2022 planning
Started plotting out dimensions of plot and looking at ordering seeds vs buying tubers and flats. Ordered 30 variety tray from love n fresh flowers that can be planted straight into the ground.
need to focus on how to prepare the soil. Cardboard? Layers? Compost?
Reference: Love N Fresh Flower’s blog post on “Farming | Part 1” - lists the steps about cardboard. Then from the comments, saw this:
Charles Dowding’s Website “Beginner’s Guide”
>>> “For a beginner, best option is to start small with just one bed. Say 1.2 x 2.4m or 4x8ft, filled with 15cm/6in compost. It can simply be on top of some unused grass, with the grass and weeds left in place, compost on top is sufficient to smother them, with no digging needed.”<<<
In search of mulch now…asked the BA Gardeners - suggested mulch from Upper Moreland - Terwood / Davisville intersection.
Feb 15- started watching Floret seedling videos.
+get potting soil for Germinating seeds, trays, warm spot, mix. Warm spot- office?
WHEN IS LAST FROST?. Go backward from seed packet.
April 2, 2022
Weeded, cleaned up porch.
April 4 - 8
Tuesday - Found seed starter soil and biodegradable trays at Ace Hardware! Now I don’t have to use the leftover sushi trays I’ve been saving! :)
Wednesday - Starting putting the seeds into trays. Maeluna also had 10 beans from school! We did trays of Cosmos, Snapdragons, and Zinnias. All can be planted directly into the ground, but will be fun to experiment with germinating seeds. We brought them inside to the laundry room, but then on
Friday - moved them to the sunny spot in the office.
Next up:
Weed barrel area, clean up
Cardboard/ mulch soil area
Pots in front with no sun, shade plants.
Plant pansies
4/8 Friday - Super excited to see tonight as I was watering the plants that some of the cosmos started to sprout!!! Signs of life!
4/9 wild! One night later and they are higher!
April 17ish…planted the Love N Fresh flower tray, but realized may have implicated the plants by not prepping the soil well…For this patch, I only shovel tilled about 5 inches below the grass, and then put a bag of soil over it…no compost or mulch. After doing some reading on April 29, realized that ideally the topsoil shouldn’t be removed bc of good bacteria (worms etc)…which could be the cardboard + compost method, but since I’m rushing a little bit, the next patch I’ll combine that quick online research with what’s recommended from the “Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots” (page 140), which is dig at least 10 inches down and then “rake the surface smooth, and top with a 3-inch layer of compost and aged, bagged manure…use a pitchfork or hoe to work the natural fertilizer into the top 6 inches of soil.”
May 2, 2022 - Added the kelp organic matter to the flower plot. Do it again in 1 weeks time.
May 25, 2022- somehow surviving after a week and half of no TLC… left for vacation and have been under the weather.
June 24, 2022 - Finally sowed some seeds - in the square plot - Zinnias, and then the sunflowers in the square rectangles.
June 25, 2022 - Harvested Flowers - Dahlia, Zinnias, Snapdragon,
