There are two things I ’m very new to right now : grow a farm and mature a baby . And as I work to figure these thing out , I ’ve gotten very behind on accomplishing much on either front . While I was fairly happy with my herb and vegetable garden in township , which acquire slowly in size twelvemonth by year so the task of puzzle it start never seemed overpowering , tackling the 50 - by-150 - foot garden at the farm has been a whole dissimilar animate being . We ’ve had some problems , for sure , but we late found a workplace - around for one element — the cucurbit .
First of all , I want to make it clear : Mr. B and I are under no impression that we ’re going to farm all 7,500 square feet of garden space this year , peculiarly not with the other things ( read : tiny homo ) that we are preparing for . However , because we move at the start of the growing season , and Imissed out on last year ’s horticulture fun , I ’m eager to get my hands muddied this year . Rachael Dupree
Currently , about a third off the game is planted in a spring cover crop commixture . We have passing Lucius Clay soil in these part , so I ’m hoping to add as much constitutional material to the garden as possible . Plus , the cover craw will facilitate regulate moisture ( the garden is in a bottomland area that pay off very wet ) and smoke pressure . I ’m think of doing another third in a sunflower masking craw just for fun . It will not only take me so much joy — I love sunflowers!—it willfeed the beeswe want to attract to our garden and also attract beautiful birds , such as hummingbirds and Carduelis carduelis . The terminal third we ’re dedicating to our vegetables .
This twelvemonth is the first yr I’vestarted my veggie plants from seed . In town , I had neither the space nor adequate lighting to do it , so the fact that I have baby plants ready to put into the ground seems like a miracle . However , because I ’ve been struggling with sickness because of the aforementioned tiny human and have beenbattling the rainthat comes at the most inconvenient of time , my baby plants have become neglected and are in desperate need of transplanting . Yet this is something that our garden — which lacks bring up beds , is full of weed and is way too soggy to go due to yesterday ’s rain — is not ready for .
Derby Weekend , the first weekend of May , is the official start of the gardening season here in Kentucky . This is when gardeners get all their key signature crops — bean , tomato plant , peppers , basil — into the ground , though many experient gardeners have already been relishing in the greens and peas that can be grown in the cooler season . As you may have inferred , I did n’t participate in either of these horticulture traditions , though my squash plants , which have started to bud even in their tiny seeded player - set off container , nudge me into activity .
All my cucurbits have nonplus quite unwieldy . Zucchini vines have tangled up with butternut squash vines . Cucumbers have begin fritter out the tendrils they ’ll before long use to mount trellises . And melons have grown wilted and leggy . All are in despairing want of a new home , and because their permanent mansion is not quite ready , we had to excogitate a backup plan .
Rachael Dupree
The result : container horticulture .
In order of magnitude to give the cucurbits a bit more way , I transplant three to four plants into each of about a dozen pots I had from my urban - land years . Now , I would n’t usually pressure the works in so loaded , but like I enjoin , this is temporary housing . I hope to give the cucurbit plant life just enough breathing room to survive and become acclimated to the outdoors until I can cook their garden beds and get them transplant for the grow season . Rachael Dupree
Mr. B and I set their starter homes by amalgamate farm soil ( the really cadaver stuff ) with compost prepared by a friend . Then we tuck several plants into each sight , and we set them in a piazza where they could get some rain and sunshine and hear to the nighttime serenades of thetree frogsand crickets . ( I really think they ’re going to like their nightly lullaby.)Rachael Dupree
In the meanwhile , my tomatoes , peppercorn and Abelmoschus esculentus are still accommodate close in their original container , and I ’m gather the tools I need to implement my garden homework plan . It ’s coming together slowly , but it ’s coming together . If I can seize with teeth into a homegrown cuke or tomato by the conclusion of the time of year , I ’ll deal all of this homework work , no matter how behind it is , to be worthwhile .
Rachael Dupree
Rachael Dupree
Rachael Dupree
