Since I’ve committed to this challenge I’m going to go all the way! I called the local P-Patch group to find out about getting a spot. We’re still trying to buy the fugly house and sell ours, but just in case I wanted to have a back-up plan… I’m anal that way.
The woman who runs the program seemed pretty sure that I could get a plot if I wanted it, but didn’t put me on a waiting list. She didn’t seem super organized, but at least she was frank that she would forget about me and instead encouraged me to keep checking back. Apparently they’ll start calling past plot holders in the next couple of weeks and usually have a fair number of people that don’t return. The plots are all around 150 square feet. So not huge, but definitely a lot bigger than the 6 pots of herbs and tomatoes I had this year. And all that’s required to get one is that you’re an Everett resident and you commit to 8 hours of work on the common areas. I can handle that!
I also registered for the Comprehensive Organic Gardener course offered by Seattle Tilth.
The COG Program is an intensive program teaching organic vegetable gardening methods and practice. The curriculum merges scientific and practical information with an emphasis on experiential learning and hands on practice. This unique and popular course is designed to give the beginning gardener an introduction into the dynamic world of organic gardening and an opportunity to get their hands dirty in the process!
I’m a big believer in their efforts and can’t wait to take part in the class. The combination of classroom work, homework and hands on time is perfectly suited to my learning style. Plus, the cost is pretty dang cheap considering it’s 23 hours of instruction.
Hopefully the class will help me get over my fear that I’ll somehow screw up my garden and kill all my plants. I’m a bit of an overachiever and like to know going into something that I’ve got a reasonable chance of success. I know, I know, there’s a good chance that things will go wrong with my first real veggie garden. And I’m okay with that on an intellectual level. On an emotional one though I need to know that I did everything I could to make it successful and my broccoli still croaked. Or whatever, you get my point.
I’m still working on my seed list and order. Since there are a lot of things that are supposed to be started indoors in February around here I guess I better get on that!
So here’s my first of many requests for input from any experienced gardeners reading along. Should I put in multiple varieties of the same thing this year, my first try? Or should I stick to one type of each thing and just focus on trying not to kill things? Bear in mind that my space will likely be somewhat limited. Even if we pull off moving into the new house, there’s no established veggie garden, so we’ll have to create some bare dirt before we can start growing.
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I’m not an experienced gardener, but I’ve absorbed a decent amount of info from her even if I have trouble implementing it (when was the last time I watered that plant?). I vote one variety of each thing (unless they are a hybrid) since some veggies have a tendency to cross pollinate and if you don’t have much space. That is probably more of an issue if you plan on saving seeds though. I think one year mom accidentally ended up with a tomato that was a cross between paste and cherry tomatoes.
I’m a big fan of multiple varieties. With broccoli, for example, you can select 2-3 varieties with different maturity dates to spread out your harvest. A single variety can be good if you are planning on preserving a crop, though, when everything is ready at about the same time. The biggest drawback is that all these varieties can increase the expense of your seed purchase significantly. Two of my favorite seed companies, Fedco and Pine Tree Garden Seeds, offer mixed variety packs of several vegetables like broccoli, lettuce and tomatoes, and that can be fun. I really like the PTGS lettuce mixes.
Remember, the chances of a complete garden failure are very slim– you will be successful at something, and probably most of what you plant, so let go of the worries and have fun!
PS CHICKENS LOVE VEGETABLE GARDENS! Not a successful strategy, letting them have at it
Ali
Hi Laura, That’s so cool that you’ve signed up for a p-patch. I’m from Seattle, and until I left I had no idea how lucky we were in the northwest: p-patches are a rarity around here.
Since I was in your shoes last year, having never had a real vegetable garden, I would highly recommend trying at least a couple varieties of each of your favorites. You can plant successionally, like Ali suggested. And you’ll also be able to try different flavors, and see which variety grows best in your garden. I can’t tell you how valuable that has been for me!
Eg, I planted 3 types of brussels sprouts for our winter garden. The purple ones sounded great, but it turns out they had a low germination rate, they were slow to grow, and they STILL don’t have any sprouts on them (other than microscopic nubs). Of the two green varieties, one is much sweeter and produces tighter sprouts. The other is more like miniature cabbages, but I like it because it began producing about three weeks before the sweet one. I’d plant the latter two again, but not the purple.
My big favorites for different varieties are: carrots (purple, pink, white, and yellow are all amazing), tomatoes (at least a cherry and a regular), and squash (some winter squash keep for many months, others are great for quick eating; and variety in summer squash is a necessity – did you see my zucchini post? Too much of a good thing, over and over and over…).
But if you plan to keep seed this year, Michelle is so right: you don’t want them to cross-pollinate. A way around that is to plant an early maturing variety of something and a late maturing variety of something. That way they’re blooming at different times.
Long comment – hope that helped!
P.S. I’m taking Master Gardener classes, and it’s amazing how much it helps me get over my fears. Yesterday we learned all about fruit trees, bushes and vines – both in the classroom and in the field. I must say, I feel SO much more inspired to grow some!!
As a newbie gardener, I find multiple varieties a little complicated. I try to pick one good all around variety. This year if I want it to mature at different times, I will try the same variety but started at different times. For me it is cost & space prohibative to grow a ton of varieties. I plan to get good with one, learn the ins & outs of it, and then branch out.
I’m also new to this gardening thing, and I’m doing multiple varieties. I bought some mystery variety packs of carrots and beets from Bountiful Gardens, and some packs of different kinds of Asian greens. I’m not sure if I’ll save seeds, but so long as they’re just crossing among varieties, I don’t know that I mind. I mean, if my beets cross, then the next summer I’ll get even more mystery surprise beets! If I were actually trying to grow serious quantities of food, I’d probably care more.
Pick a few vegetables that you know you like and will eat, and grow diffferent varieties of those. In this early stage, it would be difficult to be experimenting with both trying to grow plants and figure out how to use them. Herbs are easy to grow and hard to kill, and many are perennials. So, if you get the new house, you might start with a few herbs.
Different varieties grow better in different seasons, & succumb to different diseases – so you will be hedging your bets if you grow a few of several varieties!
TopVeg
Laura, I like the sound of that organic gardening course.