Maybe all new gardeners are as anxious as I am to get started. Maybe they all look at the approaching first frost date and say "I can outsmart nature". Maybe not. Either way, Patti Moreno made me do it.I have been watching a lot of the Patti Moreno, Garden Girl videos to learn about her version of Square Foot Gardening. In one episode she turns a sun room in her home into a nursery for her plant starts for spring with shelving and fluorescent fixtures and full spectrum grow lights. It was late October and I knew that I would want to get a head start on spring so I created a couple of grow shelves in my basement in front of a southern exposure window with the bulbs that Patti recommended and a timer. Besides, I still have those 3 basil plants that I purchased from the Farmer's Market this summer that I would like to keep going for as long as possible into the winter months as well as two rosemary varieties and an oregano.I waited one week.On November 5th I could wait no more (I already mentioned that Patti made me do it, right?). I knew that spinach and lettuce are cool weather plants and my basement stays just below 70 degrees. I had already received my order of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds for my spring plantings and thought "why not see what happens?".I planted 3 varieties of heirloom lettuce and 2 varieties of heirloom spinach. The goal is to be able to cut off a couple of leaves of the still growing plants to enjoy some fresh greens between now and when the real plantings happen next growing season.
Less than 2 weeks later I have little lettuce and spinach starts in my secret garden. I hope that in another few weeks I will be able to begin harvesting leaves. I have another set of grow containers ready to go to get more started when I begin harvesting from this first run. I hope to continue this cycle until the Farmer's Markets reopen in May.
Something Cooking At Nearly Home Grown
I have found myself thinking of the Ant and the Grasshopper over the past 2 months as I have busily worked to build up a full freezer's worth of frozen tomato paste, whole roasting chickens and chicken breasts, butternut squash, spinach and basil hoping that each will manage to retain a bit of the freshness and vitality of summer.Storing the bounty of this year and hoping it will tide me over until the first farmer's market of the spring has inevitably led to thoughts of what next year will bring to the table and freezer. After much thought, planning, reading four Michael Pollan books, one Barbara Kingsolver book and watching more videos from Patti Moreno than I can count, I have decided to start my own garden for 2012 to supplement the organics I purchase from the farmer's markets.I will be experimenting with the Square Foot Gardening method created by Mel Bartholomew with heirloom, open pollinated seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and Seed Savers Exchange. I have already learned that there are more different vegetables and varieties of each than our meager yard can contain so I have had to use the cold eye of an executioner to whittle down the roar of 'wants' to a manageable list of 'needs'. Maybe next year will herald some truly home grown goodness here at Nearly Home Grown...In the meantime, I will keep updating with recipes from this year, planning for next year and anything related to local food that sparks an interest!