Grasping at Straw

Here's a link to an exciting article for the beginner gardener or for the seasoned-but-tired gardener.
A way to have a neat, complete vegetable garden, contained, simple, easy, inexpensive, attractive and productive.
What have I left out? H-m-m-m - best to read it yourself.  Oh, yes, good for schools or for home gardens.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/garden/grasping-at-straw-a-foolproof-vegetable-plot.html?pagewanted=all

Garden Bed Grid

I love neat gardens. 

I've never had one. 

Here's my latest attempt to make it happen this year.
This is a simple project to enable students to "see" the garden grid for square-foot gardening before they touch the soil. To be done in pairs or trios.
Materials: sturdy rectangular boxes like the ones for clementines, some yarn, scissors, rulers or measuring tape, thumbtacks or tape, and graph paper, (see option*).

Process: Mark off the inches around the rim of the box.
Cut  the yarn to just over the desired length and staple or tape in place at determined intervals. 2 colors make it easier to see.
Talk about the number of spaces they will use for each type of seed to be planted.
Consider the spacing per seed, the height of the plant, the compatibility of each plant with its neighbors. The students can draw or write the names of the plants they plan to grow in each section. They can consider a block of about 6 sections - 2' x 3' - for example, for their peas.
They can repeat outside with their raised beds. Step 1 - mark off the feet on the raised bed frame. Using long lengths of yarn and thumbtacks begin to make the grid outside. Then the planting can begin, neatly. *Option: teacher demonstrates with the little wooden box. Students graph their garden on paper and then transfer that plan to the garden bed. 

Have fun!

How to Winter Sow

Winter sowing is a great activity for children and for any gardeners who are craving to get started on their garden even when the weather says, "Hold on!". Read directions completely before starting.

Gather necessary tools and ingredients:empty plastic gallon 
container, duct tape,  awl, scissors, 
markers, seeds, 1 quart potting soil, water.

Cut through the plastic container but...

...leave the "hinge-handle" attached.

Poke drainage  holes into the base with awl.

Fill base with 1 quart wet potting soil.

Select a few seeds. Read directions on packet.

Space according to directions.

Notice spacing, press seeds gently into prepared, wet soil.
Add a bit more water if necessary.

Place a seed ID label into soil.

Tape cut area securely with duct tape.

Place your mini-greenhouse in the garden. Let nature take over. Moisture will be evident inside the jug. You may peek  inside after a few weeks to see if anything is sprouting. When the temperature inside the "greenhouse" is high enough, the seeds will germinate. If the container seems dry, you may add a little bit  of water from the top.  The seedlings will be ready to transplant into the garden at the appropriate time. They will be "hardy" from the start.  Patience!

Winter Decorations for Outdoors

Here's a simple outdoor winter decoration -  a fresh spray of evergreen branches scaled to fit the area (a door, a tree, a mailbox, a street sign post, a gate...)  With proper supervision children can make these. They can be brought home for a spot outside, or sold for fundraising purposes, or given as a gift to a teacher, a bus driver, etc.

Process: 

• cut lots of branches from various evergreens- hollies, firs, pines...
• cluster 5 or 6 or more branches together to make a spray
• secure with a rubber band temporarily
• wrap securely with a double strand of thin green wire 
• twist the wire to create a small loop in order to attach the spray to a nail or picture hook
• attach a prepared bow or make a bow,  add pine cones or other decoration
• shake it to be sure everything holds together
• trim or adjust the top edges of the branches so they are straight across
• deliver with a smile

How to Plant Garlic - NOW!

Just before you finish up with the garden, you can still plant garlic - as long as the ground is workable.

Start with a nice, fat, organic bulb.

Break into cloves.

Prepare soil: loose and crumbly in a bed.

Drop cloves about 6" deep into holes. Tip points up - just like flower bulbs.

Pat into place, add salt hay if you wish, and wait 'til springtime. Garlic will be ready for harvest in late June.

Seed Starter Options

Thanks to talented fellow MG, Annelise McCay, (inspiration behind the 17 school gardens in Fairfield,CT) for her quick recipe for seed starter mix. It's light  and easy to put together: fine vermiculite, some sphagnum moss for nutrition, and powdered cinnamon to discourage pests. Gather some egg cartons, cut into cups,  or, make your own seed pots with newspaper. Fill with the planting medium. See seed packet instructions. Poke a seed, or several, into the "pot", water gently from a spray bottle, sit on a dish in a sunny window or under grow lights. When the seedlings have a pair of leaves, they are ready to greet the earth. Just pop into the prepared garden soil. No need to remove from the little pot. It will decompose and the tender roots  will stay undisturbed and will thrive.  This can be done in classrooms now for the fun of sprouting seeds. Lettuce seedlings, for example,  could be harvested for "micro-greens" within a few weeks. Otherwise, the idea can wait until spring.

Can I Start a Garden Now? Absolutely, NOW Is Always the Best Time.

There's always a way to get a garden started "now". Right now the catalogs and garden suppliers are having sales, so you can get your materials at a reduced rate. You can take advantage of the late seasonal sales of seeds, planters, bagged soil and amendments.. Once you decide on the site with at least 6 hours of sunshine,  and plan the layout, you can  build/buy the raised bed(s) or do "container gardening" as a start. You can plan the protection from local wildlife aka fencing...., and add the soil. All you need to do is read the seed packets carefully, follow the directions, water as directed and wait, patiently. If you are impatient, you can start with small plants like tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, herbs...Plant what you like to eat. Start small. But do start. It's such fun! And the results are magical! Look! Potatoes, red ones, under the soil, more and more..."pommes de terre".