Tuesday, February 28, 2006

I want a garden....now what?

Herrick Kimball asked me to write a little about my planting calendar and I am happy to do so. When we moved to the farm I knew nothing about gardening. I mean nothing! I didn't know that there were cool season crops and warm season crops. I thought you went out one day, put all the seeds in the ground and waited for the bounty to begin! I bought some books and did a lot of reading. My first attempt was a little 12 x 12 foot garden. It provided enough flavor to whet all of our appetites for a real garden! I went looking for something to help me plan a garden. I wanted a book that would say to me....in March you plant this, and this and this....and then I could turn to April and find out that I needed to plant this and this.....but I found NO SUCH BOOK! I found plenty of books where I could look up each individual crop, in each particular zone and figure out what to plant. But, I wanted something simple and easy to use. I also got lots of advice from farmers who have been planting all their lives....the advice went something like this..."Well, little gal, (in a very condescending tone with a smirk!) you jest figure out when you want to eat it, count back the days listed on your seed packet and plant it then". I am sure there was a great deal of laughing behind my back! Think about it....who wouldn't like to eat sweet corn on May 1st? But, I can tell you from experience that if you plant it in February you will NOT be eating sweet corn on May 1st! I offered to pay people for advice but what I often heard was...."I had to learn the hard way and you will too". I must say that my initial opinion of gardeners wasn't very nice. So, over the years, as I have added new crops and done the research for each one, I have grumbled...I mean....promised to write a book to help newcomers to gardening. I wanted to write what I always needed - something to tell me what to do when, without having to look everything up in a variety of books. Something simple...something so easy to use that someone who had NEVER gardened could pick it up and be successful their first time. Well, I didn't end up writing a book - I wrote a calendar. The information in my calendar is based on 5 years of records kept here on our farm, along with some advice from local "old-timers" who were willing to share a bit about the signs to watch for in nature. I have begun to see the signs, cycles and patterns provided by God in nature and to plant accordingly. If we begin to recognize these signs on our own lands and in our own gardens, we can then plan our activities to work in harmony with them. I find that I am then rewarded with abundant harvests and less problems throughout the gardening season. I also plant by the signs of the moon - but that is another post entirely. I will say that there are scientific reasons to do so....having to do with the gravitational pull of the moon and how that affects plants. Now, my planting calendar is a strange calendar...it has no dates. It is a perpetual calendar.... you use it year after year. When you turn to April, for example, there is a list of seeds to start, a list of what you should direct seed into the garden, a list of what to transplant (from seeds you started in a previous month) and what should be ready to harvest from earlier plantings. You will also find out how to make an herbal infusion! There is also an area under each month to keep some of your own notes. January gives you seed ordering advice with a list of recommended herbs, help in finding Praying Mantis cases to place in your garden for spring, a crop rotation plan and what to be doing inside and outside to prepare for the gardening season! June will help you fight pests, stake tomato plants and make terrific salsa along with the list of what to seed, transplant and harvest that is included in each month. Every month has garden tips and advice from fighting pests to saving seed. There are many of our most popular family recipes throughout this calendar too. I have included lots of recipes using herbs, the Creamy Basil Dressing is one of my favorite recipes of all times! At the end of the calendar is a list of my favorite seed and garden suppliers along with their phone numbers and websites. Almost everything I grow is open pollinated and you will find that my resource list reflects this. I have also listed my favorite varieties of veggies and flowers. These are plants that I have grown and tasted and loved! There is also a copy of the page that I use in the greenhouse to record my garden notes. You should be keeping notes on your gardening efforts - almost like a journal. Be sure to record what you plant and when, make a note on germination times, record where you put it in the garden and finally any pest/disease problems, how it produced and how it tasted. I have eliminated a lot of varieties over the years because we didn't like the taste or it didn't produce well. Also keep notes on the weather, temperature, rain, snow, sunshine, you will be surprised what you can learn by looking back. I also make a note when I first see the pests emerge - this gives me an idea of when to be looking for them. I will know to be prepared to fight the "bad guys" before they can multiply to enormous proportions in the garden! Be sure to make a "map" of your garden each year. This is for your crop rotation plan. If you rotate your crop families, then you will eliminate a lot of pest and disease problems. I now use my calendar each month. I can take it to the greenhouse and know exactly what I should be doing. I also keep notes of everything I plant and the date I plant it, when it germinates, when it goes into the garden and how it does. I refer back to other years when something seems to be taking a long time to germinate - I can quickly tell if it is on time or if my seed is bad and I need to replant. I also look for pest information, weather patterns, favorite varieties (should I plant more or less of this?). You will find that notes are good. I learned to do this from watching my Grandpa. He kept calendars for years...just short notes on each day of weather, pests, and planting times. I believe that my calendar is filling a need. The sales are brisk when I speak - I have even had people from other parts of the country purchase it while explaining that they can just up the dates to match their planting zone...or move them back for those deeper in the south. The next time I have them printed I will add a conversion table for other planting zones. I am working on a website for our farm where I will offer our soaps, teas, salves, my calendar and some "classes". I hope to have it functional some time in March, if you are interested in purchasing a calendar and don't want to wait...just email me! I guess there are many other frustrated gardeners out there looking for a simpler way to garden. Perhaps more and more people are finding out that simple is good....

16 comments:

  1. Sounds wonderful, Cheri. Looks nice and very organized too.

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  2. Cheri,
    That sounds like a wonderful item! I have heard much about you through ks milkmaid. My family and I are working on enlarging our gardening to include herbs and medicinal plants. We are hoping to have a greenhouse next year so that we can keep the growing season longer. I would very much love to have your calendar. Could you let me know how much it is? Look forward to visiting with you more! Cherri

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  3. What a fantastic tool! How brilliant! It certainly does fill a huge need out there. I love that its a calendar...much simpler to keep track of.

    I'd love a copy, if you would tell me how much it is.

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  4. The calendar is $20...shipping will probably run between $2.50 and $3.00 depending on location. If you have any questions after getting the calendar, please feel free to email me! I will help with whatever I can.

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  5. Yes! I want one. And I would love to try a bar of soap as well. Could you email me with details of how to order.
    Thank You!
    Faith Proctor

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  6. Be glad to Faith but I need your contact information :)
    Cheri

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  7. Thank you Cheri,
    Faith_M_Proctor@msn.com

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  8. Hi,

    I love your blog and have used much information from it. I, too, would like to purchase one of your calendars. Keep up the great work!

    Warmly,
    Tonya - Ridgeview Farm
    Soay sheep, Dominique chickens, heirloom fruits, vegetables, and flowers
    davisfamily@ohiohills.com

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  9. This is exactly what I need! Now, only to figure out the conversion for North Texas...

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  10. Manda,
    To do a conversion you need to compare your Planting Zone with mine (6) and the spring frost dates. However many weeks we are apart you adjust accordingly. I have had people sit and mark their calendars to reflect the change. I need to work on a conversion sheet to send with the calendars.....when I get a minute :)

    Hope this helps!

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  11. I would like a calendar as well, please. I'm in North Texas as well and I do believe that I'm in zone 6 like you. Wow! This should be "easy" to use. :-) Denise mehalko@dfwair.net

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  12. you should convert your calendar for people in other timezones, so that your calendar can be used easily

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  13. I am working on an insert that will show different time zones how to use my calendar....I will post when it is done!

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  14. I'm no garden expert, at present... How hard would it be for me to convert this calendar? I am in zone 5, with a 'last frost' date of mid-may, and a 'first frost' date of early/mid october. Summers get into the 100s, very very dry. Seems like when I read seed packets carefully, or other garden materials, that all those elements factor differently for planting... but maybe I'm overcomplicating it?

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  15. Hi Ellajac,
    Well, I can't claim to be an expert either but I'll try to help. Our last frost date is April 15h and first frost date is October 15th. So, it seems that you would need to plan one month later than the calendar recommends. You will need to water those things that call for it...our temps get into the high 90's during the summer but we usually aren't very, very dry...when we are I turn on the drip irrigation. I used to use soaker hoses.
    Hope this helps...
    Cheri

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  16. Thanks much, Cheri. We'll see what's left of the tax return... maybe get one of these if you still have them available. I've used soaker hoses, and some drip-emitter thingies (before I decided to burn some weeds and it got a little out-of-hand and melted half my drip system)... If even a drop of water gets elsewhere, weeds grow! Even in the hard-baked driveway. I use carpet-scraps and plastic mulch to keep weeds down. I SO love the look of your raised beds. I must research that and see if it'd be okay in this climate...

    Thanks!

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