Spring Ahead

I shoveled snow today. I think this is about the fourth time this year that the snow here has been completely melted and then whala, time to shovel again. The calendar says that spring doesn’t start until next week and I know that even after the first day of spring it is highly likely that it will still snow but I still wish is wasn’t so. I am very impatiently awaiting the warm weather that lasts; the green grass, buds on trees and gardening!

What’s a girl to do during these last few weeks of cold that never seems to end? I’m sketching my brand-new vegetable garden! And I am so excited about it (I love graph paper, does that make me a nerd?)! Although there is a raised bed garden here, at our new home, it happens to be in the way of the fence we intend to put up for the kiddos. This is good news for me! It is really fun to dream up new garden layouts and plan which of our favorite veggies will live in each spot. Not to mention, the anticipation of harvesting all of the goodness, right out of the back yard.

Part of what makes garden planning so fun for me is that I get to draw it up, bring it to my husband for his suggestions, and then he builds it for me. He’s such a sweetheart! This is the same process we went through at our previous home and it resulted in three raised bed gardens that yielded insane amounts of zucchini, buckets of tomatoes, too many cucumbers to count and crazy amounts of green beans. And it was awesome! Now, I should probably tell you that my garden maintenance history has been less than stellar. I was not particularly great at weeding on a regular basis and there was an occasion or two that I found zucchini that looked more like clubs because they had been left too long… Here’s to trying to be better this year!

I recently read an article about square foot gardening and I can’t wait it implement it in our new garden. I read that it can really help to keep weeds down and it takes up considerably less space while still producing high yields of produce (I should start writing down zucchini recipes now). Our main garden will have three tiers; the base will be 4 feet by 4 feet, middle will be 3 feet by 3 feet, and the top tier will be 2 feet by 2 feet. Total height should be about 3 feet. It will be located in the southwest corner of our yard but it will be about 2 feet away from our fence on either side for easy access (and to make sure the fence does not shade it all day). I have also planned two single-tier gardens that will be 2 feet by 2 feet to accommodate all the different types of veggies I am so eagerly looking forward to. My plan also includes a few cinder blocks for strawberries, as well as round flower planters and shepherd’s hooks for hanging baskets of flowers to add color and attract some pollinators.

When I was a kid, my uncle kept a pretty decent-sized vegetable garden out at the family farm. I can remember picking things, “cleaning” them with my shirt and eating them right in the garden. Making memories like this with my kids is what I look forward to the most! Between the strawberries, tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapenos, zucchini, peas, beans, cucumbers, dill, parsley, cilantro and basil… There is bound to be something for each of them to love!