Three Season Gardening

This summer is the first full season for our garden. So far we have donated over 450 lbs. (as of July 4) of food to charity from about 200 sq. ft. of garden and it looks like there are a few hundred pounds to go in this summer season. We expect to harvest 75 lbs. of watermelon and banana melon, another 75 lbs. of tomatoes, 75 lbs. of potatoes, 25 lbs. of peppers, and 60 lbs. of summer squash and zucchini. In addition there is swiss chard, carrots, sunlowers, okra, and pumpkins from our summer plantings.

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We have started to fill the empty spaces left by the winter squash with radishes, romaine, vates, mixed salad greens, beets, turnips, and pole beans. All of these have sprouted in the last week and will begin to produce before the summer garden is completely gone by.

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In September and October we will get serious about the fall garden and fill out the beds with more greens and frost hardy plants. Last year winter was unusually warm and our friends the Berry family got food from their garden every single week. Though this may not be realistic if, or when it gets cold (our winter lows usually include a few mornings around 10 degrees farenheit) we should get something from the garden 40 or more weeks this year.

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With diligent effort, drip irrigation, good soil, and a splendid summer growing season we may grow over 800 lbs. of produce. With fall greens and cold weather vegetables it could turn out to be more than that- far in excess of what I had predicted in the beginning. As a devout fisherman and gardener, of course, I am an optimist. 

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My theory is to keep planting- when a plant burns out or stops producing- fill in the space with more vegetables and try to keep the garden productive. If we plant something that does not take off right away, we'll try again until the available space is filled. There is no harm in putting more radish seed in with previously planted radishes if there are gaps where plants failed or did not germinate.

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As we pull up plants we add to the compost pile and amend the soil in preparation for the next wave. This really pays off in the warmer months when the beating sun tries very hard to bake the soil dry. keeping the beds full helps us to maintain consistent moisture in the soil by keeping a canopy of cooling vegetation over it.

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*I call it three season gardening, but it is the last week of January and we have had food from the garden 47 weeks in a row! Last week we had a nasty ice storm and when we arrived at the garden on Saturday the winter greens and lettuces had shaken off the ice and were still going strong.

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It's true I am from "Up North" and lived for years in Northern Maine where winter always brought some temperatures to at least 30 degrees below zero. Living here in this wonderful, gentle climate it never really seems much like winter. Though it is possible that we will have temperatures as low as 10 degrees, it never lasts for very long. The truth is that winter here seems to me to be more like fall running straight into spring.

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In Maine we often joked that summer comes every year but you had better enjoy the weekend while it lasts. Here, I can say that if winter does come- you had better enjoy that weekend while it lasts. Perspective is a funny thing!

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