Starting anew on container gardening.

I began ordering my seeds for my new garden since December and planted the first of them on the first of January 2008. Tomatoes have come up first and are now starting to put out their first true leaves. I am still waiting for the peppers to sprout, it seems to take them longer to actually get going. One thing I have noticed about the daylight bulbs I installed last year, the tomatoes are not long and spindly for lack of light. I also managed to save one pepper from last year. Wow, one pepper. The others had wilted and died off completely. So, I'll keep this pepper going and put it out with my new plants in the spring.

Because of the deer problem I am completely reorganizing how I garden. Some of what I plant will go in a cold frame, lettuces and greens, carrots and radishes. I certainly have enough stuff on hand to build it and create something of a raised garden in my garden. For other veggies that don't do so well in containers, such as beans, I'll put out tomato cages and twine to keep the deer from munching my produce as severely.

Of everything else, I can easily pre-start corn, cukes, zukes, winter squash, pumpkins and gourds. Companion planting corn and vining veggies, putting wire cages and twine in strategic places, and hopefully it will keep the deer and their predations off of the garden somewhat. So here is good luck to my next Farmer's Market Garden.

First of January

I have put together a container garden in my basement. It comprises tomatoes and peppers initially with two kinds of eggplants to follow. One of those peppers and a tomato will eventually become Kootenai County Fair submissions. Why plant so soon? I want to have produce for sale at the beginning of the new market this year. It need not be until February before I start planting the plants I want for sale. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, flowers among other goodies. By April, I should expect to set up containers and put them under a cold frame for lettuce and other greens. It doesn't take long for them to grow. I plan on a new and productive garden this year that I can take down to the market.