Onion sets and potatoes ordered.

Found a pretty good website called Gurney's Seed and Nursery. This means planting will be put off another week or two until I get the sets.

Preparation for early outdoor planting.

Today I made a pdf file of every veggie I wanted in my garden, how/when to plant, harvest, and misc info for each. Armed with this info, Husband and I set off to Lowe's on this crisp 55 degree Saturday. We were on the look-out for cucumber and lettuce seeds, good dirt, and a couple containers. I was also hoping to get some young onion plants - but the only plants they have right now are tulip bulbs, roses, blooming trees, and pansies. So no onions. And it's kinda too late to start them indoors so I'll just keep hunting at Lowe's and plant them a little later than usual.

So this is our backyard after winter:


Normally the pots would be cleared out but for some reason the cold snuck up on me last fall and I didn't get to it. That's Husband back there in the yard, digging up a small 2'x6' plot for the potatoes. I've decided to put them in the ground and try my luck.

Now before you say, "WHOA THERE, you have PLENTY of room for giant garden!" Our yard barely gets any sun. This early in the spring, we're lucky to have 2 hours of sun in any one spot. 2 measly hours of sun does not a great garden make. Typically my deck is sunny, but today, it didn't get a speck of sun until 3PM. Whatevs. I'm planting anyway.

This is the spot that gets the most sun...


It's kind of hard to see, but there's a 1'x4' plot there in front of the fence - - which sadly doesn't get much light during the day because of the fence. BUT - - Husband had a great idea of using hanging tomato baskets on the other side of the fence, hanging over our driveway. This is what would be the sunniest spot in our yard. Perfect for sun-loving tomatoes! I also like the idea of the hanging baskets because we won't have to trellis/cage them.

Okay, this is what husband dug up for my potatoes:


Notice the shade. BUT, this spot had at least 4-5 hours of sun first thing in the morning. So I'm going to try it. (This pic was taken at about 2:30PM.)

Now there is a long strip of tied off space along our back fence - - but when the leaves come in on the trees overhead - it'll be the shadiest, wettest part of the yard. The only thing that would grow there well would be hastas.

Here's Erik, saying to himself, "God mom, this place looks like a DUMP:"


But after a good hour or so of raking, trimming, mowing, pulling, and trashing (in the case of that rotting, wooden planter back there), it now looks like this:


I found these two plastic planters at Lowes for $18 each, and I may end up putting them in the yard on either side of the potatoes:


I also bought a couple large bags of quality (HEAVY) dirt:


....and a couple packets of cheap-o seeds:


When I came back in from cleaning up the yard - - I promptly took a two-hour nap. And now it's 6:30 - - so the planting will have to wait until tomorrow. But I still feel like we got a lot accomplished!

Note to self: Do this stuff.

Tips I'm going to use from "You Grow Girl:"

• Spend the money on good dirt.
  
• Get rid of the terra cotta containers. They dry up faster and they're heavy. Use plastic instead. (Will break them up and use them in the bottom of the plastic containers for drainage.)
  
• Mulch, mulch, mulch - even the containers. Use crushed up leaves (something we have plenty of) and stones.
  
• Make homemade cloches (cut plastic 2-liters for seedlings and chicken wire ones for larger plants) to keep the squirrels out.
• Crush up egg shells and lay around the base of slug-loving plants. It acts like sharp glass and will help keep them away. Another slug barrier is laying a layer of pennies (prior to 1980) around the stems. It "shocks" slugs and snails.
• Another pest barrier - lay tin foil, shiny side up, around young stems to confuse aphids and beetles.
  
• Plant garlic and onions in and around veggies to naturally repel pests. "Neat little rows of veggies" make it real easy for 'em to munch. Instead, mix up plants to confuse them.
• My new mantra: "Spiders and wasps are good for the garden. Spiders and wasps are good for the garden. Spiders and wasps are good for the garden."
• Consider making compost. Just need to find a place to put it. But it's the best thing for your soil and plants. (Won't be ready for about six months though. Should have started making it last fall!)
  

Husband suggested that we utilize a small section of driveway area (next to our garage) to make our own hanging tomato plants. They'd get the most light there and we can use those garden pole stake things to hang them from.

We're going to Lowes later to look around and see what's available. Apparently I should have been sowing seeds already.