advantage of a sunny two hour gap in our near-constant rainy weather lately to head to Linder’s and purchase our edible garden items.  We had planned to put in permanent raised garden boxes this year, but have decided to hold off until the patio and mulched beds are installed.  Instead, we are doing another year of container gardening and have cleared our deck to allow space for all of the containers.  The location actually offers several benefits.  One, it is extremely convenient to walk from the kitchen to the deck to pick or cut items to use in cooking, or to break off a sprig of rosemary to put on a steak being grilled on the deck.  Two, the deck currently does not get much use since the 3-season porch is much more inviting for relaxation or entertaining guests.  Three, we will not have to worry about Baxter “watering” the plants as opposed to if we planted them in the back yard.  And four, I won’t have to worry as much about deer, rabbits and squirrels invading the beds.  I’m fairly confidant the deck gets enough sunlight, but will keep an eye on the plants to ensure they are getting what they need.  

For months now, Jeff & I have been discussing our list of must-have plants to have in our edible garden.  I’ve also been doing research on plant spacing and companion planting to try and make the most use out of our containers.  We now have 10 containers dedicated to our fruits, vegetables and herbs.  In the two large pots we have tomatoes paired with basil and green peppers paired with oregano.  In the three medium pots we have carrots, cucumbers and strawberries.  In the long row container we have planted green beans.  Then, in the four small containers, we have rosemary, chives, spearmint and lemon balm.  We also purchased a raspberry bush to grow up the lattice below the deck.  We are already feeling a bit ambitious, so we decided to hold off on potatoes, lettuce, radishes, soy beans, squash and pumpkins until next year. 

As we are getting a late start on planting this year, we decided to work from starter plants instead of seeds in all vegetables except for green beans and carrots (which have a quick growth cycle).  We used seeds last year, so this will be a great experiment to see if there is a difference in starting from seeds vs. a starter plant.  Above is a picture of me with my two helpers:  Baxter the cultivator (b/c he was very interested in watching Jeff fill up the containers with recycled bottles and dirt) and Ruby the harvester (b/c I caught her trying to nibble on the chives before we even got them transplanted).