Week Four- Starting from Scratch: The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Gardening

Week Four: Transplant Basics

Transplants are a way of life in Steamboat Springs; people come and go with the seasons. My first year in town I had about four groups of friends that left before the year was up. For a Midwestern girl who grew up with a solid un moving community, it was hard. If you are new to Steamboat, let me know! I will be your friend, I am not going anywhere. 

Six years later, I find transplants quite exciting. You never know who you will meet tomorrow. I was here for three years before Kyle even moved here. You never know:) 

Back to gardening.

Transplants are necessity in high elevation gardening. tomatoes, squash, zucchini and peppers do not have a real chance over 6,000 feet if they are not started inside and then transplanted.

Timeline: As soon as you can buy seedlings or as soon as our seedlings are bursting out of their cups. 

In Week One we went over starting seeds in a Dixie cup. To revisit that step, click here. 

Note: Week Four's tutorial is specifically geared towards deck gardeners, feel free to transplant your plants directly into the ground if you are in a warmer climate. 

Step One: Have something to transplant, ether buy or plant your own! 

In early February I planted cherry tomatoes and black krim seeds. I plant smaller variety tomatoes because big Tomato variety just don't have enough time up here to develop. Now they look like this:

Step Two: Don't Disturb the roots! 

Tomatoes (and the other veggies listed above) do not like to have their roots disturbed. That is why we use Dixie cups! you can just carefully peal away the bottom and plant. Way WAY cheaper than buying peat pots! 

Step Three: Haul out that prepared container from Week Three. 

Remember to put styrofoam in the bottom! I will be placing this tomato on my deck once it stops snowing in April or May. You know that they say "April snowstorms brings May mud slides"...oh wait.  

Step Four: Plant the Bottomless Dixie Cup!

Don't worry about the cup part. You can take it out in a week or so or leave it in! The roots can get out though the bottom. Just make sure you water thoroughly as the water has a few more feet to go now! in a few weeks we will add some fish emulsion or other compost to boost its production. Easy Peasy! 

Step Five: Plant, Water, Repeat.

Repeat the above steps with squash, zucchini and peppers. Take a look at my over flowing zucchini and squash! They also need to be transplanted! 

Let me know if you have any questions! Up next week: Planting frost resistant greens

I post a new blog every Tuesday! 

Week Three - Starting from Scratch: The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Gardening

Week Three

Which way is North: Layout and soil preparation for a new deck vegetable garden

Did anyone else get winter blues when the snow storm hit this past weekend? I was at a conference in Denver enjoying 70 degree days with full sun and green grass on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. It. Was. Glorious. I sat outside after the sessions and drank a refreshing gin and tonic and let the sun warm my face (wearing sun screen of course). 

On Friday it took a turn for the worse. By 1pm we were driving back into the mountains and I could have sworn that it was the middle of January. How could it be so beautiful in Denver and then less than three hours away get a foot of snow over night. sigh. Kyle did say it made for the best snowboarding day off his life on Sunday. At least one of us had fun. I looked longingly at my snow covered garden and wished for summer. 

OK, enough of a snow pity party! 

Container Garden Prep! 

This is what I have to work with. If I can make this tiny deck into a small vegetable garden, so can you!

Timeline: This step starts as soon as the night time temperature of the deck is above 28 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step One:

Make a Plan: Where to Place Planters

Our deck faces North West. That means we are going to get afternoon sun and no morning sun. As you can see in my super high tech and artistic graphic below (insert awkward cough), plants need to be arranged from most sun to least sun. Tomatoes and peppers need much more sun than greens, so they go where the most sun will hit them. 

The  amount of sun and the space of your deck will dictate what you can plant. I am using 5 gallon buckets  for the tomatoes, peppers and beans. That way I can still put a trellis of some kind up for them. I will also be using this awesome box that I bought for $4 at the dump salvage yard (Panting it will come later) for squash and zucchini.

Sunshine

Most vegetables require at least 6 hours of sunshine. If your deck has less sunshine, consider planting salad greens and herbs.

Step Two:

Soil (a fancy word for dirt)

Unlike plot gardening, containers need a lighter soil mix to do well. Buying a container mix usually does the trick. The container mix does not compress like normal top soil, which is a big advantage in pots.  

Get your containers ready to plant. Put Styrofoam (or cans or old milk jugs)  in the bottom of your buckets to make them lighter and to make sure they have good drainage. I found these for free at the local dump. 

These are ready to receive a transplant and be moved to the deck. It is still a little too cold for them to go outside, so I am going to hold off on transplanting for a few weeks. 

Hint: put your planters where you want them to be permanently so you don’t get stuck lugging around heavy pots of soil around your house.

Step Three:

Water

Small containers dry out more quickly and will need daily watering. 

Vegetables need consistent watering to do the best. If you know you will forget, try a self-watering system. Kyle had the foresight to think about laying plastic down before placing the plants. So our down stairs neighbors would not get their lawn furniture soaked with mud every time I watered. I will post pictures of the set up in the next few weeks. 

Step Four:

Fertilizer

I have never used much in the way of fertilizer other than some organic fish emulsion. However, in my research on urban deck gardens I have learned that containerized pants get much less nutrients from the soil then regular pot gardens. Every time you water your plant, you wash away some of the nutrients. More on this when we cover transplants next week!


Let me know if you have any questions! Up next week: Transplant basics 

I post a new blog every Tuesday! 

Week Two - Starting from Scratch: The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Gardening

Week Two:

Down and Dirty: Preparing garden beds for first planting

I am getting married in the end of July. Exciting! Here’s the thing, I will be giving up my lovely large garden in exchange for a 8x4 condo deck. In July my garden will just be delivering nice sweet cherry tomatoes, crisp sweet peas and crunchy zucchinis when I move to condo land.

I have tried to convince Kyle that he should move in my 150 square foot house once we get married. I would love to keep my garden. However, he argued the following:

• We own the condo
• We own way too many toys (bikes, tents, skis etc..) to even fit into 150 square feet
• We would have to share a twin bed

I still think it is a fair trade, but marriage is all about compromise, right?

So what’s the solution you ask? Double the fun! I will cultivate both my existing plot garden and voyage into the new world of deck container gardens.

Let’s get started!

Week Two 

Preparing the ground of the existing garden for planting

Timeline: This step starts as soon as ground can be worked. In Steamboat Springs, I usually start this step in the middle of April. 

Supplies Needed:

Organic Manure or Organic Compost

Garden rake and shovel

Soil (if starting a garden for the first time)

Step One: Figure out if the ground is workable. This may seem obvious but I like taking the guess work out of gardening. If you are starting your very first garden, pick a spot that is south or west facing. Directionally challenged? Google map your house! If you are starting a raised bed or plot garden for the first time, start small. It took me three years to make the garden the size it is. Every year I slowly chipped away more space. It is a lot of work to cut though sod, so keep it manageable.  

Keep in mind that different parts of your yard may be ready to work at different times. The picture above shows a garden that is ready to be worked. Yes, yes, there is snow in the background, but it is not ON the garden. 

This part of the garden is not ready to work, even though it is less than 4 feet from the first picture. It is still storage space for lawn furniture. 

Step Two: Clean up. No matter how carefully you clean up your garden in the fall, you will always have work to do in the spring. Your garden soil is warm enough to work when you can easily claw your way though dirt. If you are starting a garden from scratch, start when you can shovel without hitting frozen spots. 

Step Three: Loosen the soil. You should dig down at least 6 inches. Your goal is to soften up the ground so the roots have a better chance. When you churn up the soil you are also adding needed oxygen to the soil. 

Step Four: Rocks and Soil. If you live in the Mountains, chances are you will be digging up rocks. Do you see my pile of rocks below? The first few years of cultivating my garden, I found that a few bags of extra top soil were always in order to even out the ground. Your garden should look something like this when it is all cleaned up. 

Step Five: Nutrients. To be honest, I have not done much with compost or manure in years past. If this step intimidates you or you are in a hurry, skip it until next year. I add some organic Fish Emulsion a few weeks in. Feel free to jump in then. 

Manure needs to be worked in the soil a month before you can plant, I will not be using manure due to the time crunch of having a 62 day growing season. I added a few shovel fulls of organic compost to the garden above. Make sure to mix it in well. Repeat the steps above with all other parts of your garden. 

Let me know if you have any questions! Up next week: Layout and soil preparation for the new deck container garden. I will post a blog every Tuesday! 

Starting from Scratch: The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Gardening

Welcome to my week by week guide to starting your very own garden. This is the first installment in the series: Starting from Scratch: The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Gardening! Let's get started.

Week One

Dixie cups and the three S’s: Soil, Sandwich bags and Seeds

I got a call from my future mother-in-law last week about how to start her garden. Mama Jo went over some options for direct planting, transplanting and then dejectedly said, “Or I will just go to the store and get plants.” I think that frustration is often what keeps people from starting seeds. There is no need to feel overwhelmed or frustrated! As I assured Mama Jo, Dixie cups and the three S’s were all that was needed to start a garden from scratch. 

Timeline: This step starts in early spring before ground can be worked. Each plant has different timelines. Make sure you read the back of your packet. I will be doing a Garden Planning Timeline in a different post. 

Supplies Needed:

Dixie Cups

Soil

Large Sandwich Bags

Seeds

Knife

Water

Step One: Pick your favorite Dixie cup pattern, mine are these happy owls. 

Step Two: Turn the cup over and stab two holes in the bottom. This is a very important step. Your plants need well drained soil to grow. As you can see I wiggle the knife back and forth a bit to make the slits a little wider. 

Step Three: Fill the cup up to the very top. If you only fill the cup half way your plants will not have as much soil to grow into and you will not have very good air circulation for your seedlings. 

Step Four: Pick out good seeds. The better the seeds the better your chance of having strong seedlings. I personally try and get organic and non GMO seeds, but it is completely up to you. Make sure the seeds you use are new.

Step Five:  Read the back of the package for easy to read instructions. These seeds need to be planted 1/4" deep and says that we can group 10 seeds together. You can use a ruler to get an idea of what 1/4" of an inch looks like, or you can make a slight divot with your finger. Cover the seed with a light layer of soil.

Step Six: Water. I like to use a spray bottle so the soil is not disturbed too much. Water until fully saturated. 

Step Seven: Loosely cover with a large sandwich bag and place in sunny area. Make sure to keep the soil moist but not drenched. Keep the bag on until the plants start to emerge and are about a centimeter high.  Make sure there is some ventilation for the seeds or you might get some mold. 

Step Eight:Watch your plants start to grow! I don't have any pictures of chives yet, but you can see what your plants will start to look like after a few weeks.  These leeks are almost ready to be planted in the ground.

Let me know if you have any questions! Look out next week for Week Two: How to prepare your garden.