If any of you are gardeners or plant tenders than you understand that every garden, every year and every plant is always a work in progress (WIP). Everything, from the choosing where to plant to turning over the dirt, is a constant game of tweaking and changing.
I am always scouring books, websites and online videos for the more information on how to grow my plants as naturally as possible. This year I researched what I could grow along side my laundry list of herbs, veggies and fruits, that would keep unwanted, harmful pests away. As usually I found some useful information, some things I already new and some weird stuff that on further investigation was complete gibberish.
This year my biggest discoveries changed my whole approach to my garden.
I found out that my Cucumber Beetle (pictured below) infestation was so terrible because the garden patch had not been tilled in several years. So about 1 month before the last predicted freeze, I rented a lovely gas-powered tiller, and tilled my garden bed… a lot!
I also found out that several varieties of flowers and herbs work as bug repellent just by being in your garden and growing. I researched the flowers and herbs to find which ones would grow best in my climate and settled on Marigolds, Nasturtium, and Garlic chives as people the most beneficial to my garden.
Another bit of information I gleaned was that while a completely segmented garden area might be easy to navigate, it does not always make for the tastiest or most prolific plants. Several sources suggested planting based on how you use the produce, for example, who doesn’t love tomatoes and basil? It’s a classic pairing, great in soups, on pizza, in sandwiches or on a nice sliced baguette with a bit of mozzarella. So why not grow your basil with your tomatoes?
Basil is also a natural pest control, but I learned that last year, in my garden ravaged by Cucumber Beetles The 5 basil plants had the only untouched foliage in my entire garden, and honey bees were very pleased with them as well. So this year I grouped herbs with my vegetables to give them the best chance of success. Here’s the map of my garden I created before planting to ensure maximum yield while still preserving some kind of walkway to be able to harvest all the tastiness:
Not shown here are numerous garlic chives and scallions planted around the other plants.
This year is a test to see if this style of gardening is in fact better for the plants, and also to see how well the additional flowers and herbs (and all the tilling) worked to keep the harmful pests away. Also new for this season will be the addition of several hundred lady bugs to the yard! I’m anxiously waiting for them to arrive.
I am still researching more things about gardening. Please don’t think I am an expert, for I am surely not. This is only my second season, and my first real experience with actual gardening. Having been born and raised in a city, all my previous garden endeavors have been contained to pots.
What are some of your favorite gardening tips? Have you learned any garden related tricks from your own green thumbs? I would love to hear from you.
Kween's Krafts 