The Day I Learned About Edible Spring Gardens

On a blustery April 7 in Greenwich, CT, I head to a class on edible spring gardens for community gardeners involved with Greenwich Community Gardens. At nine in the morning, twenty vegetable gardeners settle in the open room, each of us looking for tips to launch our community garden -- from refreshing the soil to adding compost to planting the seedlings to watering the crops. Many of us are hobbyist gardeners, and we are interested in what's called square-foot gardening, an approach to blocking out, packing in and rotating crops in small space. Remember, each plot in Greenwich Community Gardens is 4x8 feet.

Leading the class is Mary Jo Bridge Palmer, expert horticulturist at Sam Bridge Nursery. Sam Bridge Nursery is a Greenwich landmark, and its business keeps growing -- no doubt in part to satisfy the appetite for sustainable vegetable gardening.

One of the many plant rooms at Sam Bridge Nursery.
Source: Sam Bridge Nursery 

• In southwest Connecticut (zone 6-7), frost ends by mid-May and outdoor planting can safely begin after that date.
• Tomatoes need warmer soil, so I plan to wait a couple weeks and plant the tomatoes around Memorial Day.
• Nasturtium and marigold in the veggie garden will attract bees and pollinators.  
• Long-growth root vegetables (such as parsnips) planted inside and around the raised bed frame can be harvested after the peak growing season. 
• Grow up, not out. For instance, I want to try patty-pan squash, and to do so I will train the squash to grow up using poles and trellises. Otherwise the vines take over.
• Label everything. If a plant performs well, the label will tell you what it was and where it came from. Same if it fails.  

Good news. The beefsteak and cherry tomato seeds I began germinating last week have begun to sprout. The next step is creating seedlings. I now have seeds  for carrots, beans, radishes, cucumbers, peppers and patty pan squash. Big ambitions, small garden. 

Until next time, my friends: Talk to me! Tell me what you are cultivating. Bookmark this blog. Get updates through email. 

Diane Tunick Morello