Houston.....We have lift off!!!!!!!

In the words of the great NASA astronauts, Houston we have lift off. The 2011 England garden is underway. Let’s just hope that we don’t have the same difficulties as Apollo 13!  I am not nearly as resourceful as those folks.

I spent my Easter Monday getting everything in the ground. The old rule of thumb is to only plant after Good Friday to avoid frost. Frost is like kryptonite to your vegetable garden. You can always put your plants in the ground prior to Good Friday but you run the risk of running into a frost, you just have to make sure you cover everything with a sheet or other cloth prior to the frost.  I purchased plants that had already been started from someone who is way better at growing than I am (hint..a local hardware store off of Lakeshore Drive).  I dug holes about 1-2 inches deep for each plant.  You need to keep the root ball for each plant intact when removing the plant.....if possible.  I also like to break up the bottom of the root ball if the roots are pact close together to encourage them to venture into the new soil.  I was also careful to give each plant plent of room to grow.  If you are unsure how large each plant will grow, check online or on the tag that comes with each tray.  With that said, the deed is done.

Prior to planting I had tested my soil PH and found that it was a little high. I tilled in some organic garden sulfur to lower the PH and added the material from my compost pile to increase the nitrogen content and, boom pow, it's perfect now. We should be good to go. 

The official roster consists of some old favorites and some new additions. I planted sweet potatoes (for my Mother-in-law), okra, green bell pepper (for my friend Lauren Taylor), cayenne peppers (for me), tomatoes, potatoes, yellow onion, cucumber (for A.J.), crook neck squash and zucchini. To say the least I have a full house this year. As you can see I have used my old truck tires to plant my potatoes in. All the research I did online said that this was a great way to do it but we will have to wait and see.

As I mentioned in my last post, I am planting all my squash and cucumbers in a separate section. I hope this will allow them to spread their wings and fly so to speak.

I will keep everyone up to date with any changes. Up next……you guessed it…..blankets and newspaper (if this has completely confused you check my post from last year). 

Happy Organic Gardening!!!!!!!!