Commitment

Tomorrow is the big day.  I’ve been planning this event for weeks, thinking about it for months.  Tomorrow I will plant the first seeds in my vegetable garden.

This year’s attempted crop will include:

·         Carrots

·         Green Beans

·         Onions

·         Dill

·         Cucumbers

·         Tomatoes (with marigolds)

I’m also contemplating watermelons (I am starting those seeds indoors), and I’m planning to plant squash as a late crop, after the carrots are finished.  Tomorrow, I’m sowing the carrots, green beans, dill, and cucumbers.  I’ll plant the onions next week and buy and plant small tomato plants near the end of the month.

Placement is key.  Recently, I’ve been attempting to learn more about companion planting – which types of plants benefit each other and which ones do not get along.  For example, as I was reading through a list of ideal and not-so-ideal companion plants, I learned that carrots and dill should not be planted next to each other.  That set me on a path of even more vigorous research and planning, because I had planned to plant those two next to each other on one edge of the bed. 

Also, there are variables to consider.  My two biggest concerns are soil acidity and squash bugs.  First, I have had a persistent problem with growing cucumbers in odd shapes (such as a softball shape, which tends to complicate pickling).  I believe I have identified the problem, which is likely acidic soil in the area I was trying to grow the plants (perhaps due to over-fertilizing), and the best solution would be to add lime… in the fall.  Oops.  So, I need to plant the cucumbers in the new bed I’ve added this year (and I need to renew my vow not to use too much compost this year).  Secondly, I’ve begun to experience problems with the evil squash bug.  Previously, squash had always been the reliable workhorse of my garden.  If all else failed, I could always have my summer squash and zucchini – in fact, two years ago, I was practically giving it away on the side of the road—and then last year, suddenly, the plants were withering away just after blooming.  I found the culprits, but it was too late.  This year, I am going to make a few attempts to overcome the squash bug without the use of chemicals (primarily through companion planting, placement and sowing later in the season). 

Because of my increasing obsession with companion plants, and the different variables I needed to consider, I went straight to my comfort zone…  I made a spreadsheet.  Ha!  Next -- graph paper to plot locations.  Once a nerd, always a nerd...

However, I’ve realized why I have been relatively consumed with planning the garden in recent weeks. It’s the commitment that the whole thing requires. Once I’ve started, I can’t change my mind. Even if I learn more later, I may not be able to fix the mistakes I make at this stage. I have to be willing to actually make mistakes in the first place.  And I feel pressure to get this right in order to have a fighting chance for results in the coming months (especially with my track record!). The planning, the spreadsheets, the research… I do what I can to reassure myself, but ultimately, I have to just go for it. (Hmmm, a little like starting this blog...!)   Spreadsheet and plotted graph in hand -- I'm ready!