Finding Your Passion In A Small Space - Try These "big Garden" Tips - Part 1
In our dreams we see an acre of vegetables, yet every time we look out the back door all we see is a postage stamp sized area for a garden. Finding your passion in gardening gives you the opportunity to forget about the stress of your job and other obligations and the chance to grow something of your own. Gardening may be for us past farm kids who like to dig in the dirt, for those of us who want to eat more healthily, or just save a few dollars off the grocery bill. A big garden may be only a dream, yet the homeowner with a small space in the corner of their yard may still be able to experience that dream.
What do you have a passion for? What has made you want to jump out of bed? Catherine Pulsifer
Let’s start with the location for the garden as a means of finding your passion. You want as much exposure to the sun as you can get. Avoid a garden by large trees or any structure which will shade the area and stunt the growth of your plants. Try for a level area with decent drainage. If you have a yard with a chain-link fence, look at one of the back corners. Don’t overlook a space because you think it isn’t big enough – you would be surprised what you can grow in a garden with a total of 100 or 200 square feet of space and the enjoyment you can receive.
The type of soil in your yard is a big factor in the success of your garden. If you are blessed with black dirt in your yard, say “thank you”! The first two homes we lived in had plenty of black dirt. At our current home we have clay, and only clay. This gives us a couple of options - one was to mix mulch and peat moss into the soil to help loosen the very compact and dense clay. Or you can do what I did – I dug a trench around 24 inches or more deep and moved the dirt to another part of the yard. I started a “mound” for flowers, that’s another opportunity for finding your passion in a different type of gardening – flower gardening. Next I had a truck load of black dirt brought in and I filled the trench in my garden.
Now you can stop there, but I didn’t. I wanted a “raised-bed” garden which offers a couple of advantages. A raised-bed garden will dry quicker in the spring allowing you to plant sooner. You can have defined rows with a walkway on one or more sides which will allow you access to your plants without walking on the area where they are growing. This reduces soil compaction. A raised-bed garden also means you don’t need to stoop down as far when weeding or picking your produce. There are various means of confining the dirt in a raised-bed garden, the most common is railroad ties or with treated 4x4’s or 6x6’s. I don’t like either due to creosote in the ties and the chemicals used in the “green” or treated lumber. My concern is the chemicals will leech out of the wood into the ground and end up in your vegetables – that would not be very healthy for you. One can use stone if you have access to that on your property or if you are willing to spend a lot of money. I use the white vinyl 2x6 fencing material you might see in a fence on a horse farm. It is relatively inexpensive, you can cut it with a hack saw, and with a few pieces of re-rod pounded into the dirt on each side, and it will stand upright for years. Both items can be found at most of the big home improvement type stores.
Chase down your passion like it's the last bus of the night. Glade Byron Addams
If you truly want a big garden in a small space we have one last factor to consider - that is having your plants grow “up” instead of spreading out on the ground taking up the amount of space stated on the back of the package. I use what is called a “cattle panel” - your larger home improvement stores or a farm store will stock these. They are 16 feet long and 5 feel high comprised of galvanized steel rods of about 3/8 inch thick fastened together. Farmers use them to build a mesh type fence to hold livestock. I cut the panel into 2, 3 or 4 pieces, ending up with 8 foot pieces, about 5 ½ foot pieces, or 4 foot pieces. Then with a “t” steel post of 6 feet length on each side, I stand them on end about 3-4 inches off the ground. This allows your plants to grow on a support up to 6 or 8 feet high in the air.
Growing your plants “up” will dramatically alter your planning and the amount of vegetables you can plant in your garden. This will truly allow you to have a much bigger garden in a small space.
Before heading off to the garden center to buy your seeds or plants, you will want to have a plan showing what to plant in each spot in your garden. Determine where you will place your cattle panels and what type of vegetables you will grow on each length. Understanding the amount of space a plant will require is an important step in your planning. A common mistake is to plant too closely together, this will hurt your overall yield. You will want to select a “vine-type” plant rather than the compact “bush-type” so the plant will grow up your fence.
Training your vegetables to grow on the wire panels offers other advantages. Your vegetables will be off the ground and will be less likely to rot. Finding your ripe vegetables, especially cucumbers, is easier as you move aside the leaves and look for a cucumber hanging down compared to finding one laying on the ground against a dark background. On top of that, it will give the neighbors something to talk about – 2 years ago I had a 28 pound banana squash which grew 5 feet in the air completely unsupported. If you are not sure when to pick your muskmelons, just wait, when they are ripe they will fall off. I’ve used a step ladder to pick pole beans and the big fishhook lima beans. Now let’s not get too carried away trying to grow watermelons or your Halloween pumpkin off the ground as the vines or the stem will not support that much weight.
I’ve provided some basics for finding your passion with a small vegetable garden. With a little water and bit of your time, you also will be successful in growing items for your dinner table, while finding peace and relaxation in your life.
Neil Graber, Life Style Mentor and Successful Entrepreneur, is helping many become the next success story. Whether you're looking to create an extra few thousand dollars per month, be an ex-corporate executive, or the next millionaire Mom, Neil can assist you to create a second stream of income and greater peace of mind. visit : Success
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