THE GARDEN'S EDGE
The Garden's Edge
Donna Kianka
Winter’s Edge Micro Farm
Sea Cliff, N.Y.
Growing with your Garden
Your garden should evolve, change and grow, just like we do as humans. Many a newbie starts with an aggressive agenda only to see their newly established beds over run with weeds and fall into ruin….. a garden casualty due to the limited amount of time or flexible knees each of us has. But there is a prudent and tested method to avoid this: start small and grow your gardens over time. Time and time again, I recommend starting with two ” themed gardens”. These can be in containers, raised beds or directly sown into the ground.
The first garden should be a collection of herbs that support the cook in the kitchen aka “kitchen herb garden”. Simply, think of all the herbs you use most of the time in cooking and plant those. Limit yourself to the space you have in a container or small bed. I highly recommend basil, oregano, rosemary and parsley to start. Basil is an annual and needs to be harvested before it bolts or flowers. You can dry or freeze the harvest and use the herbs over the winter. Oregano as well as parsley will grow back year after year and both can be harvested to get you through the winter. Rosemary can winter over (I have heard stories) but I never have had success and end up drying and storing it for seasonal use. All of these plants can be brought inside to winter over if you wish to plant in a container and have the room. You can add to your herbs next season, but again do it slowly and do it based on your style of cooking.
The second garden should be plantings you can easily and readily use. There is what I call the “basic foundation cooking garden” and includes potatoes, onions and garlic. Garlic is planted in the fall and is harvested around July. Potato gardens need to be rotated every year and planted away from plants such as eggplant due to the beetles and other pests. Potatoes can also be planted in a big container. Onions can be mixed varieties and include both red and white. Another garden I recommend is the salad garden which would include lettuce, radishes, cucumbers and tomatoes. All can be grown in containers. These can all be harvested to provide a combined product (salad) however they do not all produce at the same time. Lettuce is a cold weather plant and will bolt in the heat. Lettuce can also be sown repeatedly so you have a continuous supply or something close. Radishes, for example are harvestable about every 21 days. Planting them every 10 days or so will ensure a continuous supply. Cucumbers are typically ready for harvest before or about the same time as tomatoes depending on when they were planted.
The last and very optional but highly recommended planting is for the bees. Mints are great to grow in containers as they are aggressive spreaders, but if you want only mint on your property then sow this plant directly into the earth. They are hardy and the bees will harvest from them after they flower midsummer. In addition, you can pluck a leaf or two for teas and for flavored water. Mint can also be chewed directly and acts as a breath freshener. Plant a mint garden and pick among numerous flavors which includes great choices like: grapefruit, chocolate, spearmint, peppermint and orange. All are good hardy plantings.
A basic skill to master is the discipline to water the plants in your garden as needed. Do not overwater and be sure to take the weather into consideration. Plant sun loving plants in the sun and shade in the shade. Read directions on the back of your seed packet and plant at the appropriate time. Do not over fertilize and again read the directions on the back of the package. Use organic products so you are not adding more chemicals to your food.
Start small and grow your gardens as you grow your skills and knowledge. You will get more joy and a greater sense of satisfaction out of a small more meaningful garden then a bed of unwanted weeds (some of which may be edible but that is another discussion).
Donna Kianka
Winter’s Edge Micro Farm
Sea Cliff, N.Y.
Growing with your Garden
Your garden should evolve, change and grow, just like we do as humans. Many a newbie starts with an aggressive agenda only to see their newly established beds over run with weeds and fall into ruin….. a garden casualty due to the limited amount of time or flexible knees each of us has. But there is a prudent and tested method to avoid this: start small and grow your gardens over time. Time and time again, I recommend starting with two ” themed gardens”. These can be in containers, raised beds or directly sown into the ground.
The first garden should be a collection of herbs that support the cook in the kitchen aka “kitchen herb garden”. Simply, think of all the herbs you use most of the time in cooking and plant those. Limit yourself to the space you have in a container or small bed. I highly recommend basil, oregano, rosemary and parsley to start. Basil is an annual and needs to be harvested before it bolts or flowers. You can dry or freeze the harvest and use the herbs over the winter. Oregano as well as parsley will grow back year after year and both can be harvested to get you through the winter. Rosemary can winter over (I have heard stories) but I never have had success and end up drying and storing it for seasonal use. All of these plants can be brought inside to winter over if you wish to plant in a container and have the room. You can add to your herbs next season, but again do it slowly and do it based on your style of cooking.
The second garden should be plantings you can easily and readily use. There is what I call the “basic foundation cooking garden” and includes potatoes, onions and garlic. Garlic is planted in the fall and is harvested around July. Potato gardens need to be rotated every year and planted away from plants such as eggplant due to the beetles and other pests. Potatoes can also be planted in a big container. Onions can be mixed varieties and include both red and white. Another garden I recommend is the salad garden which would include lettuce, radishes, cucumbers and tomatoes. All can be grown in containers. These can all be harvested to provide a combined product (salad) however they do not all produce at the same time. Lettuce is a cold weather plant and will bolt in the heat. Lettuce can also be sown repeatedly so you have a continuous supply or something close. Radishes, for example are harvestable about every 21 days. Planting them every 10 days or so will ensure a continuous supply. Cucumbers are typically ready for harvest before or about the same time as tomatoes depending on when they were planted.
The last and very optional but highly recommended planting is for the bees. Mints are great to grow in containers as they are aggressive spreaders, but if you want only mint on your property then sow this plant directly into the earth. They are hardy and the bees will harvest from them after they flower midsummer. In addition, you can pluck a leaf or two for teas and for flavored water. Mint can also be chewed directly and acts as a breath freshener. Plant a mint garden and pick among numerous flavors which includes great choices like: grapefruit, chocolate, spearmint, peppermint and orange. All are good hardy plantings.
A basic skill to master is the discipline to water the plants in your garden as needed. Do not overwater and be sure to take the weather into consideration. Plant sun loving plants in the sun and shade in the shade. Read directions on the back of your seed packet and plant at the appropriate time. Do not over fertilize and again read the directions on the back of the package. Use organic products so you are not adding more chemicals to your food.
Start small and grow your gardens as you grow your skills and knowledge. You will get more joy and a greater sense of satisfaction out of a small more meaningful garden then a bed of unwanted weeds (some of which may be edible but that is another discussion).
