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A Peek Into Spring

By: Author Olivia Whalen

Posted on Last updated:

Our week has been filled with planning ahead! A peek into Spring is what I call it.

The air was starting to smell a bit like, “Spring might be around the corner,” and then we got slapped with over a foot of snow. What a doozy. 

Spending the week planning was exactly what my heart needed though. A little hope for warmer months and GROWTH!

a peek into spring

A Peek Into Spring Garden Planning

We are upping the ante this year with our gardens. By this I mean….more! We are not only going to add in several more raised beds but in addition we are going to try some new grow systems outside of the beds.

We plan to try our hand growing some new, to us, things as well. Some of this will include garlic, potatoes, collards and more. We are also going to take a shot at corn again and broccoli and cauliflower because ours did horribly last year. Also…fruit! We haven’t decided 100% what our focus will be but we know that we are dedicating an area on our property for fruit production. We are lucky enough to have wild blackberries in abundance but we want more!

Where It All Started

Something else I am excited for is our new beds! When we first purchased our house I was only slightly knowledgeable in flower gardening but I had never grown a veggie, herb or fruit in my life! So with a little encouragement from a friend gardener, and him showing up with a raised bed thrown together with some scrap wood I was in business. 

That was all that it took. ONE raised bed. I was very literally hooked. I crammed way too much into that 3×6 bed. I did very little research. Just enough to get me going and looking back now I have no idea how I produced so much in that bed. It sparked curiosity and passion for gardening in my soul and I haven’t looked back since. 

Upcoming Growth

The next year we went to 4 raised beds and then to 8. This year we will have 11 raised beds of varying sizes and several other grow systems throughout our property. Our new beds come from lumber milled on a family members property and they will be larger and deeper. Overall just better on the eyes as well. Would you believe that we have had almost 5 successful years of growing from scrap wood and pallets turned into garden beds? We have! I tell all that it doesn’t have to be fancy to produce! You can very literally grow anywhere if you put some heart into it. 

Some of the things that will happen this year on our property are exciting beyond words! We will see if they are successful or not, and we might not continue after the Spring season but taking chances in the world of gardening can sometimes provide the most abundance!

We plan to have…

  • Fruit production plot including both bushes and fruit trees
  • Hanging herb garden
  • New and improved raised bed systems
  • Inventive overflow grow areas
  • Perfect a compost system

I am sure that we will brainstorm more from now until then. I have big goals for this grow season. Not only will I be growing my grow areas on the outside but I will be growing in knowledge of canning and from scratch cooking on the inside of my homestead!

Ways To Plan Ahead

There are so many ways you can better prepare yourself for an upcoming grow season. You have to dedicate time before the season starts to get your ducks in a row so that you can not only have a smooth start but also allow yourself to be as thought out for each detail. This is going to make such a difference in the successes you have. I know this from experience….

I have gone from throwing seeds in the ground to see what will happen to spending months and months preparing, planning and making adjustments to our garden plans. Each year I have more production and less waste. It is so rewarding!

So, here are a couple of ways you can plan ahead to help you be more successful this grow season..

  • Lay down blueprints. Sit and draw out your beds, or garden plot and what will be growing where. 
  • Take time to do companion planting research. Plant your crops in a layout so that they will naturally benefit from one another.
  • Plant pest deterring crops/flowers near your beds.
  • Be aware of the quality of your soils. Make sure that you are using enough compost or rich soils for growing. We use nothing but natural compost, soil and fertilizers in our gardens. We use raised beds rather than direct to ground grow plots because of the rocky soil conditions of our property.
  • Get your starters going with enough time indoors. This doesn’t go for all vegetables but some will be more successful when started inside.
  • See what is in your seed bank and purchase seeds ahead of time. 

This year is the year for my family to really start embracing our land more. We don’t have a ton of acreage but it doesn’t matter! What we have is perfectly suitable for self reliance. Not only are we focused now more than ever on cutting costs of store bought food down but teaching our children these homestead skills is one of the most rewarding and beneficial things we can do as parents!

 

a peek into spring crop

 

If you are looking for the Whalen crew this summer, we will have our hands pressed in soil and our bellies happy with homegrown food!

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Love, light and a little grace…

-Olivia