Lacinato kale and Cherokee Purple tomatoes? “What next!” my husband Lou laments as I page through a growing pile of seed catalogs. Each year my plan for our expanding urban vegetable garden includes several new varieties. Our back yard, a typical 60-foot-wide St. Paul lot, becomes an agricultural haven for me from April through October, producing more food than we can eat, and always tucked behind mounds of petunias, spikey cleome, and drifts of bee balm, phlox and day lilies. Flowers and vegetables vie for my attention, and though I aim to treat all my children equally, the edibles usually win out.
My garden has evolved over the years, encroaching bit by bit into the lawn that Lou loves, snaking its way toward the house in gentle curves. It does not imitate the angular symmetry of farmers’ fields one sees from an airplane window checkerboarding across the Midwest, but instead flows organically from rhubarb to broccoli to eggplant. Yes, the vegetable garden must be productive, but it should also look pleasing from my kitchen window, for I am also an artist.
Last season I harvested over 25 varieties of vegetables, all grown in about 400 square feet--impossible to measure accurately since my garden is in the shape of a curvilinear jigsaw puzzle piece. Although my own garden becomes more complex each year, it is possible for a beginner to have a successful summer crop with careful planning in early spring. Close your eyes and dream about biting into a tomato-basil-mozarella sandwich, olive oil running down your chin; then pinch yourself and draw a garden plan--guaranteed to dispel March doldrums.
I suggest planning for three types of tomatoes—one type for slicing, some plum or paste tomatoes for sauces and salsas (Amish paste, a personal favorite), and tiny cherry tomatoes for popping in your mouth. Plan on tucking basil among your tomatoes as they make good companions, great pasta sauce, and wonderful pesto.
- I am never without at least three varieties of peppers including hot jalapenos, sweet bells, and something in between such as cubanelles.
- Eggplant has become a favorite of mine now that I have amassed an array of tempting recipes.
- Decide where you will place salad greens such as Apollo arugula (a personal favorite), mesclun, broccoli raab, mustard greens. You might edge your garden with them for easy access or place them in a less sunny area, as leafy greens don’t require as much light as other vegetables. I also love New Zealand Spinach because it doesn’t bolt in the heat and continues to produce right into the fall.
- I plant onions along the edge, as well, from “sets” or little bulbs that send up wonderful green spikes in early summer, or, if left in the ground will swell into larger onions.
- Reserve a space for carrots, beets, and radishes which you can seed quite early, green beans which need warmer soil, and cucumbers which can be trained to climb on a trellis, a space-saving trick.
- Allow for about four broccoli plants.
- Tuck some Lacinato kale back in the corner where your husband or children won’t see it.
- Place a small herb garden close to your back door for easy access. Some of my favorites are chives, sage, mint, rosemary, thyme, parsley, and oregano. Mint spreads uncontrollably, so you might want to put it in a container.
Now that you have a plan, you can order your seeds from a company such as Seed Savers (my personal favorite since they are organic and located just across the Minnesota border in Iowa), or you can trek to the local garden store. Unless you are starting some of your seedlings indoors your basic seed shopping list might include the following: green beans, cucumbers, beets, carrots, radishes, kale, and a variety of salad greens. Study packet directions for when to sow directly in the soil.
After ordering seeds each spring, I am overtaken by a seasonal malady characterized by itchy fingers which yearn to play in dirt, fingernails much too clean for an urban farmer, and an uncontrollable urge to charge outside and dig in muddy earth which does not want to be disturbed just yet. The cure for me is to start seeds indoors. Flats for planting seeds, as well as a soilless seed-starting mix can be purchased at any garden store. I place my seed trays on a four-shelf greenhouse unit in a south-facing window in my dining room where I baby my little seedlings and check on their progress hourly. I suspend three banks of fluorescent lights close to the seedlings; these lights should be on at least 16 hours a day. I suggest starting out with tomatoes or peppers, especially if there is a particular variety you want to grow.
The first plant to be placed in your garden will be broccoli which thrives in cool weather. In mid-May you will add tomato plants, peppers, eggplant, basil, and herbs. I can never wait until after Memorial Day (as recommended by the experts) to put these warmth-loving plants into the garden but you might want to play it safe.
The two keys to a good garden are adequate sun (at least eight hours) and rich soil. You should add organic material such as compost or composted manure each season. I compost all of my kitchen scraps year-round and pull the rich black material out of the bottom of our compost bin in early spring, spreading it over my garden along with composted manure. I use mulched leaves from the previous fall to delineate garden paths, to retain moisture, and to smother weeds. The leaves eventually break down, adding more organic material.
Whether you are a first-time gardener or a seasoned urban farmer with an overabundance of produce you can look forward to a succulent August of canning, freezing, or simply sharing with neighbors. As for me, you will find me slipping Lacinato kale into soups, and hiding Cherokee purple tomatoes in pasta sauce.
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