Summer Garden - Let’s Go!
Summer is the peak of gardening season. For some, this is the only time they grow in their kitchen garden. For others, it is the most prolific time of the year. Whoever you are, you’re bound to be wrapped up in big goals for your potager during these warm, sunny days. Let’s go over how I prepare for summer gardening and steps I take to ensure success.
First, focus on your goals for the season. I love spending time in the garden enjoying the weather, watching the plants grow, listening to nature. I definitely garden for the beauty and experience. But I also like to use what I grow and so I focus on my Big Three garden plants for this season: tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. I want to ensure these three provide me with abundance so I can make lots of pasta sauce, salsa, and pickles. I plan their beds with companion plants in mind, made sure they weren’t planted in the same beds as last year, and set up the trellises and support those plants need, especially the vining cucumbers and indeterminate tomatoes. I also topped my beds with fresh compost in the spring so if you haven’t done that yet go ahead and do it now. Before you go out and spend money though check with your city if they offer free compost at a local park. Setting up the garden well is the most important step for a great garden season.
Next, I ask my kids what they want to grow this season. One of the benefits of having a potager is getting the kids involved. They help, plant, tend, and especially harvest from the garden. Getting their input in what we grow helps them feel included and take an active role in caring for the garden. Plus, it makes them more likely to eat fresh, homegrown veggies and fruit. This year the kids have asked for green beans and watermelon. I somehow got very lucky and have two kids that like to snack on freshly picked green beans! Normally I wouldn’t have space for watermelon, but we recently took out three dying junipers and so I’m going to put the watermelon in grow bags and let the vines spill out where the trees used to be. Afterall, what is the garden if not a place to experiment.
Finally, I look around the garden and make sure I am creating a healthy ecosystem while still protecting my plants. Our pest fence is up to deter rabbits or squirrels, but if they manage to get through all our beds are bordered with stinky (to the animals) herbs, garlic, or onions. Those potent smelling plants will help protect the plants in the interior of the beds. I also use lots of flowers to bring in pollinators in the potager like marigolds, zinnias and calendulas. I have a new bird bath in the center and a small water source like that is good for birds to pop in and maybe eat a pest insect or to attract ladybugs that will than come in and feed on the aphids that are bound to appear. The plants in the potager will naturally bring pests but by creating a healthy ecosystem those pest predators are also invited. This healthy, natural ecosystem will save my Big Three plus the green beans and watermelon from destruction.
Now that our potager is ready and planted for summer we just need to focus on tending our plants. Snipping fresh herbs to use for dinner will stimulate more growth in our plant. Picking fresh veggies and hopefully fruit will be a nice treat for us this summer. And cutting some flowers to use in the house is a great added bonus to enjoying life with a potager. Bring on the sunshine!