Square Foot Gardening: Rotating Crops and Notes to Self

With grad school done, I can garden and  update about it. But for now, a quick list of things to help me out when I'm planning next year. 

Potatoes need more room. They dominated everything. Next year they either get an 18 inch row, or I move onto potato cages I've read so much about. The onions and tomatoes suffered as the plants grew. 

HUGE! The poor onions tried to get out from under them... but there was no escape

-Growing potatoes is FUN, despite the large amount of space they need. The first harvest below:

I'm doomed never to grow anything in the Brassica  family. Despite planting the brussels sprouts in Feb, with the very warm spring we've had, I got loose sprouts. I pulled them out so other things could grow. I know me, I'll probably try a fall crop like a sucker.

It took about 12 weeks for the potatoes to set enough to pick. We got mostly baby potatoes- delicious, but next year I want to leave them in a spot where I can let them grow for longer. Look at the giant space opened up in the garden when I pulled them, finally. 

Carrots are awesome and way better than radishes. Every year I do radishes because the grow fast and are ready to pick quick, which is fun. But we never eat them. Carrots, on the other hand, are devoured and the joy of picking it only adds to the fun. 

Totally worth giving up some space to flowers. Sweet Peas and Poppies. It makes the garden look so sweet. 

Peas should be staggered in plant times. I planted them all at once and we are eating peas with everything- just this week I pulled out all the vines and picked off the last ones. 

So many peas

I've enjoyed the thought I put into the changing garden this year. Instead of thinking of each square as one vegetable, I tried to plan out multiple items for each square by accounting for grow time and weather. Cool weather early spring plants vs hot weather summer plants.

Pulling out the potatoes and peas made room for corn, green beans, carrots, and spinach. Watching the different squares change and moving through the spring and summer season with different veggies to look forward to has been fun.

Potatoes gone- before the peas were pulled

The bounty changes week to week- finally we have beets and some bigger onions. It's lovely. 

The next few weeks will bring lots of watering, tending, and fussing over my tomatoes. I also decided to put in a cucumber plant and I'm going to trellis it where the peas were, hopefully preventing it from taking over the garden. Happy Solstice! SUMMER!!!!!

Square Foot Garden: Prepping the bed

"We are stardust. We are golden. And we got to get ourselves back to the garden"- Joni Mitchell

Somehow, here in the middle of February, spring found Portland. Signs of spring, as my daughter would say, are everywhere. For instance, this slug we've already found creeping in our new plants:

"It feels all sticky" she says with no qualms

So, my gardening adventure begins again. The bedraggled vines of finished veggies, the forgotten last tomatoes of last October-- mere memories as I flip through the seed catalogue, plotting the great comeback that is SPRING.
And while I hope, with grad school coming to a close this May, that soon I'll have sewing projects to share and crafting successes to celebrate- I thought sharing this gardening adventure post worthy as well. Not to mention, a record for when it starts again next spring.

This is year three in my fabulous garden plot. With no sun in our own yard, I use a community spot at the neighborhood middle school. Year 1- I threw some things in and had a cherry tomato that took over everything. Some good harvest, but lots of missed opportunity. Year 2- I discovered square foot gardening. My math heart could not resist. Squares, math, order, LOVELY. But still, lots to learn. So now, Year 3, I'm ready to make even more of my space.

The bed had a few remnants of my attempts at winter crops. Not wanting to say goodbye to my garden last year, I planted some carrots. I think they would be something great if I gave them another month, but I'm not willing to do so at the expense of waiting to get other plants in, so out they came.
We dug up the soil turned it all, then got ready to add another layer of new compost. The school will do this as a service, but not until community service day at the end of April. Since I just discovered that peas can go in NOW, I couldn't wait.
So, here's where we started:

New dirt waiting to join the old

We brought in three bags of good garden bed compost and spread it out and worked it in with the dirt from last year. I don't plan on fertilizing much beyond that. 

Then we started putting in the grid. The idea here is to plant things by the square foot, not by the row. We just stuck thumb tacs in every 12 inches into the frame and wrapped string around each one. M continued to spread dirt for us. 

laying out the grid

Now, that's a beautiful garden. Ready for anything. We put in a few peas today. Yeah! Soil temp for peas only needs to be 40 degrees and the Oregon State extension services says to plant them in February. Who knew we could get this rolling so soon! Soon to come- radishes and potatoes- also cool weather starts.

 And so it begins! Spring! Garden! A life outside grad school! But for now, I need to hit the books again.

Fiesta time!

Cinco de Mayo is holiday time,
holiday time
in Mexico!

-From some song I sang in a first grade class recital. It's never left my brain.

I had a little fun for Cinco de Mayo. I justified it by saying I would put her in this outfit again... but truly... this was a one time outfit. And it rocked.
Once I saw the tutorial for the skirt on Dana Made it I couldn't turn back. She makes it all look so easy and fun. And it was. I see more fiesta style twirly skirts in our future. It was a great way to use up some of the random trim I've had around- lace, ric rac... I actually had to hold back a little.

Of course, once I had the skirt, she needed a little shirt. Using freezer paper, I cut out the stencil, ironed it on, painted and waited for it to dry. So sweet. I've used the same technique for another outfit I made for her, it's a fun way to dress up a simple onsie or t-shirt.

This Bunny outfit was done a few weeks before the Cinco de Mayo outfit. I think it's pretty much the greatest onsie ever.

 A little burro, a little fiesta, a little skirt, a little fun.

the cat helping me sew...

Cats sleep anywhere
Any table, any chair
Top of piano, window ledge
In the middle, on the edge
Open drawer, empty shoe
Anybody's lap will do
Fitted in a cardboard box
In the cupboard with your frocks
They don't care
Cats sleep anywhere!

Eleanor Farjeon

Today, Tesla helped me baste my quilt. Which lay in the sun. Then Tesla forgot her job as official helper and fell asleep.

 Even so, I got this sucker pinned together.

 

Up the stairs I went to get it quilted. Tesla came as well. Ready and eager to start her duties as quilting helper.

 ...and she fell asleep on my fabric stash. Well, now I know why it takes costco packs of lint rollers to keep my projects cat fur free.

She expressed only slight annoyance that I had the audacity to disturb her with a picture.

A Move to the Sun

I've moved outside! And the cat came with me:

She curled up under my chair for a bit to eat some grass. Hours of begging to be outside... and she spends her time eating grass.
What's that on my lap desk?

 A nest that was tucked in the roses. The birds have long since left the nest, we got to see them when they were just open beaks and some beady eyes- now they are off flying in the trees.
Trees?-- Check out my view from my new chair-

My toes are so happy to be soaking up some rays. I'm so happy to be out of the house. I think this is an important part of my recovery. I know a few people that expressed sympathy that I couldn't do my surgery in the winter when "There is nothing to do". But... it's hard to imagine recovery on dark, stormy days. I love a sunny day, laying in the sun, reading my books, perhaps a little crafting...

(I KNOW- adorable! I found this vintage embroidery pattern online and printed and made an iron transfer. SO kitchy, but I couldn't resist. Look how the boy duck likes the girl duck. QUACK!)

And I can think of no better excuse than knee surgery to be ignoring laundry, gutter cleaning, yard work, dishes.... of course, while I ignore it, my husband has to deal with it-

But I make a good cheerleader/boss/backseat driver.
We did have to put Tesla back in the house, as she was getting too adventurous with her exploring. S had to chase her down- see her tail? She came to hide by me, but alas, I am not a place of sanctuary.

A little sun does a lot to help a girl's spirit. I'm happy to be outside.