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New Gardener Update

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

Dear Square Footers --

We got such a late start with our gardening this, our first year in our new
country home. I'm going to have lots more questions (ya'll helped
wonderfully with my soil amendments desperate plea a couple of weeks ago),
but I thought I'd share some of our experiences.

We ate our very first ever home-grown tomato last night. It was FABULOUS. I
couldn't believe how good it was. I want MORE!  Happily, I picked another
tonight, and lots more are on their way. I fertilized and watered them this
evening.

We've been harvesting yellow squash for a week or more -- more than enough
already: I call it the energizer vegetable. I don't even know why we planted
them since they're not our favorite. I guess just because we were so late
that we just picked up a few seedlings here and there, whatever was
available.  We gave an armful to a neighbor yesterday, and I could've picked
several more tonight. My first canning experience MIGHT be yellow squash --
unless, of course, I can send some to you folks -- ?? 

I LOVE MULCH! If there are any other new gardeners out there, mulching is
THE very best thing you can do for yourself, not to mention your garden. The
small tomato / squash / etc. bed we did get planted (not technically sq. ft.
this year but it will be next, and raised too) is heavily mulched, whereas
the corn my husband insisted on planting isn't mulched (yet). He has a
really fine crop of weeds to go with his corn -- whereas I can count on two
hands the numbers of weeds I've had, and they're SO easy to pull out from
the soft, moist soil, with their thin weak little roots. Watering is so much
easier because the soil doesn't crust and the water doesn't run off as bad,
and stays put. Since the soil stays moister it needs less water. IOW --
mulching is everything they say it is.  I'm absolutely 100% sold on
mulching. Heck, if my parents had known about mulching, I'd maybe have liked
gardening (and even weed pulling) when I was a kid.

Actually, my most successful crop so far (aside from the ubiquitous squash)
has been my compost! I actually have some, with more on the way, and am
thrilled to have *created* (with a lot of help from the microherd) this
garden essential. What a thrill. I love the natural economy of composting
and mulching -- using *waste products* to create more and better gardens in
a wonderful cycle.

It did finally occur to me the other day that we might have been too late
for the gardening we'd have liked to have done this spring, but we're
actually AHEAD of schedule for the fall garden! Hooray! I've got 2 sifted,
properly amended, raised sq. ft. beds ready, and will have several more done
before it's time for fall planting. I may try 3 foot by something more than
4 foot for some -- seems it would make better use of the space with less
paths, tho the 4 foot isn't too bad. 

I bought some kale and cabbage seeds today. I might go ahead and put a few
carrots in within the next few days, and maybe bush beans too. Any other
ideas for NOW?

I've mentioned that as a non-gardener I'd felt absolutely overwhelmed by the
whole thing until I read Mel's book, and now that I've gotten into actually
doing it, it makes every bit as much sense as it seemed when I read the
book. Plus, I've gotten so many wonderful ideas, help, support, and great
information from this list and really appreciate all of you. 

So, thanks, everyone! It's been great so far, and I'm looking forward to all
the rest of it (I'm sure there IS life beyond yellow squash). What a joy
gardening is.

Patricia 
Zone 7b, West Georgia


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