by Drew Landis

The Insufferable Plight of a New Gardener

I have a confession to make. I work for a greenhouse company and sell greenhouses and greenhouse supplies. I write articles for our company blog and now I’m writing a column in a reputable industry magazine.

But I Don’t Have a Garden

In fact, I’ve not had the greatest success in growing much of anything. My houseplants are generally in a troubling state of despair from either light starvation or thirst. I’ve built dozens of greenhouses of all sizes and in all types of climates. I can advise anyone on how to properly heat, or cool, or ventilate their greenhouses. I can advise you as to what size structure and what equipment to put in it. But when it comes to growing anything, I’m basically like a five year old that wanders around the end of the aisle in the grocery store and comes back to find that Mommy or Daddy is two aisles over.

The reason I’m sharing this bit of information is twofold. One is honesty; I just want to be upfront about what I personally know and don’t know with people who may want to ask my advice. The other is much more practical.

This year is seeing an enormous leap in the number of people turning over Earth in their backyards and planting gardens. Economic and cultural conditions are making the backyard garden a kind of rediscovered art. And, since I became a first time homeowner last fall, I now have the opportunity to plant my own garden. So, I’m going to document my exploits in the hopes that both veteran and new gardeners alike can observe, advise, and even laugh at the trials that all gardeners undoubtedly face in their epic taming of the elements.

From the Ashes Arose a Garden

I have a small yard that is is not really conducive to having a garden. I have about a 35’ x 110’ lot in which a house and a two car garage sit. The garage is essentially in the backyard, and I struggle everyday when I back out to avoid inflicting severe structural damage to one corner of my home. So really, my usable backyard is only about 20’ x 55’. To further complicate matters, there is a fairly large pine tree and a fair sized persimmon tree located in such a way that a significant portion of the yard is shaded for much of the day. There is also a very small, west facing incline at the back third of the yard.

All this is to say that there was really only one place to put the garden: smack dab in the middle of the backyard.  It is the only place that receives the magical minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight every day. At some point a previous homeowner had put a garden there, and the grass is still quite obviously paying the price for that.

Now, I have a two year old son. And someday, I would like to be able to play catch with him in the backyard, so, this really wasn’t a very good option for me. For my needs, I had to think just a little more abstractly.

Back in the corner, behind the garage, there was a yard shed. It looked like it was at least 30 years old, covered in paper fiberboard, and serving no purpose except for feeding the termites. It was also in a perfect spot for a garden, being flat, well drained, and receiving 7-8 hours of direct sunlight per day.

So, being the industrious fellow I am, I tore it down, chopped it up, and will use it for campfire wood this summer. Yes…it was completely as awesome as it sounds.

A Food Snob and Some over Ambition

The space the shed left behind gave me room for about a 12’ x 22’ garden plus a compost pile. Not a bad tradeoff really; I lose an eyesore and gain a garden. Only, I have to now choose what to plant, how to plant it, and of course keep it alive so I can reap a bountiful harvest.

Planting the garden is certainly, in part, because I want to save money on fresh produce. But more important for me personally, being a hopeless foodie (some might say snob), is the prospect of incomparably fresh produce. So the crops going in my garden must be delicious and usable in many different types of dishes. They must have a small footprint in the garden because of space constraints. They must have fairly substantial yields and be low maintenance. I am a beginner after all.

So, I immediately ruled out sweet corn, watermelon, and cantaloupe (muskmelon). Our area grows the best of these crops in the whole world, so I don’t want to reinvent the wheel here. Plus their space requirements make them less than ideal in my situation.

Once that was settled, I did some Internet research to find out the best types of crops for my area. I also researched final frost dates and the closest university extension. These are both useful bits of information, and you can send soil samples away for testing to the extension in order to determine a fertilizer regimen (which can of course be organic if you so choose). Since I’m pretty sure I could plant Skittles in the loamy, Central Illinois soil and reap a harvest of fruit trees, I don’t feel the need to test my soil. I will try to grow this season, and if I experience problems then I will get some testing done.

So, we’ve settled on the following: herbs of all kinds (basil, dill, thyme, sage, etc.), several varieties of lettuce, peppers, chilis, beets, kohlrabi, leeks, carrots, onions, spinach, tomatoes, alfalfa shoots, and in the fall, garlic. Possibly some fall squash as well.

Now I just have to till the soil and plant my seeds. Let the adventure begin.

Drew Landis is Social Networking Coordinator for International Greenhouse Company. IGC operates popular online retailer Greenhouse Megastore at http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/. More articles by Drew are available online at the IGC blog, http://www.aroundthebackyard.com/.