First Plantings

On Monday I planted my first seeds in the greenhouse. I hope I'm not jumping the gun on planting because of this cold weather we're still having, but I'm getting impatient. I also turned over all the dirt in my raised beds. I forgot how straining it is on the back!
                                  It was 86 degrees in the greenhouse that day...

I've decided to make a plot of gardening space outside the bed area to plant large items like the pumpkins, watermelons, and sunflowers. I'm also going to spread some wild flowers and asparagus into the mix. I'm not sure how things will grow there because it seems to be all clay! I might have to throw some topsoil and compost in the mix. Now I just have to wait until I feel comfortable enough with the weather. I certainly won't ask the groundhog!!!



Her are some pictures of the seeds I have started as well as the potting bench my husband made for me (in 1 day!). Hopefully in the next few weeks i will be able to post some pictures of the seedlings sprouting!

 

With the weather warming up, I am getting close to sowing my seeds. From what I have been reading, many of the seeds have to be planted directly outside since they don't transplant well.  So only a few of my plants will be started in the greenhouse.
I am hesitant on planting too early just because we are getting some nice weather this week. There is still a chance of frost through April and I don't want to take the chance of the seeds not sprouting.

I was out in the greenhouse this past weekend to start cleaning up and organizing my space. The soil in the raised beds looks great.  I have about 127 SF of planting space. Here is a list of the seeds I have purchased:
Watermelon
Potatoes
Onions
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Cucumbers
Corn
Sugar Snap Peas
Carrots
Green Beans
Sweet Peppers
Broccoli
Garlic
Coriander
Basil
Parsley
Rosemary
Pumpkins
Sunflowers
I have been reading several books and making notes throughout the books based on what I am planting. The books I am using are:
The Kitchen Garden by Alan Buckingham
Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louis Riotte
Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew
The Vegetable Gardner's Bible by Edward C. Smith
So far, all of these books have been very helpful and I will reference back to them throughout the growing season. They will continue to help me with planing, maintaining, and harvesting as well as protecting them from disease, insects, wildlife, etc.
I was very interested to find that some vegetables produce better when planted near certain other vegetables and there are some that absolutely should not be planted together.
I have started laying out my preliminary plan on which vegetables will be planted together as well as the spacing needed for each plant.
Depending on the weather, I should be heading outside to start sowing some seeds in the next couple of weeks.
I'll be back then to post my progress!

Introduction

A few months ago I mentioned to my husband that I would like to start a garden. I read about square foot gardening and it seemed to fit in with my style of "neat and organized". So, since my husband always takes things to the next level, he built me a new shed and greenhouse to begin my gardening adventure.
I call it an adventure because this kind of gardening will be new to me and now I feel especially pressured to actually grow something since my husband did so much to get me started.
My goal is to grow everything from seed to get the most out of the greenhouse. This part scares me because I have never done this before. Some of my family members made some suggestions of what they would like me to grow, but after much thought, I decided to stick with the vegetables I will actually use and that I normally would buy. Maybe next year, or as my experience grows, I will start adding more unusual vegetables. I think my family will understand.
Another thing I am nervous about is the wildlife and how I will be able to deter them from eating my entire garden. I love to watch the wildlife, but I don't want my garden to serve as their buffet.
My next post will focus on what I will be planting and how I will plan out my schedule.
Thanks for reading and I am always open for advice,
Cathy