But the thing I missed third most was my garden. I had just started to plant seeds before I left and couldn't wait to see what awaited me upon my return. In fact, I had Robert text me pictures of the garden while I was away!
Here's the garden before and after my trip. On the left, you can just start to see the snap peas and the collards peeking out from the soil. On the right, sha-zam! The red leaf lettuce had grown enough to make a huge ginger salad. I just took the outer leaves, so the little guys will continue to grow. Ginger Dressing recipe below!
As you can see, we followed Mel's techniques to a T, with awesome results so far! I highly recommend downloading his book:
Squarefoot gardening saves space, seeds, and water. And money in the long run. It was about a $200 investment for the supplies and soil, but once you're set up, you only have to add a scoop of compost to each square before growing again! No need to replace the soil! Plus, you only plant what you need (I mean who could use every head of kale 1 packet produces maturing at the same time?) so you can plant from 1 packet season after season.
Here are the basics:
1. Create your raised bed and line it with a drain-able weed barrier sheet. This is a no native soil technique.
2. Make your Mel's mix of 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 compost (comprised of a few different types. I used chicken, mushroom, cow, and earthworm). This mix is costly, but again you never have to replace it! And it holds water well, so you use about 10% of a normal garden's watering needs.
3. Add the mix in layer by layer, spraying down with a hose between each layer. Once filled, just top with the wooden slats spaced 1 foot apart. I used wooden siding that I had Home Depot cut into 4 ft slats for me. Then I drilled a hole at 1 ft increments and put a nail where the holes intersect.
Again, I highly recommend the book, as it will go into some detail that I didn't, but I can attest to how much I love it so far! Next year, the entire backyard may be square foot gardens!
Oh yeah, I'm also growing a few things that don't quite fit the square foot rules. The black barrels on the right are potatoes and sweet potatoes, and the herbs (from left to right) are oregano, sage (which is going crazy!), and rosemary. These herbs have been with me for three years now and just keep getting better and better! I love being able to walk outside to snip some flavors for tonight's dinner. In fact, I just added a few rosemary sprigs to the garbanzos in my pressure cooker.
Bonus! Ginger Dressing Recipe:
This is a classic recipe with a Kelly twist.
1/4 cu each peanut oil and rice vinegar
2 T each grated onion, celery, fresh ginger root (no need to peel, the grating will do the work for you!)
2 T each ketchup, soy sauce, lemon juice (We always use organic ketchup to avoid the HFCS)
1 T sugar
1 t garlic
salt & black pepper
Puree in blender about 30 seconds until smooth consistency. Enjoy with greens of your choice and the classic accompaniments of tomato, cucumber, and carrot.
Happy Growing!
