Garden Journal Entry#2

Today I finished planting the first of three rows in what we are calling the Pond Field which is about a quarter of an acre.

Near the South end of this field I created another bed of 6 rows in which I planted English Peas, Radishes, Spinach, Kale, Arugula and Romaine. This is a partly shady area that stays cooler and so these plants seemed to be suited for it. When planting lettuce/arugula seed I cut the small furrow in the rows I want them and then sprinkle the seeds like salt into the row. I then tamp down the rows to cover and pack and then water. When the lettuces come up I will let them get a few inches high before thinning to use the thinned greens as baby lettuce. Arugula is always eaten as a baby lettuce but the Romaine will be thinned until a single head is allowed to form.

Between this bed and the one planted on the 7th I have planted tomatoes which I had begun from seedlings. 60 Purple Cherokee plants, 32 green stripe, 8 red pear and 8 yellow pear. The green stripes where not doing so well and would have needed transplanting anyway and so I thought I would just go ahead and get them started. They were planted in two handfuls of composted manure. The Purple Cherokees where about 8 inches long and on their third leaf set.  All the tomatoes where planted lying sideways up to their leaf base as was my grandfather’s custom.

It turns out our soil is pretty acidic with low nutrients and so I have ordered some organic fertilizers from Countryside Organics.  I will spread these next week. To the Purple Cherokees, which were planted straight into the soil, I will add Crab meal to boost their calcium intake as prescribed.

I prefer not to use too much fertilizer. I am not concerned with every plant putting out rock star yields. I prefer to amend my soil over time with compost I am able to generate from within our holding. After 8 years in my old garden spot I had fantastic soil and almost never amended it. This is much more space and so I will use some organic and Biodynamic fertilizer in the first year or so until my composting has taken off a little further.

The plot 1  from 4/7 has already put up lettuce and collards, it is still hard to tell about the other veg as of yet.