Dreams (Remastered)
This is gonna be *my year*
January is the best month to be a gardener because all you do is dream. This is the time for hunting down last year’s seeds, falling in love with new cultivars, and making lists upon lists of goals and plans for the garden.
Like anyone, my best laid plans always go awry. Last summer, I spent most weekends traveling up and down the I-95 corridor to attend weddings — and I did some travel for fun, too. All sorts of mayhem happened in the garden while I was away. It was cloaked in wildfire smoke, inundated with rain, parched by drought, flattened by high winds, and overrun with harlequin bugs. In short, 2023 was one of my most disappointing years in the garden yet.
But this year! Oh, this year will be different.
One of the joys of gardening is the data collection that goes along with it. This can be formal or informal. Most of us carry soil-stained notebooks where we jot down planting dates or note when a vegetable first fruited. It’s here that we make note of pests and which methods worked to mitigate them. In winter, we take stock of this data and learn from it.
Here’s something I’ve learned: I am not the kind of gardener who can follow intricate spreadsheets. Last year, I made the most amazing color-coded spreadsheet to plan my growing season. I barely used it. This year, I’m back to planning with pen and paper.
Another thing I’ve learned: Last year’s maximalist approach failed. I started way too many seedlings and it snowballed from there. I put way too many of them into the garden and ended up crowding out other plants.
This year, my goal is to grow fewer, healthier plants. Check in with me in six months ;)
Here in Zone 7b, hardy plants — those that can withstand a freeze — can go in the ground in March. Those are mostly brassicas and leafy greens; they’re not the stars of the garden but their early planting date gives them a shine. Below is a list of my early spring crops — in theory I have room for them all, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I have to kill some darlings once it’s time to sow.
Bloody dock sorrel (Rumex sanguineus)
Lascinato kale (Brassica oleracea var. palmifolia)
Five-color silverbeet rainbow chard (Beta vulgaris L. var. cicla)
Arugula (Eruca sativa)
Rapini (Brassica ruvo)
Cherry Belle radish (Raphanus sativus 'Cherry Belle')
Giant Japanese red mustard (Brassica juncea var. integrifolia)
Salad Bowl lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
Little gem lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
Komatsu Old Tokyo (Brassica rapa var. perviridis)
Florence fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
Autumn giant leeks (Allium porrum)
In mid-February I’ll be starting rapini and leeks indoors. I live in a one-bedroom apartment, which means that I have limited space for seed-starting. Previous years have seen me cover the coffee table with egg-cartons filled with soil and seeds. Last year I put them on baking sheets and lined them up on the hutch under a grow light. They did ok, but they didn’t get quite enough direct light. Also, I really missed being able to use my baking sheets.
I’ve got a new set-up this year and I can’t wait to see how it does. I bought a lamp stand for reptile enclosures online (file that under items I never expected to buy). This will let me hang my grow light over the tiny bistro table in the kitchen. I also bought a pair of LED grow lights with articulating arms. I’ll be able to clamp these onto the table. The seeds are going to get a lot more light this year!
I’ve also finally invested in some plastic growing trays and plastic cloches to cover them while the seeds germinate. The cloches help create a humid environment and promote soil moisture. We have radiator heat in our apartment, so I’m afraid to say I’ve been leaving past years’ seeds to germinate in desert conditions.
Also, after years of using whatever growing medium was left over to start seeds, I’ve finally purchased a bag of seed-starting soil mix. (I’m getting serious this year, you guys!) These mixes are supposed to be airier than basic potting soil and they drain better, too. We’ll see if that makes a difference.
For now, I’ll be counting down the days until I sow my first seeds. It’s always such a joy to get them germinating! As soon as my fingers touch soil, it all starts to feel real again. I’m not dreaming anymore; the garden year has begun.