Square Foot Gardening

Square Foot Gardening

 Start of a Square Foot Gardening Adventure

 

For those who know me, you if you grow it, fish it, or hunt it, then I can cook it. I have never been much of a gardener outside of my herbs. I have tried and failed at growing the traditional garden fare. I seem to do well with containers and in Tarboro where I had a good streak with peppers and lettuce. Fast forward to Newport. Our house has a backyard that is essentially a blank slate. The first step in our transformation is getting a veg garden going. One option was Square Foot Gardening.

 

Community Supported Agriculture

 

 

I love supporting local farmers and even joined a local organic CSA, The Local Patch, last year. The CSA was a great experience exposing us to new types of veg I wouldn’t normally purchase for the family. And The Local Patch has the most AMAZING tomatoes. If you aren’t a gardener and want the freshest veg possible, then go the CSA route. You do make a difference when you support small local farmers. For us, the CSA did not work for us as a family, but I will be visiting The Local Patch for fresh veg.

 

Square Foot Gardening

 

I like the idea of being able to walk outside my door grabbing some lettuce for a quick salad is wonderful. I loved it when I could do it in North Carolina. This time last year, we purchased a house in Newport. A huge step, but one that needed to happen. After being homeowners,  being a renter again was not ideal plus the house we rented had zero back yard. We need our space. For the city of Newport, we have a normal sized lot allowing us to create an urban garden. It is a blank slate so, over the next months, a transformation will occur.

Our garden is fairly shady so we don’t have a lot of space to have a veg garden. Since I’m not a gardener, I went on the recommendation of gardener friends, to Domina’s Agway in Portsmouth, RI. Like my favorite garden center, Marrow-Pitt Ace Hardware in Tarboro, Domina’s is family-run and this isn’t only their livelihood, but their passion. The Home Depots and Lowes of the world may have a vast selection and some cheaper prices, but you cannot beat the care and knowledge of family-run businesses. At Domina’s Agway, I met Mark where he patiently advised me and suggested Square Foot Gardening. He does it and many of the staff at the nursery grows their veg using this method. On his suggestion, I purchased Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew.

 

The Set-Up

 

I chose the raised bed method because some of our neighbor’s soil tested high for lead. If you live in a historic neighborhood or reclaimed land, I’d either get your soil tested or just be safe going with a raised bed with fresh soil and a weed barrier. Best to be safe.

 

 

Since Newport can be wet and damp, I decided on a galvanized steel bed instead of building it out of wood. I’m hoping it will weather the sea climate better than a wooden bed. It was easy for my husband to put together. From there we positioned it into place putting down a weed barrier and a thick layer of rocks then a layer of Coast of Maine Raised Bed Mix. Investing in the soil is essential. Don’t skimp. And be sure to ask a gardener what is the best mix for where you live and what you are doing and growing.

 

Square Foot Gardening Bed

 

Once the set-up was completed, it was time to add the plants. My plant selection was ambitious especially since I’m not a gardener. I selected 3 types of tomatoes, 3 types of peppers, 3 types of lettuce, snap peas, Japanese eggplant, spinach, chives, and cucumbers. The point of square foot gardening is to use every bit of space wisely. Vertical growing is encouraged. My husband wove a trellis so the snap peas, tomatoes, and cucumbers can climb. I’ll be adding zucchini and melon to the bed that also will be climbers as well as onions. In a burlap bag, potatoes will be planted.

So let’s keep our fingers crossed, that my thumb will be green. And a huge thank you goes out to my husband, Jeroen, for doing all the building and heavy lifting.

I stop at Farmers Markets

I stop at Farmers Markets

Brake for Farmers Markets

I know I do whenever I get a chance. I spent the morning wandering through a farmers market on the Northern Neck of Virginia. In our move up the East Coast, I am enjoying the regional food culture of wherever we are staying. The Northern Neck is rich with farmers markets and produce stands dotting the countryside. The markets here tend to rotate among towns very weekend. It is not just fresh produce, but locally-made cheeses, bread, and meats that are sold.

I cannot help myself; I always have been that way. I have to stop and check out these markets and stands out. Growing up, my family had a huge garden on the side of the house on Greenlake Drive in Middletown, NJ. During the summertime, what we didn’t grow, we would go to produce stands along side of the road. Everywhere I have lived there was a summer farmers market. Lexington, Kentucky had the best one to date. It was huge and the products offered was of an amazing variety. They were very progressive by taking credit cards and accepting food stamps. The market made it easier for you shop fresh and wholesome regardless of your economic status. The last town I lived in, Tarboro, North Carolina, just formed a farmers market with the leadership of local business owners and town government. Every market day it is getting bigger as more vendors and visitors come. Having access to fresh, affordable produce is important to the health of the community.

My Haul…

There is something special about picking out fresh off the vine tomatoes while talking to the farmer about the weather. The farmers are very passionate about what they produce and are very proud of it. And you should too be passionate about what you eat. The produce you purchase is in season and fresh. Most of it came from a couple miles away and often you can see the actual farm where it was grown.

Visiting a farmers market forces me to think about food and meals. You never know what kinds of produce will be offered that day. It depends on what is ripe and ready. Today I came across butter beans, tiny tomatoes, green tomatoes, sweet pepper, and big sandwich slicers. That sets my thought process as to what I can make with these fresh ingredients. Lots. I plan on making a tiny tomato butter bean salad where I will add some asparagus and a vinegarette. With the green tomatoes, I will make fried green tomatoes. The sweet pepper and some of the tiny tomatoes will go in tonight’s hummus roasted veg tart.

This summer and fall, think local for your produce. It will open your mind and taste buds to new flavors.

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