My Scientific Garden 2010

Last week I started my garden for 2010. This will be my 3rd consecutive year of having a full blown garden. Two years ago I canned 26 quarts of tomatoes and froze squash, okra, and eggplant. This past year I canned 20 quarts of tomatoes and froze vegetables again. Every year I look to learn how to grow something new or learn a new way to store vegetables.

This year I have begun the process of learning how to design and build geodesic greenhouses at affordable prices. I have already started building one that will be 12 feet in diameter to see how it works. I am also utilizing the southern exposure in my house along with a $10 grow-light, you can buy at Wal-Mart, to get a head start. Previously, I have been buying starter plants and not getting them in the ground until the 3rd week of April at the earliest.

This year I decided to start my own plants from seed. It is my hope that I will utilize techniques I have been studying to get these plants in the ground by March 21. That would give me a full one month head start over the previous two years. Below is a list of what I have started. I will give the start date, plant name, number planted, number successfully growing, and the approximate date of first harvest.

2/17/2010 Green Cucumbers (large) - 8 - 7 - 5/1
2/17/2010 Cantaloupe - 8 - 8 - 5/13
2/17/2010 Lemon Cucumbers - 8 - 7 - 5/1
2/17/2010 White Cucumbers - 8 - 1 - 5/1
2/17/2010 Acorn Squash - 8 - 8 - 5/13
2/17/2010 Cauliflower - 8 - 8 - 4/18
2/17/2010 Brandywine Tomatoes - 8 - 8 - 5/3

2/20/2010 Fennel - 8 - 8 - 5/30
2/20/2010 Purple Basil 8 -8 - 5/20
2/20/2010 Eggplant - 8 - 8 - 5/20
2/20/2010 Zucchini - 8- 8 - 4/20
2/20/2010 Cilantro - 4 - 4 - 5/20

I have also started sprouting seeds for Green Bell Peppers, Italian Basil, more White Cucumbers, Broccoli, and Snow Peas. I also have seeds for Grape and Roma Tomatoes, Okra, Chives, Celery, Butternut Squash, Yellow Squash, and Kentucky Wonder Green Beans.

I know that the scientist in me sometimes overwhelms my ability to achieve all of my goals, but I am surely going to try to make this a success. I am going to document this process and give out ideas along the way and I hope that you will shoot me suggestions, because I could surely use input to make this the success I want it to be.

I believe in these times that one needs to be as efficient as possible with their resources. Which is better, to have a lawn I constantly need to mow or a garden that feeds myself, family, and friends. And in case you wonder, I will be collecting rain in home made rain barrels and composting everything I can get my hands on. That is how I've been rolling the past couple years.

I would eventually like to make my house self-sustainable. I bought a magazine called Urban Farmer that has some very interesting ideas in it. These days I look at my house and property as a science experiment. I hope I don't turn into Christopher Lloyd's character, Doc Brown, from Back to the Future - haha!!!

So maybe you can follow my lead, if you haven't already. And if you have or if you do, best of luck and may the rain be plentiful, the sun be perfect, and our thumbs be green.