Finding Your Passion In A Small Space - Try These "big Garden" Tips - Part 2
We have already started the search for finding your passion in gardening with creating a big garden in a small space. Read on for further hints, tips and ideas.
Planning or laying out the location of your plants is an important step with a small space. On paper, draw out the location of each type of plant giving each adequate space to grow. Each year you will want to rotate your vegetables to a different location in your garden as that helps reduce disease.
Purchasing only healthy plants is another step in finding your passion with gardening, but one which will get your garden off to a solid start.
Before planting any seeds or plants, I erect all of my fence panels and tomato cages according to my diagram. When I put up my fence, I will pound one steel post into the ground using my sledge hammer. Measure the appropriate distance from the first one and then pound in the second one. You want your posts to match the width of your fence so it may be fastened securely to the posts. I take two bricks and lay on the inside of each fence post on their edge, set the fence on top and fasten securely to the steel posts. I do this to raise the fence to keep it out of the dirt and to make it easy to weed underneath the fence. The last few years I used plastic baler twine to fasten the fence. It is much easier to work with than wire. When you get it tightly fastened, it will hold just as firmly - even with plants growing on the panel. It’s also a lot easier to take your fence down in the fall, a couple of slices with the utility knife and your fence is free.
For your tomato cages, I put the outside edge of two cages about 4 - 5 feet apart. I drive a steel post on the outside edge of each cage, and then set a 4 foot piece of fence panel on top of the cages, fastening all securely to the posts. Now you are set for your tomatoes to grow up to 7 feet tall – trust me, the ordinary tomato plant you buy will grow that tall. As the plant grows you will want to keep all the plant growth inside the tomato cage for added support. When the plant grows above the cage, keep weaving the ends of the vine into the fence panel. I also loosely tie the vines to the panel as they grow – avoid tying your string or cloth strips tightly against the vine itself as you will hamper the growth.
All you need is passion. If you have a passion for something, you'll create the talent. Yanni
Another trick for having a big garden in a small space is to mulch the surface of your garden. Once the seedlings are planted, or your plants are a couple inches tall, I take fresh grass clippings and spread around the plants. Keep your grass clippings about an inch from the plant as the fresh clippings will get warm and could damage or kill your new plant. I typically mulch grass clippings at a depth of 2-3 inches. As your grass clippings dry out over the next several days, they will keep the soil moist, but also provide a barrier for weeds. Once I mulch my garden, I don’t need to worry about weeding it, saving time over the summer.
When setting out seedlings, I will place a 6 – 8 inch section of the black plastic drainage tile around the plant, pushing it down an inch or two into the dirt. This will protect your plant from the birds and the bunnies who want to munch on your new plants. You can buy the 4 inch drainage tile at the home improvement stores in 10 foot or longer lengths. It’s flexible so you can bend it to get it in your trunk and it is easily cut with a sharp utility knife.
In the fall once all the vegetation, posts, and fence is removed, spread a layer of leaves on top of your garden. Then I spade the old grass clippings and the leaves into the soil using a potato fork. You may end up with some big “chunks” of dirt, but don’t worry, over the winter the snow and the rain will soften them up. In the spring, all I do is take my garden rake and level the dirt before installing my cages, posts and fence panels.
Fertilizing is important as your plants need food for their growth. I’ll use a little granular fertilizer designed for gardens in the spring. Later, after the plants are well established, I will mix some of the powder designed to aid plant growth with water in my sprinkling can and place at the base of the plants. You can do this at regular intervals – consult the directions on the product you are using. This year I am purchasing one of the little battery powered soil testers (about $20.) so I will be more scientific in fertilizing and providing nutrients for my plants.
Weather conditions and the type of soil will dictate the watering of your garden. Plants don’t grow in dry soil, so you want to keep the soil moist. Don’t over water as that will make your root system decay if the plants are continually in saturated soil. Water during the day so the plants have a chance to dry before evening as this will help to reduce disease. When watering, it is better to water more heavily and less frequently as this will force the roots to grow deeper into the soil. If you are gardening in clay or some type of dense soil, I just came across a product which alleviates the natural water repellency of dense or compacted soils. It allows the soil to absorb more water which reduces the amount of watering you need to do. I will be especially happy to use it on my lawn to cut down on the watering.
I’m also a fan of fencing my garden space to keep the kids and their dogs out of the garden – with a fenced yard, for me it’s not a problem. I have a chain link fence around my yard and with a corner garden spot, two of the sides are automatically covered. The shed in the backyard takes care of most of the third side. I use chicken wire on the front side of the garden to discourage the bunnies in my yard – and sometimes they do come through the chain link just to make sure all my plants are doing well…..
My “big” garden spot consists of 225 square feet - 55 square feet is walkway. In this space I will have 5-6 tomato plants, 2 groupings of cucumbers of about 7-8 plants each planted at two different times, 1 grouping of muskmelon of 4-6 plants, enough space allocated to plant one or two of the bags of 100 onion sets, 8-12 pepper plants, and one grouping of 7-9 butternut squash plants. I’ll scatter radish seeds under the tomato plants early in the season as they grow quickly. If you are planting seeds, always plant extras and thin once they have a good start.
In “Part 1” I talked about purchasing cattle panels to hold your plants or re-rod to stake your raised bed garden – the only way to cut them is with a fairly large bolt cutter. If you try either with a hacksaw, bring plenty of blades and be prepared to spend some time doing it. I’ve done it both ways and the bolt cutter is the way to go.
Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. Harold Whitman
I’ve now shared my experiences regarding a big garden in a small space. It’s fun, relaxing, and rewarding to see what one can grow. With a garden like this, you are able to see good results with a relatively small time commitment. Finding your passion in gardening was never so easy. Enjoy your gardening – I can hardly wait for those first ripe tomatoes this year!
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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