Urban Gardening, Year Three
2021 gardening season, the week we brought Everett home
Currently, with snow on the ground in 20 degree weather, of course I’m dreaming of gardening season. When the sun is bright, the air is warm, and the garden is flourishing, my family and I are the happiest. Caring for our small urban garden is the most fun. Each year, we choose our seeds based on the space we have and the growing season we’re in. Sometimes successful and sometimes not, we’ve grown everything from blackberry and blueberry bushes, a lemon tree, a strawberry patch, countless herbs, a variety of flowers, and all the veggies (peppers - hot and sweet, radish - lots of varieties, cucumber, zucchini, tomato - cherry and heirloom, carrots, broccoli, onion, and greens of all kinds - kale, arugula, spring mix, chard and spinach).
Zach absolutely loves to cook and I absolutely love to eat, so growing our own food feels extremely rewarding! Keep reading for some tips based on our trials and errors, where I find gardening inspiration, and our plans for year three of urban gardening.
HERE’S A LITTLE SNIPPET FROM A SISTAIN INTERVIEW FROM THE 2021 GARDENING SEASON
Also check out this article published by SISTAIN on how to grow a home vegetable garden as a beginner!
How long have you been gardening?
I’ve been gardening with my husband for about 2 years now, but we’ve had lots of houseplants leading up to it. The progression from houseplants to full-on gardening felt very natural as we wanted to put our plant skills to the test by growing food for ourselves. Being (mostly) plant-based, we hope to grow (almost) all our own food one day to fully sustain our family. We live near downtown Columbus, so we currently have 40 square feet of raised beds, as well as several large pots full of veggies, herbs and fruit plants.
Gardening successes:
Growing veggies and herbs from seeds! It’s a long, patient process — starting the seeds indoors when it’s still chilly outside, hardening them in the Spring outside, and eventually transplanting the little plants to the raised beds when the temps are just right. It’s that much more rewarding when cooking meals with these babes knowing exactly where they came from and how much effort was put into growing them.
What are you currently growing?
7 varieties of peppers, 2 types of radish, romaine and cucumber, cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and a lemon tree, cilantro, mint, dill, basil, thyme, rosemary and parsley, marigolds and lavender
Learnings:
Don’t overcrowd the growing area with too many plants
Don’t overwater
The amount of direct and indirect sunlight throughout the day matters
The time of year you plant certain vegetables also matters (we planted onion too late in the Spring season and they eventually bolted because of the heat)
Be more patient than you want to be
What are you excited to do similarly or differently next year?
I hope to leave enough space for more flowers next year. They are not only beautiful, bringing lots of color to the garden, but they naturally fight off bugs. We were unsuccessful with our brussel sprouts this year because the pot wasn’t large enough. So, if we try again next year to grow a stalking vegetable, we need to have a larger space ready for its exponential growth. There are so many things I will do similarly though! Like rotate out a large variety of vegetables throughout the seasons, and give lots of attention to the fruit plants. They feel so special!
Images from garden harvests in years one and two
WHAT WE’RE PLANTING THIS SPRING, IN OUR THIRD YEAR OF PATIO GARDENING
Each year, we seem to add a little bit more to the garden. Last year, we added a 4ft raised bed, 3ft of herb boxes, a couple extra large planters, and one more hanging fern. We maxed out the space, bringing our concrete patio to life as much as possible. This Spring, we’ll fill the beds and planters with:
Lettuces
Radish
Cucumber
Tomato
Onion
Flowers (TBD on which types)
Herbs (basil, dill, rosemary and cilantro to start)
We’ll continue caring for our blackberry and blueberry bushes that have been dormant all winter, as well as our little lemon tree. Side note — we’re on our second lemon tree because the first one didn’t make it. You live and learn, right?!) Then, when Summer rolls around, we’ll flip it and reverse it, planting a variety of summer seeds. We’re currently thinking:
Greens
Peppers of different varieties
More tomatoes
Zucchini
More flowers
More herbs
Let me know in the comments what you plan to sow and harvest this upcoming season! I love learning from others, and more so getting inspired with your own plans. Here’s to the 2022 gardening season!
Summer 2020, year one of urban gardening
