Gardening Has Not Been Cancelled

So many things in our lives have changed.  Millions unemployed.  Meat supplies limited. Schools cancelled for the year, turning many parents into homeschoolers.

On the other hand, gardening has not been cancelled.  Where I live in upstate New York, many who have never gardened are going to attempt it.

Here are some random thoughts for this Sunday.

Here in the Northeast United States, the weather is trying to settle.  It's beautiful, sunny and in the 70's today.  Finally.  But tomorrow it isn't supposed to get out of the 40's.

Again.  When will spring come?

But today, I am declaring victory.  Victory of sorts, anyway.  I am outside.

I have planted four hanging baskets.    Thank you, curbside delivery of plants.  Thank you to the essential workers who grew those plants.  Because they also sell fruit and vegetable plants, they are open, and people are taking full advantage of their items for sale.

Our home started tomato seedlings are soaking up warmth outside today. (Pro tip - if you live in the Northeast United States, it is probably too late to start tomatoes from seeds, but it isn't all that hard.  If you wish, I can cover "how" in a future post.)

We don't have many sunny places in our yard, so have had a community garden plot (or two!) for many years.  But community gardening has its own challenges, especially if many people are there at once.  There s supposed to be a conference call at 4pm today to "orient" us to our new realities and also the organization that has taken over our garden.

A local business that sells baby chicks and ducks sold out in hours.

There was a seed giveaway yesterday at our local farmers market. We are fortunate - we had ordered back in the winter, before the virus struck.

You can do it, too, even if you live in a big city.  Although, in these times, it may be a lot harder to get out and buy materials, especially if you are in a city with a high infection rate.

In the meantime, spouse and I  are doing what we can at home.  We have several large containers and two Earthboxes.  We've never been that successful with our Earthboxes, for some reason, but are going to try again.

We also planted lettuce in a planter in our front yard, (the two pots with flower spinners above) and will also try to plant some parsley.

What would be my tips for you?
1.  Veggies, for the most part, require full sun.   What is full sun?
2.  Plants in containers dry out a lot more readily than those in the ground.  Keep your eye on them.  While we are at it, make sure these pots are close to water, or you will get awfully tired of lugging water to them.
3.  Make sure the containers  are deep enough for what you are growing.  There are charts online that give you minimum planter depth.
4.  Use soilless mix, NOT earth from your yard (assuming you have a yard).
5.  Common sense, but only grow what you like, unless it is so ornamental that you want it to nourish your soul, and you have the room for it.
6.  Make sure the plants will mature before your first frost.  Know your USDA hardiness zone (ours is 5b).  This online resource may help.
7.  Don't make it too complex, or you would have failed before you start.  Keep it simple the first year.  After that, you can branch out (no pun intended).

Let's hope for a successful gardening season, as it may be more important than ever.