June 28, 2023

Are you gardening this year? In the past I have done gardens that are on the smaller side, sometimes none at all but this year I’m doing a much bigger one. We are going to have a roadside farmstand this year and I probably bit off more than I can chew but as they say, go big or go home right? Well I AM home and I’m going big!

I planted over 50 onion sets, carrots, green and red peppers, roma, beefsteak and cherry tomatoes, beets, radish, pickle and regular cucumbers, zucchini, and a ton of squash- yellow, acorn, butternut, buttercup and acorn. I also planted mini, blue and jack o lantern pumpkins, rainbow corn and sunflowers! Whew! Just typing it all out is tiring but I’m happy to say everything is growing well and aside from my beets that seem to be struggling a little, everything else looks great. I am beyond excited. Weeding is keeping me beyond busy and I think next year I might try putting plastic down. I have a friend that does and she has great results. Do you use plastic or mulch in your garden??

We are growing everything here with no herbicides or pesticides. The only fertilizer we are using in goat manure. Why? Because goat manure doesn’t have to break down like others do. It can be used right out of the barn, no composting needed!

April 10, 2023

Have you ever considered raised bed gardening? Our first year on our property, I had 2 big raised boxes for my garden. I wasn’t sure how big of a garden I was really ready for or where to plan a garden space. The land was still a bit unfamiliar to us and I just wasn’t sure what was under all the grass we had. Not to mention, our property was kind of a mess from being under construction for almost 3 years of lot clearing then building and being woods before we bought it. It was daunting. Boxes were a perfect solution. We built them, filled them with topsoil and we were off to the races. That first garden wasn’t the greatest but it produced enough to let me watch the sun patterns and learn more about the land.

Raised beds are great for several reason. All I posted above and more…

1. you can raise alot of food in a small space
2. you can raise food anywhere! In pots, boxes, even burlap bags. You can put it in your yard, on your deck, even in your driveway.
3. It saves water! You’re directing your water directly into the plant itself so no unnecessarily watering the land around your plants or needing to run sprinklers.
4. You can go on vacation and not have to worry. You can set up easy irrigation, even a soda bottle with holes in it for water to slowly leak out works!!
5. you protect your yard. No need to till up big areas. Just place your boxes and pots where you want them
6. Less weeding!! Who doesn’t love that!!

Have you considered container or raised bed gardening?

Seeds

Feb 7, 2023

February is officially upon us and that means, believe it or not, its time to talk about seeds and planning out your garden if you haven’t already. We’re going to call this Seeds For Dummies because we’re all learning as we go.

Now I am a novice gardener so I am still learning and I’m the very first person to admit it. I am NOT an expert by any means. That being said I do know that frost dates are very important. Knowing the last and first average frost dates for your zone are key because without knowing that, you don’t know when to start your seeds inside if that’s your plan. Knowing your seeds is also key. How long until they germinate, pop thru the soil, is also important. You don’t want to plant something that takes 21 days to germinate 2 weeks before your last frost date and think you can pop it in the ground right away. You also don’t want to plant something with a 14 day germination 4 weeks before the last frost day and have to replant it 3 times and have it growing out of control before you can get it into the ground. Those dates are key and easy enough to look up online.

There are many things I buy and start from seed- carrots, beans, beets, peas to name a few. But there are other items I prefer to get as seedlings- tomatoes, peppers, onion sets. Its all your own preferences and the amount of space you have to start seeds at home.

Be sure when starting your seeds you use a good seed starter and pre-wet it before putting your seeds into the starter. Give it a really good soaking, mix it, let it set then soak it again then let it drain. If you don’t do this the soil doesn’t retain moisture properly and your seeds won’t be watered correctly. I really like the Miracle Grow Potting mix for this. I also prefer to use compostable containers or create seed blocks. All these items can be found on our Dream Acres Amazon page here https://www.amazon.com/shop/dreamacresfarm Just click the gardening tab to shop all our gardening favorites.

Planning your garden is important too. I like to use graphing paper, draw out my space and then plot out my plantings so I know how much space I have for my plants. Knowing what grows best together helps too. Some plants thrive near others while some pull alot of nutrients from the soil hurting their neighbors. Below is a chart from Food Gardening Network that gives great ideas about what should be planted near what.

Happy planning!

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