Growing Strong

Plants are growing, growing, growing. Better to show you:

The patch where I keep finding a friend frog.

 Easiest planting ever (if it ends up working, that is). I set down some hay, allowed it to begin rotting then covered it with compost, sprinkled on the seed, and then a little hay to hold it in place. That's it! Trying this on Belgian endive, since at a point the roots need to be dug and it will be much easier to dislodge them from this than from the ground. My potatoes are planted similarly, and they, too, seem to be doing fine. 

 I'm planting close, a lot closer than many sources recommend. And I'm going with it, since it seems to be working just fine. Any volunteers that come up, I let them do their thing. Above, in a hugelkultur bed, I've planted kale, cabbages, broccoli, cucumbers, marigolds, chard, borage, plus volunteer sunflowers, mustard, and cilantro. I have, generally, four to six inches between plants, and in some other spots more and in other spots less.

 Butternuts, Long Island cheese pumpkins, and beans, alternating spots with an array of zinnias and sunflowers.

 And I'm trying out a Three Sisters planting with my squashes, corn, and beans. I planted my squash and melon seedlings directly into some compost and mulched heavily. They are flourishing, and everyone else seems to be healthfully on its way.

Rather than break my back, I'm incorporating techniques that reduce the amount of energy I need to put into the gardens. And so far, the most difficult part has proven to be installing and repairing fences.

And every day I can harvest chard, lettuce, mustard, kale, peas, and all kinds of herbs. Raspberries are ripening, tomatoes are setting, corn is rising, beans are flowering, and there's more to come.

So how much does this all cost me? $333.59 this year to date. About $80 was on seeds, and the rest on supplies. Less than I had guessed. And out of that I get a new 1,200 square foot plot I can use year in and out, plus more plants whose seeds I can save for subsequent years!

Definitely worth no longer frequenting ShopRite.