On your mark ... get set ...

These raised beds served us really well last year, and we’ve added more just outside the frame to the right

It’s that time of year, when gardeners everywhere are revving their engines, knowing things are about to get very busy. Our vegetable beds have been clear since December, when I finally gave up on our second round of vegetable planting. We hoped this would deliver fresh produce for the autumn months, but alas it was not a success. We had a nice crop of lettuce, but learned that as the weather gets colder we lose interest in eating salad. Our fall carrots and beets did reasonably well, but we didn’t eat them fast enough and they turned into disgusting popsicles in the beds. Our second sowing of parsnips failed completely; thank goodness we had more than enough from the spring. And don’t get me started on kale, which fed a voracious cabbage moth population instead of humans. If we want to try fall planting again (and that is indeed an if), I’ll have to come up with new strategies that will yield better results. If you have any advice, I’m all ears.

I’m more confident about our prospects for the main spring and summer seasons. Last year, most of our crops produced a decent yield and those that didn’t—like potatoes—can be explained by poor timing. We also experimented with using containers vs. beds and, at least for potatoes and tomatoes, are now firmly Team Bed.

Most of the veg will be planted in rectangular beds, with some overflow into oval-shaped galvanized steel beds

This year we have two new beds and most crops will rotate to a different location this year. We use the greenhouse as an early season staging area, providing sun and warmth for seedlings once they outgrow their seed trays. The tomatoes and peppers can prosper for a long time in the greenhouse, but ultimately it’s best to get them outdoors as soon as practical.

The Virginia Cooperative Extension’s vegetable planting guide spells out the ideal planting and harvesting times for a wide variety of crops

Our planting schedule says we can start sowing soon, if we want. But each of those gray bars represents a window of several weeks which gives us some flexibility depending on weather and general readiness. I’ve also had a rethink about leeks. Ours were not particularly robust last year, and rather than sow in trays I’m going to wait until they can be sown directly into the beds. Late February also feels really early to be sowing peas, no matter what the Virginia Cooperative Extension says is possible. Most of the gardening resources I follow are urging gardeners to curb their enthusiasm in February, and to be honest we have plenty of work to do to prepare the beds and get ready for planting.

Funny how the mess can pile up when you're not looking

About a week ago we had a day or two of exceptionally fine weather, and I was seized with motivation to tidy up our working spaces. During the autumn both the seed-starting area and the potting shed became “temporary” storage locations, and eventually there were bits and bobs everywhere. I’m the sort of person that derives satisfaction from putting everything in its proper place and once I set my mind to it, it didn’t take long to clear and prepare the seed-starting tables, organize all of the tools and gubbins by their use, and store anything not garden-related out of the way.

Ahhh ... that's better

And so it begins. We’ll wait until early March to start seeds. While they germinate in trays we’ll begin preparing the beds. First we’ll add compost using our own supply topped up with some from a local nursery; then we’ll mix in soil amendments to improve pH and nitrogen as indicated by soil tests done last season. We also hope to improve irrigation in the raised beds, possibly with a drip system.

While we wait, we’re keeping an eye on the hawk’s nest we mentioned last time. They’re still tending their nest, but sound an alarm anytime we’re outside. If only we could could reason with them …