Cromaine District Library Share Thinking Sustainably, Planning For A Diverse, Healthy Garden

Press release from the Cromaine District Library:

March 7, 2021

As we begin to move towards spring, for some of us agonizingly slow, this is a wonderful time to begin to consider your outdoor projects for this year. Many of us excited gardeners might reflect on what went well last year and how we can improve our garden, or draw maps of where we want to plant certain vegetables or flowers. While it can be exciting to flick through seed catalogs and gather ideas of what you want your garden to feature this year, remember that your garden is less likely to be successful if you’re not moving forward with a sense of purpose, organization, and realism in what you’ll be capable of doing this summer. I have to remind myself of this when I’m planning my garden, because in the winter I tend to feel ambitious and end up with way more plants than I can reasonably handle! Since many gardeners may be susceptible to this issue, I want to spend some time exploring some of the most important components of your garden planning, which should be considered long before we have our beloved, sunny spring days.

Purpose

Diversity

The next component to consider is how you will incorporate diversity into your garden space. With a garden full of tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and eggplants, you might feel accomplished in having a very diverse garden; while in reality, your garden doesn't have much diversity. Tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and eggplants belong to the Nightshade family, Solanaceae, and are therefore prone to the same pests, diseases, and environmental challenges. A diverse garden is significantly less prone to these obstacles, which is why it’s important, especially if gardening organically, to include genetically diverse plants in your space.

Keeping a diverse garden often results in a more successful growing season and harvest, and reduces your workload.

So instead of planting my tomatoes alongside other Nightshade plants, I could diversify my garden by planting crops of different family members in the same area to ward off pests, slow the spread of disease, prevent over and underwatering, and to better allow my garden to care for itself. Tomatoes, for example, grow very well alongside marigold, basil, cilantro, garlic, onion, and carrots. The marigold, basil, and cilantro would help prevent pests who do not like the fragrant herbs; garlic helps to prevent mites that attack tomatoes; and carrots help loosen the soil near tomato plants--just don’t plant the carrots too close to the tomatoes, or they might be squashed by the hardy tomato plant. For extra reading on crop diversity and garden planning, here is a full list of crops and the family they come from--and here is some helpful information on companion planting to help guide your planning.

Tomatoes grow very well alongside Marigolds, which discourage pests.

Experience Level and Time

Something else to consider in your garden is your experience level and time commitment. While some veggies and flowers are inherently easier to grow than others, sometimes a plant that is easy for one person to grow may be very difficult for another because of differences in soil pH and nutrient levels, sun versus shade, proximity to a water source, and other environmental factors. With this in mind, some plants that generally tend to be both prolific and low maintenance include radishes, carrots, peas, beans, lettuce, zucchini, sunflowers, marigolds, nasturtiums, and herbs like basil, cilantro, and parsley. If you are just getting started in gardening, or already know that you’ll have a busy spring and summer, these plants may be perfect for you to explore your green thumb. Or let’s say your summer will likely be busy but your springtime is not--you may have an easier time growing spring vegetables like peas, carrots, kale, and broccoli. If your schedule is the opposite, a busy springtime with more availability in the summer, you could try buying seedlings from a local greenhouse and growing veggies like tomatoes, peppers, and pumpkins, which need to be planted after our last spring frost in late May. Whatever time commitment you’re able to make, there’s sure to be a flower, fruit, herb, or vegetable that fits your lifestyle and preferences.

Even without much space or time to garden, you could have fresh raddishes within four weeks of planting them in a pot! Radish greens are edible as well.

If you want to grow organically and are also willing to put a little more time and energy into trellising, monitoring plants regularly, and keeping a garden from spring to fall, you could try growing crops like bell peppers, tomatoes, and pumpkins, which have a long growing season and tend to be more time-consuming to grow (though again, this may vary depending on the gardener and their setting). Some plants that are considered “difficult” to grow may be made much less time consuming with the benefit of companion planting, which we’ll get into a little more detail on later in the spring. As with most gardening projects, it’s important that you do the research before selecting plants and decide which plants and growing methods are best for you.

Space To Grow

Finally, spend some time considering the amount of space you have to grow plants. Whatever you want to grow, there are many options for growing efficiently without taking up too much space! I have grown varieties of tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and mini squash in pots without a problem. You can also grow carrots, radish, and other plants in pots throughout the season and keep them inside or outside, depending on the space you have available. Another wonderful way to use your gardening space effectively is through methods of vertical gardening; it not only saves space, but also adds texture and variety to your little garden. For example, lattices are perfect for growing small vining veggies like beans, peas, and cucumbers. Hanging baskets are another way to grow vertically, though they need to be watered more on hot summer days. They look lovely and edible herbs do well in them. Teepees and A-Frames are also attractive and useful ways to vertically grow. While personally I don’t like to use tomato cages for my tomatoes, they are wonderful to use for smaller plants that are less likely to tip over or break the cage, like peas, beans, cucumbers, or peppers.

Another way to save space is to grow small greens like arugula, spinach, or lettuce on a vertical wood pallet. I secure landscape fabric to one side of the pallet, fill the pallet with soil via the other side, and then tilt the pallet up and lean it against something (I lean it against my barn). This way, you can water the top of the pallet and the water will trickle down and wet the soil below.

Vertical pallet boards are a great way to save space growing veggies.

I’ve even secured either end of a hog panel to the ground with T-posts and used it as an arbor to grow squash on! But you could also buy or make your own arch with different material, like PVC Piping. This method could be used for growing vining flowers, peas, beans, cucumbers, and other vining plants! Keep a few of these methods in the back of your mind as you plan your garden this year--using your space wisely makes for a more diverse, accessible, and resilient garden!

Growing squash over an arch makes for easier growing and harvesting!

If you’re able to stop by the Library this month, there is a display on the second floor to accompany our Sustainability topic for this month. I hope you find some more helpful info there! Our little Seed Library is also available at the Library this month, if you are interested in taking or leaving some free seeds to help those in our community grow a variety of great foods. Finally, for extra help and inspiration for our garden, I would highly recommend checking out our gardening books at the Library. They can be found in the Adult Non-Fiction section, numbered 635. We have some really helpful books on gardening in small spaces, attracting pollinators, problem solving in the garden, and more. I love exploring our collection for ideas and helpful tips. If you don’t plan to visit the Library soon, you can also view the Sustainability display and search for gardening books online. Enjoy the remaining winter days, and have fun planning your garden for success.

This press release was produced by the Cromaine District Library. The views expressed are the author's own.