We Are Getting Ready for Spring Gardening - Organically
This is Step One
We Moved this last year from a home we had lived in for over 18 years to a small town not far away. Our back yard is not large but we are transforming it into a country garden space that we will enjoy all year round for many years to come.
My husband built 5 raised beds 3 x 6 feet on one side of the yard for fresh vegetables all spring and summer long. We have much work to do but the beds are ready for planting as soon as it is warm enough, sometime towards the last of February and first part of March.
They are now all filled with Garden soil approximately 2 inches from the top, ready for plantings. In the last bed shown in the photo above, we did plant two blueberry bushes and when the time is good will plant a Rhubarb plant as well. I will plant strawberries all around the border for fresh fruit and color. This bed will not be rotated each year, it is permanent.
Since there is time now before we plant red potatoes (third week of February if soil is warm enough), I have made a drafting sheet showing all beds and what will be planted in them and when plants or seeds need to be planted. I also have a February To-Do-List for our zone which is Zone 8 being in the Pacific Northwest.
Believe me there is plenty to do this month to ready ourselves for the coming months of planting and harvesting. I made a plan for the next 5 years for the beds, rotating each year so we do not plant the same vegetable/fruit two years in a row in the same bed. The vegetables will be healthier and it is easier to ward off insects that are harmful to the crop by rotating.
Here is my February To-Do-List:
- Feed soil by applying compost to plantings including trees, shrubs and all garden beds. We put in fresh garden soil in the raised beds so this step was not necessary for us.
- Plant potatoes by the third week of the month if soil is warm enough, approximately 4 inches deep.
- Sow any seeds for leaf lettuce or other outdoor greens. For a continuous harvest I will repeat every two weeks.
- Clean up any debris, prune roses and plant new roses (if you do not have and want) and they are bare root plants.
- We planted two semi-dwarf fruit trees on the other side of the patio area so we will need to spray according to what is required for these trees. One is Cherry with four different varieties and the other is Apple with four different varieties. No fruit for 2 to 3 years, but when it comes we are excited. We do not need to worry about the trees being pollinated because they are the four varieties.
I will post another regarding the other side of the yard and what we plan. It is all one step at a time, but we know when summer arrives it will be more than wonderful.
We Are Getting Ready for Spring Gardening - Organically
This is the First Step
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