a little seed, a little water

(a little seed, a little water is actually the title of my dear friends' blog. It's the best name, I think. Oh, don't let the last published blog entry fool you... the bloggers are still alive and well. Oh, you sense some passive aggressiveness because I can't read the beautiful words of Holly and Meagan? Ok, maybe just a little...ha!) 

The title of this post is very appropriate. IT IS THAT TIME, Y'ALL! It is time to start planning, ordering, and starting you garden for the spring and summer! All it takes is a little seed and a little water... and a little planning.

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First of all, I need to fill you in... I have had countless people meet with me, message me, call me, text me and ask about planning a garden. I get so excited to tell people what and how to do everything as far as growing your own food goes. BUT I was realized something recently. I have never even had a successful garden. I have literally only eaten a few strawberries, a handful of arugula, and herbs from my own gardening efforts. I should be the last person people ask about gardening how-tos! 

                        

Isn't this just breathtaking? WHO IS THAT WOMAN!? wow. 

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(interesting fact: I had never tried broccoli until I was dating Dustin... months before marriage. My veggies were potatoes, corn, and lima beans. Occasionally spinach. But that was it! Now I cannot go without all kinds of veggies!!!(I'm actually eating some carrots right now, ha!))

i LOVE broccoli! 

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This year, my friends, will be different. I have realized that it doesn't JUST take a little seed and a little water. There are a few other important requirements for successful growing. 

1. The Fun Part- Planning: One of the best parts about gardening is planning what all to grow. Understanding where you'll be growing and how much space you have is essential. After that, let you heart grow wild! (get it?) I advise to think of the vegetables your family eats most, are more expensive in grocery stores, and are recommended by local gardeners/farmers for you area. In our case, I want to grow whatever we actually eat on a regular basis to save on our grocery budget. Others may just want what they cannot find in grocery stores or crazy varieties of tomatoes no one else will have. Make a list of everything you're interested in. If you're like me, you may need to narrow your list down a time or two making sure you'll actually be able to handle such a variety of vegetables in your garden. 

yummy! 

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2. Collecting Seeds: This part is both fun and not so fun. It's fun getting all the lovely little packets in the mail (or from the store) but not so fun paying for the packets. It helps to remember that this could very likely replace or at least supplement your groceries and therefore, lessen your monthly grocery budget. I do a few comparisons online. I prefer buying organic seeds through Southern Exposure Seed Exchange but always make sure Amazon doesn't have a better deal. I also am a member of a co-op who carries some seeds and buy from them when they have what I'm looking for. Basically, shop around for the best price. I also read about all the descriptions making sure to choose the varieties that are recommended as a "customer favorite" or "best seller". You almost cannot grow wrong (haha, get it again? ok, I'll stop.)

                                   

This is just lovely! I don't need grass, just give me a garden! 

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3. Making a Calendar: This part of the process involves a little brain and a little time. Thankfully there are some great websites out there providing guidelines about when to start seeds or sow them directly. The very first step is determining your area's average frost date. This will determines so much when it comes to starting seeds, transplanting seeds, and sowing seeds outdoors. For the most part, your seed packets will have instructions on how and when to plant your seeds. But, I recommend gathering information from your seed packets, websites, and books to build a calendar for clear dates for each seed. (Here, here, and here are some helpful sites.) These sites will suggest when to start seeds indoors, when the best time to transplant them outside, and what day to directly sow certain seeds into your beds. Sometimes it seems like there is no "set date", but keep searching till you find a time recommended by a few sources and go for it. Also, if you are a little confused with a certain vegetable, it doesn't hurt trying a few one week and sowing a few another week. Record all your information so that next year, you'll know what worked and what didn't. 

                         

This is actually how I'm starting a lot of my seeds. Once their ready to transplant, you simply break the shell and place the entire thing inside the hole!

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Once you've done all the planning, collecting, and calendar making it's time to start prepping your beds and mixing your soil. Just like you need nutrients to grow, your seeds will need particular nutrients to grow! It is always helpful to have your soil tested. These test can be a little expensive, but you could always do one yourself! Just make sure you know what kind of soil you're working with. Likely you will either need to make it a little more acidic, a little more alkaline, and no matter what, you'll want to add some nutritious compost to aid in growing! I have read time and time again the benefits of raised beds, whether they are garden boxes or just mounded dirt into a bed-like formation. If you are planning on doing this, the sooner the better. Get all you can done before the crazy planting season begins. 

One day, I'll have raised wooden frames... in my "forever garden" at our "forever home". 

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I've also found Harvest to Table (search their topics) extremely helpful. They have growing tips, troubleshooting, and even delicious recipes for so many vegetables! Some books I recommend are: The Backyard Homestead, Grow, Cook, Eat, Carrots love Tomatoes & Garlic loves Roses, and The Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener's Handbook. I only have The Backyard Homestead but I read it all the time. It is full of so many great tips on sustainablity. I've flipped through the other few books and they look amazing, too (don't you wish books were free?). And if all else fails, just type your question into google. I've literally typed: "how to start onions from seeds" and "how to grow brussel sprouts in Missouri" and endless amounts of great information come up! You have the world at your fingertips! :) 

beautiful! 

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Want to know what the Jernigans are growing for 2012? Kale, spinach, arugula, bibb lettuce, snap peas, edamame, green beans, peanuts (haha), kohlrabi, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, onions, garlic, carrots, white and sweet potatoes, sweet corn, hot peppers and sweet peppers, a few varieties of tomatoes, butternut squash, pumpkin, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, watermelon, thyme, oregano, basil, sage, cilantro and parsley! YES, I'm a little crazy, yes, I'm due around the time most of these seeds will need to find their home in the garden, and yes, this is seriously my narrowed down list-ahh! :) Just imagine a big ole, about-to-pop pregnant woman with a toddler running around, putting seeds in the garden! It'll be a sight to behold! (Thankfully, our garden is in a communal area and we have some mighty fine neighbors!)

Yes, this all may seem a little overwhelming. I wish I could say it just takes a little seed and a little water. Just take it one seed at a time, one vegetable at a time, and one year at a time. No matter what, you'll learn from the experience. Imagine one day being able to eat meals mostly (or completely) consisting of food you had a hand in growing... imagine how thankful you'd be, imagine how much you and your family would learn, and imagine how nourished you all would be. That would be my dream come true! :) 

                                     

this is my kind of harvest!!! 

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with love, 

wanna-be-farmer, Caro

P.S. This is JUST a broad overview of everything. Let me know if you have any other suggestions, tips, or questions! :) I'd love to hear from you!