101 Things in 1001 Days - On my way to #36

Ok, so I had already planned on taking over the family vegetable garden before I created my Day Zero list, but I hadn't begun taking action on it.

So, this past Sunday, I went to Loews and bought $75 worth of plants and organic garden supplies (not pictured - 2 Hot Banana Pepper Plants and 1 Better Bush Tomato Plant):

Sweet Basil & Flat Leaf Parsley for the Herb Garden

2 Pink Brandywine Heirloom Tomato Plants
(there are actually 2 plants in this one pot, so I really have 3!)

2 Cubanelle (sweet banana pepper) Plants
(there are 2 plants in this pot too! So I really have 3!)

2 Celebrity Tomato Plants

2 Strawberry Plants

I planted the strawberries in a strawberry pot last night before it rained. I hope they do well. We tried this before when we first moved to the 'burbs, but something (chipmunks??) ate them as soon as they started to ripen.

On Sunday afternoon I raked out all the leaves, pine needles and last year's old plants from the garden bed. Then I weeded. Boy did that SUCK. I've decided that I'm going to mulch the plants A) because it helps insulate the soil and control moisture and B) to limit the amount of weeding I'm going to have to do. I'm lucky if this plot is 6' x 8' and my fat butt will break all these plants trying to get between them all (I'm not sure how I'm going to space them yet. The better bush is going in a topsy turvy as an experiment...i might have to put something else in a topsy turvy too depending on space available). I've read that covering the area around the plants with newspaper and then with mulch is not only good to insulate and prevent weeds, but it's all compostable/biodegradable and can be worked into the soil in the fall, contributing to the nutrients in the soil.

My parents have gardened on this bed for 5 years and I don't think they've fertilized it once. So I bought 5 bags (7.5 cu ft) of new garden soil (Miracle Gro Organic Garden Soil), which my dad helped me add to the bed after we turned over the old soil. Thankfully, I saw some worms in the old soil. Worm poop = nutrients in the soil, so I know that not all is lost!

So, the bed is pretty much prepared. I'll probably do a little more turning and rake it out before I plant in 2 weeks. I've been reading A LOT about organic fertilizer and I'm hoping to go that route - if I can get all the things that I've seen suggested. Stuff like fish heads (fish heads roly poly fish heads, fish heads, fish heads eat them up-yum! Thanks Dr. Demento), egg shells, bone meal, and worm castings (I don't even know what that is!) and fish emulsion (sounds yummy!!). Right now I do have 2 different kinds of time-release plant food (Miracle Gro Organic Plant Food and Zoom), but I don't know if I'm going to keep them or return them for something else.

Well there you have it. I'm well on my way to completing #36 on my list and I'm wicked excited about it. I think there is real satisfaction in successfully growing your own food. It's good for you and the environment (if you go the organic/compostable/biodegradable route). Looking forward to a good harvest in August.