I was reading  You Grow Girl by Gayla Trail. I didn’t check it out to read, just had stumbled upon her website earlier and wanted to see what the book was about. But I did start reading and started to think about my own experiences as a gardener.

I went to school in horticulture thinking I loved to garden. I still do. But I’m not necessarily jumping at the opportunity to do so. My own garden domain is my patio garden. It’s not that fancy, and I could do quite a bit more out there. Lately I’ve been thinking about all these other places I could garden. I live in a suburb–many people have offered me a spot of ground–and I’ve done nothing.

At first, I thought I’m just lazy, or at least want to avoid piling one more thing on my already full days. Also, no matter how cheaply it’s done gardening cost money I would rather spend elsewhere (like food, clothing, gas, and avoiding debt). I have no time, no money….but still I think there is a bigger reason behind it. I am still trying to define myself.

I’ve finished school, established my family and a place in this world, but I’ve done it in a lot less years than most. I’m young. I’m still figuring out what I want to get out of life and being a gardener. My mind is no more set on things than a seedling realizes what flower it will produce. I feel like I still need more learning, reflecting, trial and error. My education is far from over: I yearn to learn more, to grow more.

Someday I’ll be able to define just what I want. Right now, I spend my time learning as much as doing. I think the learning will gradually turn into more doing, more firm opinions, and more gardening. For the moment I am content with the little I do, and the lots of knowledge I’m trying to gain. I have a lifetime in front of met to achieve anything I want.

I’ve come to a sort-of “complete” in my garden. Not that I think it ever really happens: gardens are changing so often. There’s always something to be done. But for now, I’ve finished planting and added the final touch of bark mulch. The final plant was native sticky geraniums (Geranium viscosissimum) that I was happy to find at McCoard’s Garden Center in Provo. Went there to check them out, and they had exactly what I wanted. Really a good selection, including a lot of native plants.

After planting those, and waiting a couple weeks I was thinking something was missing. Than I realized it: bark mulch. So happy I didn’t forget. Bark mulch has the benefit of making it look pretty, along with keeping it evenly moist, preventing weeds, and adding organic matter. I’ve also found it useful because I water by hand with a bucket (the sprinklers don’t reach most of it: glad I went with water-wise plants) and the mulch helps the water from gorging my soil. Here’s the final (for now) flower bed:

My vegetables are also doing really well. I staked the tomatoes up with two tomato stakes and sting in between. I needed to do something, and that’s what I had on hand. It’s worked out pretty well. The only downside right now is my Roma is getting out competed by the other varieties (one’s brandywine and I have no idea what the third is). I love romas. But it does have the most fruit on it right now. I’ve had a few radishes and greens (beets and swiss chard) so far–another month and I’ll be picking everything else.

All I have left to plant is a couple of Geraniums in my patio garden. It’s been a nice little project, and I’m hoping for some produce later on in the season. I planted my vegetables in large planters. I’ve put way too many plants in each pot, but I’m not sure what I want just yet. I’ll pull out the extra later. I found a good deal on two Lamium plants. I’m not sure exactly what they are do to poor labeling at the garden center, but one has pink flowers and the other white. I’m hoping they will grow together now.

I fertilized a couple of days ago. I’ve found that in potted gardens fertilizing is crucial to have good plants. The potting soil just doesn’t hold onto nutrients the same as regular soil, and it is usually devoid of them to begin with. Previously, I’ve just used miracle-gro, but this year I tried a polymer-coated slow release fertilizer. The analysis was 18-6-8, much better than a balanced fertilize like 16-16-16. Plants don’t use equal amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, so a fertilizer like I have is better.

After using it, I realized I had just ruined any claim I could use to call my produce organic. Chemical fertilizers are on the list of things to not do. But they extremely convenient. My other alternatives would be compost or fish emulsifier. One needs to be incorporated, and the other stinks (literally, not figuratively). So chemical fertilizers won out this year, but I’ll still try and avoid other chemicals like nasty pesticides.

This is the start of my garden…

Just a little patio garden off the back of our apartment. I think it is just about perfect for the amount of time and money I have (very little of both). It’s on the north side of the building and is mostly in the shade all day long. I was a little disappointed because that means it severely limits what I can grow. But I’ve got great plans for it. The only thing that was in the garden when I inherited it was some daffodils and another unknown bulb. It has flower buds on it, so I should find out what it is soon, but I’m thinking it’s Star-of-Bethlehem.

This is my plan: (and sorry, it’s not big enough to worry about good graphics)

Today was my first day of digging in the dirt, and really getting my hands dirty. I dug up the old daffodil bulbs and started planting perennials. I planted the three Heuchera (coral bells) plants I bought: ‘Dolce Creme de Menthe’,  ‘Blackout’, and ‘Midas Touch’ . Previously, we had seeded some mixed leaf lettuce next to where I planted Heuchera. In my garden last year, I ended up with leaf lettuce almost all season long, and I’m hoping for the same this year.

There is two other storage containers I’ve drilled holes in and filled with potting soil. I seeded some greens into one, and want to put herbs in the other. They aren’t that deep, but I’m hoping the herbs and greens will do well in them. It’s a very cheap experiment. Still lots more to do.

Best thing about this, is with all the rain lately, I haven’t had to water anything! I don’t think there is a hose bib anywhere near, so it’s going to be a chore in the summer.

Another garden blogger had me look at vegetable seed starting guide from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. (I would link the chart, but I can’t seem to find it). I liked the excel format, with the ability to change the last spring frost date. Previously, when I lived up in Logan, I had made a table listing all the dates for vegetables. I had when to start from seed, when to plant, days to maturity, and harvest dates. Quite proud of it, and I found it very useful. But…I moved to Provo, where the last spring frost is different. The dilemma was my chart was now a little bit off.

So I used the idea from the Johnny’s Seeds, and transferred it to an excel and reformatted it so I could change the last spring frost. Now I have a spreadsheet I absolutely love, and I must share it with the gardening world. Here it is: Veggie Planning Guide (Sometimes these links don’t work, or you might want it in a different format. If you do e-mail me (ginkgograss@gmail.com), and I’ll send you a copy directly.)

Now, upon looking at the actual last spring frost for my area, (if in Utah you can get the date from this site) I realized the dates weren’t that different. I could have used the same original sheet. But I would have missed out on all the fun of making a new spreadsheet, and being able to share it with gardeners everywhere.

If you think some of the info could be updated–please comment. Upon looking through the dates, I think they could use some improvement. But I do know if I’m going to lettuce and kohlrabi, I better get planting!

My little patio garden has daffodils! It’s about the only plant I have in the garden, so I am taking advantage of today’s Garden Blogger Bloom Day.

The forsythias are also out, and there are tons around my neighborhood. This one looked the best. Lots were overgrown, shered or otherwise neglected. I like forsythias–but they seem to be one of four plants that everyone has planted. (Roses, lawn, boxwood, and forsythias) There could be lots more plant diversity in my neighborhood.

Some of the fruit trees are also starting to bloom, along with tulips, and an Aubretia (that’s one of the flowers that the name came to me without me really realizing I knew it: I could be wrong).

I wore shorts today, and went hiking without snow. Spring is here, and what a joy after winter!