Autumn has arrived and that means it's time to put the bulbs in so next year's flowers will pop up in the spring! The first couple times I planted bulbs I did it all wrong! I planted them too shallow, I planted them too close together and I planted them at the wrong time of year.
I learned the hard way that if you plant them too shallow the chipmunks will dig them up and eat them. If you plant them too close together as certain bulbs multiply you're going to have to thin them out, and soon.
Also, if you plant them in the wrong season well you might not get anything for a year if at all.
So today I want to talk about what I've learned and put into practice since the first disastrous set of bulbs I planted.
I think my favorite vegetable to grow is peas! They are also one of the easiest vegetables to grow and generally produce well from spring into the hot parts of summer. One vine will produce dozens of pea pods! Plus since they grow up not out, they don't take up a lot of ground space.
I grow sugar snap peas, snow peas and regular shelling peas. Even though they are different varieties they all pretty much have the same care so this guide will help you with growing all different types of peas!
It's crazy how many different types of peas are out there! So lets talk about growing them.
I have been growing bush beans in my home garden for years! They are one of the easiest vegetables to grow and generally produce well from spring into fall. They are one of the easiest vegetables to grow and 1 plant will produce dozens of beans! Plus they don't take up a lot of space.
A few years back I started growing more than just the standard Blue Lake bush beans. I love the color of purple bush beans and have recently started growing some of the yellow bush bean varieties!
It's crazy how many different types of bush beans are out there! So lets talk about growing them.
I grow lilies. Lots of them! I have 8 different places where I have lilies planted. 3 of the flower beds are exclusive, meaning no other plant grows there perennially.
Two of my lily beds have other perennials in them and one has spaces for annuals. Some of the lilies I grow are quite beautiful but unfortunately when they die off for the year I'm left with scraggly empty looking beds.
Well, it's almost over. Garden season, that is. It always goes by so fast, doesn't it? Next thing you know that vegetables are no longer producing and the flowers are dying. It's time to clean up the garden plot and put it to bed for winter.
I have a bunch of garden chores I do every fall. It's takes some time, but it's worth it when your garden is ready come spring.
There are a few of these tasks I look forward to in fall and one is the record keeping, actually. This is when I look back and decide what worked, what didn't and what changes I need to make for next year.
I know lots of people do this during the cold days of winter but I prefer to do it now when it's all fresh in my mind and right in front of me.
Once I remove the plants and finish the other garden chores, well...I tend to start romanticizing the garden and looking through rose colored glasses for next year! lol Do you do this too?
Now on to the fall garden chores! Most of what needs to be completed is a matter of cleaning up and covering up. This is how I like to prepare my garden for winter:
Marigolds are a garden staple, known for their bright flowers and pest repelling qualities. They make excellent companion plants for tomatoes and are available in every garden nursery.
It's easy to grow marigolds from seed and they often come back every year, since they're pretty good at self seeding!
I have been growing marigolds for many years. They are one of the flowers I wrote about in 8 flowers the you need in your garden. Many gardeners grow them for their color.
Their bright orange and yellow blooms attract lots of pollinators like butterflies. Since your vegetables need pollinators, it's a good idea to welcome them to the garden!
Many gardeners plant marigolds near tomatoes to repel nematodes and other pests on the nearby plants. Marigolds themselves get very few pests except for the occasional mite or aphid.
It's believed that the pungent scent of the marigolds discourages many pests from visiting the garden.
They're said to deter both rabbits and deer, though unfortunately, they do nothing for chipmunks and other rodents.
Marigolds can grow thick enough to create a garden barrier, so if you need to keep rabbits out, plant them near any gaps in your fence line.
Marigold is the common name for over 50 species of flowering plants in the Tagetes family. They were native to the Americas, but have been naturalized throughout the world.
Various species are grown for their medicinal properties, culinary use, decoration and even pest repellant in the garden.
The valerian roots however don't have anywhere near as pleasant of a fragrance! They've been compared to the stench of dirty socks.
I don't know if you've heard, but the monarch butterfly is decreasing in population lately. They have declined by 85% in the last decade. Monarchs are different than other butterflies in that they only have one host plant for the caterpillars and it happens to grow in ditches in a long roadside so it's often treated as a weed and destroyed.
That plant is milkweed, more on that later.
However it's not just the monarchs! Over 450 butterfly species have declined in population since 1972! Butterflies are crucial pollinators (along with bees) for many produce crops.
No pollinators equals no food! We already know there's problems with the bee population and now... here we are with butterflies!
Petunias are a garden staple, known for their colorful flowers and great for gardens or containers. They come in more colors and types than you could count! They do great in full sun but because they tolerate shade well they are often placed close to homes where they spent part of the day in the shadow of the house.
I have been growing petunias for many years. I like using them in the garden but they're also great in planters. Since they spread out so well, they can be used as a pot filler.
Their colorful blooms attract lots of pollinators like butterflies and bees. Since your vegetables need pollinators, it's a good idea to welcome add to the garden!
My garden started as mostly full sun, but because it's situated approximately 20' from the edge of the woods, it takes awhile for the sun to get to it in the morning. 11 am to be exact.
The definition of full sun is at least 6 hours of direct sun per day, partial sun is 4-6 hours of direct sun per day, partial shade is about 1-4 hours of direct sun that isn't the hot afternoon sun.
From the second the sun comes over the trees, till about 7 pm in summer, the garden gets sun.
That should be all there is to it, but because of plant placing there are a few areas that don't get as much sun as others. For instance, since my tomato plants grow to be about 4' tall, anything planted behind them doesn't get as much sun.
Asparagus creates the same problem.
When planning my garden I need to take this into account. Also, over the years the trees in the woods grew taller and they now block more sun. Some of my formerly full sun areas now have a whole lot more shade!
We talked about figuring out how much sun your garden gets in How to Make a Sun Map for your Garden. If this is your first time gardening in your location (or you're moving the garden plot) you'll want to make a sun map first.
If you've been using that spot for a few years you're probably familiar with the way the sun moves across your property during the growing season.
Knowing which parts of your garden has less sun, or which plants will block the sun once they're full grown is essential to planning a garden where all your plants get the correct amount of sunlight for optimal growth!
