March Garden - Taming the Local Food Chain

 

We made some real progress in the garden this weekend – setting out transplants of peppers, cucumbers and corn, replanting tomatoes (see below), mulching the collards, broccoli, onions, strawberries, and lettuce, and sowing sunflower and zinnia seeds. 

We got a slow start this spring, mostly on account of an unfortunate suburban food chain taking place in our yard. In a perfect world, the corgi pup would herd the free-range chickens into their coop at night, and the chickens would peck harmful insects off the veggie plants during the day.  But, instead, the corgi is trying to eat the chickens who are, in turn, pecking to death every tender sprout in the garden or in flats.  This is partly my fault.  We introduced our birds to chicken heaven last summer when we kept them for a couple months in the front-yard garden, housed in a “chicken tractor” – a small coop that we could move around in the garden so that they would scratch at and fertilize the soil.  When we returned the chickens to the backyard, they started hopping the fence and visiting the vegetable garden regularly. Who knew that those tiny heads held such strong memories? Or how much chickens love baby tomato plants, and unripe strawberries?

So the chickens are no longer ranging freely. And the pup is no longer trusted.  But the garden is being planted at last!  While it may look like free-form hay and leaf formations right now (hay for the mulch, leaves for the path), tiny transplants are setting down their roots now, full of promise for May (provided they survive any late freezes, early heat waves, torrential downpours and/or insect invasions between now and then).

We also sowed sunflower and zinnia seeds in flats.  The zinnias are long-stemmed and some of the sunflowers will be the smaller, branching types - so they'll add color inside and out starting in about 60 days.  Once they’re transplanted in the garden, we’ll sow Seminole pumpkin and roselle seeds – two things that we like that will take the heat.  We’ll plant them in the place vacated by the collards and lettuce as the weather warms up.  We’ll also sow bean seeds around bamboo teepees.  Most things do better here in Florida when they have a chance to grow in flats for a bit rather than directly sowing them in the garden, where they are subject to the plagues mentioned above.

 

I always draw out a garden plan, trying to visualize what it will be like once everything’s up and producing, hoping to have the next thing ready to plant as the previous one begins to bite the dust. It never turns out exactly as I imagine; volunteers from years past sprout in unexpected places, some plants don’t thrive, others take over… but it’s always good - for both my mental health and our family’s table.  

Comments

[Waste Wear Daily]

Hi, Do you live next door to Karen? She is a friend of mine. Nice looking garden.
Cindy in FL

[Kelli]

Yes, we are Karen's neighbors! Did you recognize the chicken (may it rest in peace)?