Spring Cleaning Begins

Today I cleaned out my pots for the garden this year. I am also preparing the back of my yard for eventual use. In a few days, I'll begin some seeds indoors for Spring flowers and early summer vegetable harvest. I have a lot to look forward to this year, and I am hopeful for an abundant harvest.

The first thing I had to do was to assess my needs for the upcoming growing season. I am new to outdoor gardening, and so far, I am only comfortable with containers. This is mainly because our yard is a disaster and it is hard to know where to plant given its current state. So, it may be a few years before I go into the earth, so for now, containers will do.

One problem I've had in the past is the leftover potting soil from potted annuals that have long since died. I've had success in getting these plants to grow and bloom (sunflowers, vegetables, and decorative plants I've bought), but once their season has past, I end up with old dried out stalks and mounds of dirt. I know it seems like a silly problem, but I never felt right about throwing out dirt, especially if I paid for it. It just seemed wasteful.

What to do? Keep it, which is what I have done for two years. I had read somewhere that this dirt is not particularly useful, since all of its minerals have been expended. I am not yet ready for a compost heap because we have lots of urban wildlife, and I don't want any surprises one day. So my solution as of today is to reuse it as top soil in the far backyard. I dumped several large containers of old soil on top of the emrging day lily plants. Since I plan to kill everything in that part of the yard this year anyway, this dirt will be reintegrated into my already existing soil.

My entire yard is a work in progress. We inherited a mess of problems from the previous owners, and unfortunately, neither of us has any experience or knowledge about lawns, trees, or weeds. We do our best to maintain a neat look, but eventually everything will have to be cleared away so that we can start all over again. We began that process last fall when we cut down three trees in the back yard and cleared away some of the shrubbery on the side of the house. There is more to tackle in the next few months, such as the hideous bushes in the front of the house, but I will be patient. My goal is to redo everything so that I can have my own yard with trees, flowers and a garden reflecting my taste.

So now I have several containers and I think this will mean a very productive vegetable and flower garden. Last Spring/Summer was my first foray into vegetable gardening, and it was a good first attempt. I planted three varieties of tomatoes, miniature bell peppers, and red potatoes. I also grew basil and mint (other herbs did not grow as planned). I have planted sunflowers in the past, so I definitely want to have some of those again this year. I want to grow geraniums from seed, and I have a few other flowers that I may try to grow for my front door. I spent a lot of money last year on established plants, and while easy to maintain, I want to see if it is worth the effort to grow annuals from seed.

This year will mark my initial efforts to garden 'green' with mostly organic products. I think synthetic chemicals are fine, but they are a choice. I want to eat what I grow, and I think it is more responsible for a small time gardener like me to avoid chemicals. The cumulative effect of all of that cannot be good for us.

Tomorrow, I'll detail my garden plans. I plan to start digging in on Palm Sunday with the flowers and maybe the first round of tomatoes and peppers. I also have a sprouted onion in the sunroom, so I'll see if I can get some onions this year. I have some sprouted white potatoes as well, so I'll see what happens.