Peter and I as a part of our Weston Price Chapter group hosted a wonderful class on gardening in Bismarck in the middle of March. We had a local lady (Lisa) mom of 11, and long-time gardener come and share her expert advice from years of practice. The class was a great turnout with people coming from Bismarck, Fargo, and Dickenson to get inspired for the upcoming gardening season. There were folks there who had gardened before, some who had had their first garden just last year, and some who were going to grow a garden for the first time this year!
I want to pass on tips on how to get your garden ready for this growing season as well as some growing advice that Lisa shared.
Choosing your garden size
If this is your first year gardening what you need to do is locate a garden space that is in full sun and is a good shape. For example, if your goal is to garden 100 square feet of land you may want to choose a space that is 4 feet wide and 25 feet long instead of a space that is 10 feet wide and 10 feet long. Both measurements are the same square feet of space but the first allows you to skip dedicating precious garden space to making walking paths throughout.
Know your gardening zone
The gardening zone assigned to your area is determined how cold your winters get and will give you a helpful guideline for when it may be warm enough o start planting your garden. You can determine what your zone is here.
Preparing the ground
There are different methods to soil preparation and which one you choose will be based on your personal gardening preferences. Lisa explained that they use a no-till, wood chip mulching, method that allows them to keep weeds to a minimum with less weeding and no rototilling. She detailed out the steps you need to take if you’re using this method which includes making sure all the mulch is out of the rows you intend to plant in and the soil is exposed so it can warm up. For more information on the no-till method you can reference the book “back to Eden” or watch the video recording of our gardening class.
We usually till our garden around April or the beginning of May. We are zone 3b so we can’t start planting until the 1st of June.
Lisa advised using an ordinary kitchen cooking thermometer to check the temperature of your soil to make sure it is warm enough to plant! If you would like to speed up the warming of the soil you can cover your rows in black gardening plastic or garden fabric. You may get an earlier start by a week or two when using this method.
Starting seeds
While you can find great deals on plants at some greenhouses, starting your own plants is a fun way to pass the time in anticipation of the coming gardening season. This is especially exciting if you have kids who can help out and share the joy and wonder of watching baby plants grow in the house!
If your house does not have any sunny, south-facing, windows you may want to consider using a light to get your seedlings growing. I use a shop light suspended from hooks in the ceiling giving light to my trays on a high shelf. Make sure to purchase a specific “grow light” bulb for your light as this has a different light spectrum that helps mimic sunlight. As the seedlings grow I shorten the chain and raise the light. You can also use a metal shelf like this one for multiple sets of trays and lights if you are starting a lot of plants.
Sourcing seeds
Buying seeds, especially if you have certain varieties and stipulations such as ‘organic’ or ‘heirloom’ in mind is something that is best done many months before you’ll be in the garden. Selection often dwindles as the weather gets warmer and seed sales increase. Although, if you're just jumping on the gardening bandwagon and haven't bought any seeds yet, have no fear many greenhouses are currently stocking their shelves with seed packets and may not even be open for business until April.
Some seed companies that I have bought from are…
Johnny’s - Great selection of heirloom and organic seeds. Lots of information on how to start the seeds, when to plant outdoors, the temperature necessary for germination, and when and how to harvest the plants!
True Leaf Market - Many heirloom and organic options. Smaller business with great customer support and speedy shipping. I just got seeds from here for the first time this year and I can’t wait to start planting them.
Planning your layout
Every year around January or February when I can’t wait to start gardening I get out graph paper and start dreaming about what my garden will look like this year. It is a good idea to keep your garden layout from each year handy so you can refer back to it while planning the next year.
You want to be sure to rotate where you plant things every year. If you grow your tomatoes in the same spot year after year it is more likely that you will end up with pest because bugs from the year before lay their larva in the ground and if that larvae hatches and finds its food (your tomato plants) close by and easy to get to the bugs will quickly multiply. For this reason, make sure to plant each crop away from where you planted it the year before.
Growing tips for certain vegetables
Check out Lisa’s class handouts here for her tips on growing specific veggies. How, when, and where to plant!
Happy Gardening, Friends!
