2018 Season: Trust the process

Method

Due to the success of last years crop, we made some minor but noticeable changes to our setup for this year. We decided to switch out some varieties (zucchini for cauliflower, beans for peas). We have also decided to, once again intensively cultivate every square foot as we did last year to maximize our yield. Haters will say this method causes "crowding out" but if done right this plan can tactic create significantly more yield than traditional line planting methods (used for cultivating large plots).

This method can only really work with intense oversight and diligence on the part of the gardener. Without the luxury of space, each organism is forced to be more efficient and require less space by pruning and training the branches and stems of the plant. This allows you to grow more plants in less space and ideally produce a greater yield/square foot.

Seedlings vs Seeds

We decided to grow most of our varies from seedlings (4 varieties of tomatoes, 4 peppers, herbs) but also decided to grow quite a few from seed (beans, zucchini, spinach, chives).

The benefits of each are numerous, but we decided to go with the one that was more economical and suited to particular situation (I should state that we have a cat who is loving and affectionate but does not vibe well with things growing in windowsills). Thus we made out way to our local nursery and picked up some well developed seedlings, and a few seeds that won't take too long to mature.  

Composting

We made a concerted effort to layer the soil with compost from our kitchen (peels and the like). While we tossed around the idea of intensively using worms, we decided to keep it simple and let Mother Nature do the composting. The compost is made up of all fruit and vegetable scraps as well as eggs shells and compostable fibres from around the kitchen. The result this spring was rich, nutrient compost to be added to last years mix of peat, top soil and sand. The early results have been very encouraging!

Progress

I will be making weekly progress reports, complete with photos for your viewing pleasure!