Planting Leeks

I planted the leek seedlings outside today. 
Plant the leeks 6 inches apart, 6 inches down with 1 1/2 ft. between the rows.  To ensure the rows would be straight I ran a piece of twine attached to 2 stakes down the the bed.
I hilled the rows then planted the seedlings.  Just the very tops of the plants should be showing (the plants should be the length of a pencil). Leeks can be harvested late into the season and can be stored with either soil or vermiculite in a warm dry area.  Last I looked, leeks in the grocery store cost $3.99 for three so growing your own will save you mucho money. My favourite soup is potato and leek soup with homemade herb (basil, parsley, scape or mixed will do) pesto.

Weeding :(

The need to weed occurs during the entire growing season.  Whenever you check the garden, you will need to weed.  If it is your day to check your crops and you’ve finished weeding, take a walk throughout the garden and spend an extra 15 minutes weeding another crop.  If all four of you did this, your weeds would be under control and your gardening experience would be enhanced.  The thing I have noticed at our garden is that the guys do not like to weed.  They want to till, move the stuff to the compost pile in the wheel barrow, cut the grass, build things, and do just about anything but weed.  If you are each responsible for a specific crop or crops, this should not be an issue.  Familiarize yourself with your crop so you know what to pull when things start growing. Make sure to cover the crops to reduce weeds! 

No to Pests

One investment we made that I encourage any organic vegetable grower to purchase are floating row covers.  This year, we are going to cover all of our crops with row covers.  The crops that we have covered in previous years have had fewer weeds and fewer pests than the uncovered crops.  Deer and rabbits cannot eat through the covers so it saves you from putting up a deer fence. The covers can be used year after year if handled and stored properly.  A 7 ft. x 50 ft. light weight row cover costs approximately $19.95 at Lee Valley (check on web to get the best deal). They can be cut with scissors to the length needed. When placing the row cover over the plants, leave enough space for the plants to grow.  Anchor the entire width and length of the row covers with soil and rocks.  I can’t stress enough how indispensible the row covers are. If your group needs to contribute a few more dollars towards their purchase, do it!

The pests that we have had problems with in the past are potato beetles and slugs.  We are going to cover the potatoes this year, so hopefully we will not have the beetle problem. Unfortunately with organic gardening, the only way to get rid of beetles is to kill them, either by squishing them between your fingers or drowning them in a can of water.  Neither is pleasant and although the crop is the responsibility of one person, we usually all help in the eradicating of the dreaded potato beetle.  The eggs of the potato beetle are orange and are under the leaves.  Check the leaves carefully and remove the eggs.

The slugs come out when it has been wet for an extended period of time.  One thing that has worked for us is beer.  I know you probably don’t have any beer to spare but try to part with it for the good of the garden.  We buy the small aluminum dishes at the dollar store and place them throughout the garden. The top of the dish should be flush with the soil.  Pour in the beer (any brand will do) and the slugs will think its TGIF.  Bye, bye slugs.

Let the Fun Begin!

The garden is prepared, the seedlings have sprouted and the weather is warm enough to start planting some veggies.  Potatoes can be planted as soon as you can work the soil.  You want to buy disease free “seed potatoes” (the ones at the grocery store are usually chemically treated to prevent the eyes from sprouting). You will only need a couple of pounds of potatoes for a 20 ft. row.  Check the growing instruction.

Around May 8^th, you can plant the beets, carrots, Swiss chard and snap peas.  Each person should be responsible for one crop.  The person responsible for snap peas will need to build a trellis for the snap peas to grow. This is extra labour up front, but snap peas do not require as much weeding as the others.  Check the seed package to get the proper planting instructions.

Some of the seeds are really tiny so you may want to create a seed tape using paper towels. Cut two inch strips of paper towels.  Wet the paper towel with a spray bottle. Space the seeds (according to the package) on the paper towel.  Fold one long end a third of the way over (crease the fold) and do the same with the other long end. Plant the seed tape at the required depth and cover with soil. Water seeds carefully as you do not want to disturb the seeds you just planted.  The seed tape is beneficial because you will not have to thin (which always make me sad) the plants when they start to grow and compete for space.  You can also purchase ready-made seed tapes but they cost much more than doing it yourself.

Around May 15^th, the beets, carrots, onion and Swiss chard can be planted.  On warm days, take your seedlings outdoor for some fresh air.  This will slowly acclimate them to the outdoors and it will not be so traumatic when they are transplanted.

After June 4^th, all the seedling plants can be transplanted into the garden.  When you transplant, handle each plant delicately so the root system is not damaged.  During this slow time the garden should be checked at least once a week for moisture, signs of insects and disease problems.  Set up a schedule so that each person has one day during the week to tend the garden.

Preparing Your Patch

You can plant most of your  veggies in raised beds or directly in the ground.  In our garden we plant the onions and lettuces in raised beds but this is not necessary to produce delicious veggies.  Measure the 10 x 20 plot and surround with twine.  If you are transforming a lawn into a garden, cultivate the rows into the sod, three feet apart. Everyone start digging!  Dig about 12 inches or one shovel deep. Some of the earth will be used to “hill” the potatoes and the rest can go into the compost pile.

The trifecta of any good garden is sun, water and soil. Soil is not just dirt.  It is a mix of fine rock particles, organic matter, water, air, microorganisms and other animals.  We want the soil full of living things in order for your garden to thrive.  We add well composted manure we buy from a local farmer.  You can buy

composted bags of manure at garden centres. You will need about 30 lbs. of organic composted manure or fertilizer. Before you add compost to your garden, it absolutely necessary to  weed.  Believe me, this will save tedious weeding later. At this point, it will be easy to figure out who really wants to be part of your garden family.  Weeding is labourious work and you’ll find that most people despise this part of organic gardening.  Put on your ipod, have a drink close by and get into the zone.

After weeding, the ground will need to be tilled to work up the soil. If you can borrow a tiller for a couple of hours – great, if not dig by hand with a spade or spading fork.  Don’t till if the soil is too wet or too dry.  Next, use a yardstick, twine, and stakes to ensure your rows are straight and evenly spaced. Spread the compost over the rows (up to 6 inches if you want to buy that much).  Till or cultivate the compast matter into the soil.  This should be done about two weeks (last week of April) before you plant the cool weather veggies like beets, lettuce, onions and radishes.  You will need at least 12 inches between rows and 24 inches for the tomatoes and squash. Put at least 1 inch of mulch (straw, sawdust, bark, newspapers, grass clippings and black plastic bags) between the rows to prevent weeds.  Remember, this is an organic garden so no chemical weed killers allowed.

Starting Seeds

Start seeds in the spring before the first frost is an inexpensive way to get your garden started.  However, you can purchase seedlings (Superstore, Canadian Tire, local nursery) and bypass this step altogether.  Make sure your seedlings are organic! Usually, you would reuse trays from previous years to start your seedlings (wash out trays and containers with soap, water and a little bleach), however if you are just starting, head to the dollar store.  For one dollar you can purchase 26 “jiffy pots” (any peat moss pot will do). No need to transplant , as these pots can be planted directly into the soil. You can also use egg cartons or yoghurt containers that have been cleaned (punch holes in bottom of containers for drainage). 

Each gardener is responsible for starting seeds and purchasing their own pots, soil (an organic seed starting mix is the best) and trays.  The veggies you will start indoors are: tomatoes, lettuces, onions, squash and cucumbers. The dates the seedlings are planted in-doors is in relation to the last average frost.  We will use the May long weekend as the average last frost and count the weeks back to see when to seed the veggies.  Plant the tomato seeds between March 21 and April 1.  Plant the onions and lettuce between April 11 and April 25.  Plant the cukes between May 4 and 11.  Plant the squash between April 20 and 27.  Put the seedlings in the sun (if you don’t have the room, you may have to get friends or family to “adopt” some of the plants).  Water the plants with a mister or a watering can with fine holes in the spout.  Do not over water.  The plants need tons of sun so a combination of grow lights and sunlight works best, however before you invest in artificial lighting, try the natural way first.  Now, sit back and watch your babies grow!