Maybe Pat Benatar was half-right. A garden battlefield…
While we worked we kept joking that it looked like there was quite a battle in the garden today!
After the smoke cleared…
Maybe Pat Benatar was half-right. A garden battlefield…
While we worked we kept joking that it looked like there was quite a battle in the garden today!
After the smoke cleared…
Normally around this time of year I start planting tons of seeds: in paper cups, plastic cups and containers, coffee cans. Then said containers were unceremoniously placed in drafty windowsills, covering the Spy’s dresser and desk. I’ve relied on south-facing windows (the Spy has two) to provide light. I’ve never really had a proper seed starting set up…
Smoochie built it this weekend. It’s pretty simple, but a MAJOR improvement! Like I said, I used to take over the Spy’s room with the seedlings, but this year Baby has offered up the top of her dressers for the little seedlings and supplies (thanks Baby!) If you want a really proper list of seed starting supplies and instructions check out this post on sweetdomesticity. My basic list includes…
Seeds, water in a spray bottle, white duct tape and a sharpie (for labeling), dirt (potting soil) and containers. I find that having the seeds in a location that I frequent (i.e. Baby’s room) ensures I won’t neglect watering them (or miss watching them sprout!). Plus it is toasty warm and in front of a south facing window AND Baby gets to closely watch the process too.
So far we’ve started eggplants and sweet peppers (I’ll write about the different varieties in a future post). I think they’ll do well in these smaller sized sections (they take a long time to germinate), but for the tomatoes I will use something larger (like plastic cups) because I like the tomato seedlings to get pretty big before transplanting. There’s lots of room left for more plants.
In even MORE exciting garden news…The new plot is complete!
The Spy thinks it is shaped like a big whistle.
It was 77 degrees today (!)
…and it was a lovely afternoon of digging.
We just have to move the fence and the expansion is complete!
We are planning to plant pumpkins in this new plot. Not sure which kind yet (we have three types of seeds: Jarrahdale, Giant Atlantic and Rouge Vif D’Etampes).
Even though I’ve started a new job as a nurse,
There’s still plenty of time for gardening.
In fact, there’s time for an entirely NEW garden!
Baby is attending a new school on an eleven acre campus.
The playground is au natural, the property is wooded, there will be meadows…The school is working with individuals from the Missouri Department of Conservation to establish proper native meadow habitats (think Shaw Nature Preserve on a smaller scale).
The best part, of course, is…a brand new garden! And I am the Garden CEO! Woooo!
We walked the site last Sunday to scout it out to create a garden plan.
He attended this same preschool (at a smaller campus), and is excited for his sister to attend the new and improved school!
Can you spot the Spy in the picture above? He had a great time walking the site even if…
I am a big believer that in order to create inviting garden spaces (especially that are inviting to kids) you need to abandon the typical rectangular raised beds and create raised beds with lovely curves that mimic and enhance the landscape surrounding the garden. I am also opposed to using materials (wood/stone/etc.) as borders for raised beds because it really limits you when you want to expand/change the shapes/size of the beds. To see how I begin this process of raised beds without “typical” borders/rectangles see the post on How to Dig. To read more about why I believe in “thinking beyond the rectangle” check out this post from when I planted our garlic in a spiral: Garlic Planting.
After very thorough…
thinking…
I came up with this plan:
Even though the plan is not exactly drawn to scale, the diameter of the teepee will be at least ten feet (it needs to accommodate lots of little preschoolers!) The area outside the teepee will serve as a gathering/meeting area for important garden talks!
What all will be planted in each of the plots?
Hold your horses! We’ve got to dig the thing first! Loads of seedlings can be started on/before March 1st and by the time they are ready to go in the ground mid-March (through mid-May) we’ll have their destinations mapped out!
Here are some more notable features/explanations of the plan:
If you have any suggestions or tips for a preschool garden, please post a comment, I’d love to hear feedback on this plan! I may be the CEO, but I’m no dictator! hahahah