Thursday, March 15, 2012

My Favorite Planting Methods

Let no one think that real gardening is a bucolic and meditative occupation.  It is an insatiable passion, like everything else to which a man gives his heart. 

~Karel Čapek, The Gardener's Year, translated by M. and R. Weatherall, 1931


 
You sow them, you feed them, you entertain them, and you nurture and encourage them and you cry when they fall.  However, it is time to prepare the younglings to leave the safety and security of your home.  To whom am I referring to?  You guessed it, your new seedlings or as I call them, “the newbie’s”.
Hello gardening friends.  The weather is changing for the better here so I have begun the process of preparing the garden for planting.  In the past, I have used many methods for planting, but I would like to share the techniques I have been utilizing the past several years.

I have a very small section of the yard my hubby has permitted me for gardening in the backyard.  He refuses to let me dig up any more of his “perfect lawn”. I typically use my area for the Native American Three Sisters method (an explanation).  I create my mounds in the fall by placing fish at the base so it can fertilize my soil over the winter (the fish is donated to me by my neighbor).  To warm up my mounds, I will place a sturdy lawn bag on top for a week.  At the end of the week, I will remove the plastic and plant my seedlings (corn, squash and beans).  This method is my favorite and is extremely productive.  If you have the space, I highly recommend it.

I have used small row gardening as well for my cowpea crops (purple hull and black eyed peas) and okra.  I generally work in soil amendments and to get the soil warm for these heat lovers I placed black plastic (lawn bags) on top of the planting area for several weeks and after the duration, I burn holes in the plastic for the seeds.  I do not remove the plastic because it acts as a weed barrier and continues to provide warmth to the plants.  I am pleased with this method and my plants are generally very productive.
Right now, the majority of my plants are grown in containers.  I have a large concreted area (formally a garage) where I place the containers and the area receives about 90 % of sunlight.  I use all sorts of containers beginning with your basic terra cotta to unique items found in my home or a thrift store-if I can drill holes in the item, it will become a most welcomed addition to my garden.  Most of my newfound items I live natural but I also paint my containers with bright and beautiful pastels.  For the plants which need enormous amount of heat such as eggplants, I paint the containers black to preserve heat.  All vining plants I use various items for vertical trellising such as old branches, bamboo and untreated wooden stakes given to me as leftovers from a co worker. I received a gift of 10 five gallon grow bags from a friend recently, so I am going to try my hand at growing various potatoes this year such as:  Adirondack Red, sweet and fingerling potatoes.  Please wish me luck with this and if you have any advice, I would love to hear from you.

Thanks for reading my posting.

Angela

P.S.  I have listed below a few helpful links regarding the Native American Three Sister Garden method and history.



12 comments:

  1. Know a few folks who grow potatoes in the bags. Seems to work well for them.
    At the Native American Museum in DC there is a wonderful bronze statue of the three sisters. Very nice.

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    1. My husband and I are planning a trip to Prince George's County near DC this summer so I am going to visit the museum you mentioned. Thanks for the heads up Janet and I will make sure I post pictures this summer!

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  2. Hi Angela,
    Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting on bees!

    Have your read "Buffalo Bird Woman's Garden"? It's a cool book about a Hidatsa woman's food farm, how they cooked their food, and lots of other interesting historical facts. She talks about the Three Sisters,of course, plus sunflowers which were an important crop to them too.

    Mil, Urban Farm and Beehives

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    1. I just informed my hubsand I simply must have a copy of this book! It sounds wonderful. Thank you for letting me know about this book Mil.

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  3. Thank you for visiting my Seedscatterer blog, I'll hope you'
    ll come back soon. I'm about to get overwhelmed with all the seed planting as my ambitions exceed my ability to keep up.

    Honoring your Grandmother Anna on your blog is a wonderful idea. I have a question, did your family eat little field peas like Cream 40 and Lady Peas? The man at the pea sheller told me that they don't sell them above the fall line of the Coastal Plain. I'd never heard of those little peas until I arrived in South Georgia.

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  4. Thanks for your response. I too have started the arduous task of seed planting but it gives me so much joy! I remember eating field peas but can't recall their names. I will ask my great aunt and see if she can recall the names. I will let you know.

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  5. Hello Angela. Yes, I wish you luck, it all sounds good. And a 'perfect lawn' - i'm green with envy!

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    1. Thanks for responding to the post. My husband's lawn is perfect because spends more time tending it than he spends with me! LOL

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    2. I've given you a mention n my posting today!

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    3. Thank you so much for the mention Rosemary! I truly appreciate it and I read your post and loved it.

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  6. Welcome to the blogosphere, Angela!
    Great to connect. Frugal is good;-)
    Alice
    aka Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Alice! It's good to be here and surrounded by so many positive, passionate gardeners.

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