I’m not much for New Year resolutions, as they tend to distract me from current plans. But the challenge set out by Sandy at First Generation American sounded fun. Stretch out those writing muscles, and write something original in looking at ways that five new resolutions (or plans) will either increase time or income for 2011. Catch being, that these five action plans start with the letter S. I’m right in the middle of planning the spring and summer vegetable gardens, so this fits right in.
Seeds and seedlings
The plan this season is to get more ssssserious about germinating seedlings. Last year was a mix-and-match try-this-and-that experimenting/learning kind of affair. In the past we’d just purchased plants from nurseries to save time, but lost on narrow variety and of course higher cost. This year, I’ll be getting some grow lights, and setting up a germinating stand in the study by the window. After the seedlings develop some muscle, they’ll be spending some time outside in a cold frame (another new thing for me) for hardening off. The time saving in this case will be the weeks gained by having stronger plants to withstand the spring windy season, and an earlier harvest.
Soil
A gardener friend is fond of saying, sunlight and water you might not have complete control over, but good soil is definitely within your power. Last year I skipped getting a good soil test done on my raised beds, and suffered some uneven production results. This coming spring season, I’m getting tests on each single bed, and getting them done at the county cooperative extension. Based on the results, I’ll try to amend accordingly with potassium, blood meal, trace minerals or whatever else is needed. How does this save time? Well, the more you naturally enrich your soil, the healthier, more disease- and pest-resistant and more productive your plants will be. This will lead in turn to less effort in pest management and a greater return in overall time invested.
Sheet composting
The three compost piles I had going in the back yard do take some time and effort to turn over. Now that we have rural acreage and a big garden area to play in, one long-term plan is to do sheet composting for several raised beds. Sheet composting is also sometimes known as lasagna gardening, basically composting in place, and takes a bit longer than an active aerobic compost pile. This will result in saved time by not actively keeping compost piles going at the new place.
Staking
Last season I spent quite a bit of time making an inordinate amount of time making support trellises out of bamboo stakes (Mrs. 101 said it “looked nice”, hence the effort). But even though I got some measure of enjoyment out of drilling and tying all the stakes together, it is definitely not the most efficient or sturdy way to support tomatoes, canteloupe and cucumber vines. It also takes time in the fall to take down, and store and generally mess with. This year, I plan on using cattle panels and/or hog wire for tomatoes support, as I was advised to do last year (but did I listen? No, I did not). Cattle panels are quite rigid, and will need only 1 x 1 supports at the ends of the beds.
Sprinklers
Drip irrigation, yes! Last year I set up drip irrigation hoses with emitters and mini-sprinklers in one of the 4 x 8 beds. The time saved by not having to carefully and individually water each plant was great. This year, I’m expanding the system to the entire vegetable garden, and look into getting a timer control.
Sweet Alyssium and Stonecrop
… and salvia and other sweet-scented flowers. Plant more and more of them. Interplanting certain flowers like marigolds amongst your vegetables attracts, and provides a good habitat for predatory beneficial insects like lacewings, parasitic wasps and assassin bugs, which will in turn munch on those unwanted insect pests. This is pest management by outsourcing, and we all know how outsourcing leverages your time.
Well, that’s part of the overall plan, at least. I have other things on the drawing board, but these are all the esses I could think of that will hopefully result in saved time. I also see that I can’t count too well, those are six resolutions, not five. Oh well, it’s my blog, I wrote it, it stays.
This was a fun write. Hat tip to Sandy at FGA for coming up with the idea. Other bloggers who are participating:
Molly on Money: New Year’s Resolution: Working a 25 hr Work Week is Wonderfully Wicked
Budgeting in the Fun Stuff: New Year’s Resolutions – Brought to You By the Letter “S”
Everyday Tips and Thoughts: New Year’s Resolutions – The Five S’s…
Invest It Wisely: New Year’s Blogging Resolutions
Single Mom, Rich Mom: The 5 S’s Resolutions
[...] 101 Centavos- Five S’s for the 2011 Spring Vegetable Garden [...]
Thanks for the gardening tips! I have a bunch of landscaping to do this spring. Any suggestions for compost that you need to decompose super quickly? (I’m moving and don’t want to take it with me needless to say…)
Hello Jacq,
To decompose super quickly, first you need to get a corpse…. bada-bing, rim-shot! Sorry, couldn’t resist…:-)
For quick compost, you’ll need air, water, and warmth, a good mix of greens (nitrogen) and browns (carbon), *and* frequent turnings. It’s harder to get a compost pile going in the winter, as cold temps slow down microbial activity. The Compost Guy has good write-ups on out door winter vermicomposting. You could also get insulated compost tumblers from gardening sites, but they’re rather expensive. Best thing to do is wait until the weather warms up, and then really get the pile going with frequent turnings (it’s good exercise).
If you’re inclined to try composting with red worms, a worm bin will yield dynamite stuff in a couple of months out of simple kitchen scraps.
[...] Centavos – 5 S’s for the 2011 Spring Garden – I think 101′s whole hand is green and not just her [...]
[...] brought to you by the letter S Single Mom Rich Mom – The 5 S Resolutions 101 Centavos – Five S’s for the 2011 Spring Garden Related Posts:Goals For 2011 (Sorry They Are A Little Late…)Link Round-Up: New Year’s [...]
I am envious of your acreage!
I love starting my plants indoors. I don’t use a grow light as I put everything in my big bay window, but I probably should use the light. Sometimes my plants get a bit spindly before I plant them outside.
I just use tomato cages myself that I got at the garden center. They are not the most attractive things in the world though.
everyday tips recently posted..Thoughts For Thursday- Lessons Learned From Drag Queen Bingo
I’m going to document the seed starting a little better this year. My starts last year got real leggy, which is a sign of poor light. I also didn’t do a very good job of protecting them outside during the hardening, a good portion of them got mangled on windy days.
Tomato cages may not be attractive, but they’re good for pole beans to climb up!
[...] Centavos has The 5 S’s for the Spring Vegetable Garden (Babci would be proud) Share and [...]
I always wonder how my mom manages to have such an abundant garden without a shred of technology used. She’s never checked pH in her life but is always amending her soil with various random things. I wish I knew how she did it but she’s a horrible teacher.
My first seed catalog came in this week. Those retailers must know that’s when people start itching to plan their gardens again.
Thanks for participating in the contest. I hope you join the next one. I love everyone’s diverse takes on the subject.
How did they do it, indeed? Back in the old country, we knew an old fellow named Pasqualino. Yes, *old*, he was in his 90′s. Pasqualino kept a marvelous little vegetable garden on the side of the hill. Every day, he would make the two-kilometer walk down the windy road to the osteria (sorta of a bar/cafe’) for his glass of vino or shot of grappa (white lightning), and then walk back up. His garden was meticulously kept, and very productive. I assume he didn’t use any commercial fertilizers or get his soil tested, and it probably kept him fit enough.
The contest was fun, hope you have another one soon.
Sounds like a great plan. I’m envious.
The Biz of Life recently posted..The Grouchs Recap of 2010
Thanks Biz, but no need to be envious. I’ll be glad to send you pictures. By the way, I like your avatar. Franklins are about my most favorite coins to collect.
[...] 101 Centavos has The 5 S’s for the Spring Vegetable Garden [...]
[...] Five S’s for the 2011 Spring Vegetable Garden (101 Centavos) [...]
Assassin bugs, haha. I’m glad I wasn’t born an insect, as life in that world seems most strange and brutal. I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky that the oxygen content has declined over the millennia, as it used to support mosquitoes the size of a large dog IIRC.
Your gardening sounds like a lot of work, but it’s very interesting to see something you built with your hands flourish and grow. Hope you hit all of your S’.
Invest It Wisely recently posted..New Year’s Blogging Resolutions
Hello Kevin. I hadn’t thought of it that way. I suppose that’s the way squash vine borers (evil things!) must think when I pluck them out of a squash, and chop them in half with my cultivator. (“what is this giant hand!?)
The garden is work, but it’s relaxing and enjoyable work. I’m hoping that as I get better, it will lessen the “work” and leave more time for experimenting.
Assassin bugs are a sight to see, by the way. All tiny fedoras and tommy guns, and bad attitudes.
I loved my square foot garden. I don’t think we will be able to do it this year though (too small apartment balcony). The catalogs have started coming in. Just planning to plant tomatoes and herbs, so buying nothing this year. We built the cages with a broken stand alone closet rods and wire hangers, not a very beautiful cage but working
I envy you. Sounds like a great plan. Someday we will have a bigger place to plant a garden…
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Hi Suba, love the fact that you built your own tomato cages out of recycled stuff. Now that’s being sustainable.
There are some that insist on twine and trellises as opposed to tomato cages. As I said in the post, it ended up being too fussy. Going with cattle panels is probably splitting it down the middle, I guess you could say they’re straightened-out tomato cages.
I feel inspired to re-start my own garden now. Good luck with the seedlings – what source to you use for seeds?
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TLG, I’m glad you’re getting inspired. Thanks for stopping by.
For catalogs, I’m partial to Territorial Seed Company and Raintree Nursery. This year, I’ve also received Johnny’s Selected Seeds. They all look good, but I need to temper my enthusiasm with a preemptive fish slap of reality. There’s just isn’t enough time to plant them all.
[...] 101 Centavos: Five S’s for the 2011 Spring Vegetable Garden [...]
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[...] 101 Centavos has The 5 S’s for the Spring Vegetable Garden [...]
[...] up, more great articles I read this week, by category.Sustainability101 Centavos provided us with 5 S’s for the 2011 Spring Garden. We are very excited to start our garden at our new (old) house in the spring so this article [...]
[...] Interlude February 29, 2012Last year I posted on some worthwhile goals for the spring garden. Some I accomplished, and some I modified along the [...]