Category Archives: raised beds

Rejoice!

Posted on March 14, 2019 by carolee

The long-awaited first crocus “Cream Beauty” has finally opened! There is cause for celebration in the land! It was formally greeted and welcomed, intently inspected, and the rejoicing began! And THEN THE PLANTING commenced!!! Let’s just pause here for … Continue reading →

Posted in Planting Time, raised beds, shallots, snow peas, Uncategorized, vegetable gardening | Tagged bok choy, fava beans, Indiana gardening, kale, kitchen gardens, mache, peas, Potager, shallots, snow peas, spinach, spring planting | 10 Comments

Succession Planting

Posted on July 7, 2017 by carolee

Many people have questioned how and why the potager is so productive. There are several reasons. For example, good drainage from raised beds, deep soil, and continual weed removal are assets to productivity. Good drainage means an earlier planting start … Continue reading →

Posted in garden maintenance, garden planning, gardening, harvest, kitchen gardens, Potager, raised beds, succession planting, Uncategorized | Tagged gardening, grow your own food, growing vegetables, kitchen garden, planning, potager, succession planting | 10 Comments

Thwarting the birds

Posted on May 19, 2017 by carolee

Last year, I was overjoyed to begin picking a quart or so every few days from the strawberries I’d planted in the potager. They were older plants moved from the prior Cook’s Garden at the farm, so were off to … Continue reading →

Posted in berries, critter control, gardening, kitchen gardens, Potager, raised beds, row covers, Uncategorized | Tagged bamboo, berry netting, critter control, gardening, kitchen gardens, learning, potagers, strawberries | 10 Comments

April review of the Potager

Posted on May 1, 2017 by carolee

Although it was slow-going early in the month due to continual rain, seeding and planting is caught up for the moment. The potager has really changed since April began. Several beds have seeded crops growing, like this one with peas … Continue reading →

Posted in arbors, garden planning, gardening, garlic, kitchen gardens, Potager, raised beds, shallots, Spring, Uncategorized, vegetable gardening | Tagged gardening, garlic, kitchen gardens, potager, shallots, Spring | 24 Comments

Daffodils? That means pea-planting!

Posted on March 22, 2017 by carolee

Long before the advent of calendars, farm folk had sayings to help recall when certain chores needed to be done. I like following many of these old proverbs, because in my experience they are generally more accurate than dates. … Continue reading →

Posted in gardening, kitchen gardens, planting, Potager, raised beds, Seeding, Uncategorized, vegetable gardening | Tagged daffodils, garden lore, gardening, grow your own food, kitchen gardens, peas, planting, potager, raised beds, seeds | 11 Comments

Last Harvest, First Harvest

Posted on February 23, 2017 by carolee

Today I dug the very last of the potager’s 2016 crops: “Parisian”carrots. This is the first time in forty years that I’ve left crops to overwinter in the garden. Always before, everything not eaten immediately was harvested and canned, frozen, … Continue reading →

Posted in gardening, harvest, kitchen gardens, Potager, preserving, raised beds, Uncategorized, vegetable gardening | Tagged carrots, chives, gardening, harvest, kitchen gardens, Parisian carrots, planting, potager, raised beds, storage | 17 Comments

What a difference a day makes!

Posted on May 28, 2016 by carolee

…especially when it is suddenly 89 degrees, after nearly a month of unusually cool 50’s and 60’s! All through May, the cool weather crops thrived in overcast, chilly days and even cooler nights. It seemed to rain every other day. … Continue reading →

Posted in gardening, Potager, raised beds, Uncategorized | Tagged gardening, kitchen gardens, potager, raised beds | 2 Comments

The Beet comparison

Posted on May 20, 2016 by carolee

I’ve mentioned before that I plant radishes (usually French Breakfast) with my slower-germinating seeds as a nurse crop, and because they germinate so quickly, they mark rows to speed mulching. Mixing radish seed into other small seeds like carrots helps … Continue reading →

Posted in gardening, kitchen gardens, planting, Potager, raised beds, seeds, Uncategorized | Tagged beets, gardening, kitchen gardens, potager, raised beds, seeds | 3 Comments

Potager update

Posted on May 13, 2016 by carolee

We had amazing April weather here in central Indiana, allowing farmers to get most corn fields planted, and gardeners to do their thing before this current stretch of cool, rainy weather set in to begin May. I’ve seeded over … Continue reading →

Posted in gardening, kitchen gardens, planting, Potager, raised beds, Uncategorized | Tagged gardening, kitchen gardens, planting, potager, raised beds | 2 Comments

Gardening genes

Posted on May 2, 2016 by carolee

It’s been a while since I posted, but that’s because I’ve been too busy gardening, doing shows, and entertaining to spend time on the computer. However, I’m all caught up with seeding, transplanting, mulching and weeding. There are no shows … Continue reading →

Posted in gardening, Potager, raised beds, Uncategorized | Tagged gardening, potager, raised beds | 4 Comments