Blog
Welcome to Gwen’s Garden
Lets’ just get one thing straight; I am an Aspiring Gardener! This is my first garden and with help from neighbors, my mother-in-law, my grandmother, research and our viewers we are all going to learn a lot about gardening that we didn’t know before. So for the novice gardener; follow along and we will learn together, for the intermediate gardener; you can help us and maybe we can help you from time to time, for the advanced gardener; please don’t laugh, but maybe offer some tips, tricks and common knowledge we miss out on!
First, Spring is approaching and we need to have a plan for our garden. Like where to put it, will there be enough full sun? Do we have a good water source nearby? How is the soil? What do we want in our garden?
This year I am going to plant: Green Beans, Cilantro, Watermelon, Cascabella Red Peppers, Great Lakes Lettuce, Long Imperator Carrots, Poblano Green Peppers, Evergreen Bunching Onions, Barbados Hybrid Broccoli, Grand Rapids Lettuce, Cucumbers, Yellow Onions, Red Cherry Large Tomatoes, Pumpkins, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Spinach, Sweet Corn, Potatoes and Strawberries.
Before I get outdoors to start my garden plans, because it is still a bit chilly out here in Colorado Springs, I am going to get some starter plants ready inside. Here in Colorado Springs our average last frost date is June 5th. Knowing this I can start my indoor planting for a few veggies. Before I get started - let me share my resource with you; Clyde’s Garden Planner. I found Clyde online at www.cdmplanning.hypermart.net. He is a master gardener and has compiled information for most gardens on a little slide card. It tells us when our last frost date is, when to plant each seed type inside and outside, how many seeds to plant and when to expect to harvest. You can get one for just $3.50! Worth it my friend!
So, I went to my local Home Depot and purchased an assortment of seeds and a miniature greenhouse to get me started. The miniature greenhouse is just that, a plastic tray with compacted soil pouches and a plastic cover. Jiffy is the brand; I got it for just $7. Get it home and follow the instructions by adding 2 quarts of water to the compacted soil pouches and they expand! Then add your seeds, 1-3 in each pouch, cover and let them start to germinate.
It’s April 1st today and I am going to plant my cabbage and cauliflower inside this week. Over the next few weeks we will start other veggies inside too. Next week we will begin to discuss how to prep your garden. As for me, I am going to do a small raised garden in my backyard.
For those of you in different frost zones you may be a few weeks ahead of us here in Colorado Springs. I.E. Syracuse, NY- 5 weeks earlier, Telluride, CO- 4 weeks later, Topeka, KS- 7 weeks earlier, Dallas, TX- 10 weeks earlier - and so on. Check out Clyde’s website to help you determine your last frost date.
(1 votes, average: 4 out of 5)
Loading ...Discussion
2 comments for “Welcome to Gwen’s Garden”
Post a comment
Related Posts
Recipes
Browse Blog
WOW! For a novice, you certainly know how to jump right in!! We can’t wait to hear more about it! We are opting for a “Patio Garden” this year because we heard the deer around our home, make it IMPOSSIBLE to garden without a fence. Our deck has plenty of space and is raised off the ground, so I bought a patio vegetable garden seed packet from Burpee and we’re going to plant cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and basil. We’ll probably also have to start an herb garden indoors because my husband is super excited about some “gourmet” grilling this year. I would also like to try one of those hanging strawberry bags and maybe pot some sweet potato vine in with some of my annuals. My mom planted some in a pot last year and the foliage was GORGEOUS. Once the flowers died, it was time to dig up the sweet potatoes. Can’t wait to learn along with you!!
I am looking forward to watching your Garden grow, Gwen. Very interesting. I’m sticking to 4 hanging petunias this year (very hearty) and am hoping to follow your lead next year!