Tuesday, June 12

Square Foot Garden - Planting!

Now that my Square Foot Garden is built and filled, it is finally time to do some planting! So let's jump right in. Here is a look at what I've planted so far:


I have a couple melon plants peeking through. It's amazing how fast these little sprouts popped up! I used watermelon seeds from Gurney's and cantaloupe seeds from a yard sale (they were an already opened pack for free so I figured I would see if they grow... so far so good!)


 These are my pepper plants. I bought the plants from a grocery store down the street. They came in a 6-pack so I have 6 of the exact same thing. Ha. Not ideal, but if they are yummy it will be great. :)


 Next up are beans and peas. I planted several sugar snap peas (also from a yard sale free pile) and a variety of yellow, purple, and green beans (some from Gurney's and some from the yard sale). I had ordered snap peas and a few other things from Gurney's that I didn't end up using because when I got them they had labels on the packages saying they had been treated with pesticides or something like that. I don't know what it is exactly, but I didn't feel good about planting the seed varieties with that warning. That was a little disappointing, Gurney's. So consider yourself warned. I don't remember seeing anything about the seeds being treated when I ordered, but I will definitely pay closer attention next time!


 I have 6 tomato plants so far. Tomatoes are my favorite. :) I'm hoping to have enough to do some canning and make spaghetti sauce and stuff like that. But I don't know how much they (or any of my plants!) will produce, so we'll just have to see. Maybe next year I'll have a better idea of how many plants I need.


I also have green & yellow zucchini planted, and I just bought cucumber and eggplant to add in as well. And I still have space left! So now what should I plant? But wait, before you answer, I have a few more things planted around the yard.

Along the side of the garage I have my asparagus and strawberries (both purchased from Gurneys. I think it takes a few years to get any produce). Well, HAD them. When you plant (or replant) anything it's important to keep it watered! I had the bright idea to dig up my strawberries and spread them out down the bed. Unfortunately I decided to do this during heat wave and, that combined with my neglected my watering duties, has resulted in a fried, brown bunch of plants. At this point I'm just hoping they come back next year. (I'm working on  collecting bricks to finish off the bed. Then I'll do some leveling to tidy things up.)


I also built a small raised bed right outside our backdoor. This one is in a spot that is in shade part of the day so I thought it would be better for things like lettuce that aren't very heat-tolerant. In the back corner is some romaine plants (from the grocery store) and in front of that I planted seeds for butter-crunch lettuce (from Gurney's) and spinach (from a yard sale). Apparently squirrels like these seeds because that whole section has been dug up! I'm going to replant and sprinkle some cayenne around to deter our fuzzy friends.  The whole right side of the bed is a variety of herbs (all from the grocery store).


That's it for the veggies so far. I bought a lot of plants from the grocery store just because it was close and easy. We walk there most of the time! Last time we were there I picked up a few extra plants, just for pretty. I chose two packs of shade plants to mix in the planters on the patio. One pack had leafy coleus (I got lucky and found a pack that had both solid green & two-tone plants in it!) and another shade plant that will have little white flowers on it (I don't know the name).


I love the bright greens and can't wait for those flowers to show up! I do have to say, though, I am a novice at flower arranging/landscaping. I have no idea how to make planters look good. I can tell already I should have picked a taller or shorter plant to mix in because these are all just the same height. Oops. I'm hoping the flowers will add some variety and make things a little more interesting. :)

I also bought a pack of flowers that need full sun. I wedged all of those into one pot for by my front door. Again, not a flower arranger here. But it will work just fine. :) 


What else should I plant in my garden? What are some yummy things I haven't thought of, or something I should plant more of for canning or freezing?

2 comments:

  1. Hi! I just stumbled on your site and love the raised bed idea! I'll be interested to see how everything comes up, and if it works, I may try this myself! So, do you only need say 8" or so of the dirt mix? It looks like that's about all you used...

    Good luck with your garden! And your l'il one is adorable!

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  2. Thank you! I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out. :)

    The book actually says you only need about 6" of soil. My bed is more like 5", so I'm just hoping it's close enough! :)

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