Timeliness

Freshly-tilled double rows with one foot middles

Sometimes, you just get lucky. I've been trying to get my garden plot planted--that is, once the ground dried enough to till--but work and community responsibilities have preoccupied me. Until Monday night. The only night I had available before the predicted deluge on Thursday. So, blessing upon blessing, it was cloudy and 70 degrees, the last of blackberry winter, I guess. Having tilled over the weekend, we took the seed box and hoes to the plot.

I have a love/hate relationship with both honeysuckle and
Russian olive. I love their fragrance and their
decorative value, but hate their invasive habits!

This year, I'm trying six double rows on 4' centers. The plantable area is about 3' wide with 1' middles. Down the center of the row is corn (Country Gentleman) planted in a 2" furrow. One either side are either bush beans (Top Crop, Purple TeePee, Jacob's Cattle, Hutterite Soup, Purple Hull Pinkeye Cowpeas, Dragon's Tongue) or squash (Fordhook Zucchini, Yellow Straightneck). One row is a little short, so I plant a hill of White Scallop Squash. When the corn has sprouted, I'll go back and interplant Tendergreen Burpless Cucumbers so they can trellis on the corn. It's sort of my version of the Three Sisters Garden, with beans being the third sister.

In the fallow row in the front we plant Lemon Queen Sunflowers. We'll probably plant seed sunflowers (Mammoth?) around the perimeter with some sort of trap crop (marigolds/zinnias?) or pollinator attractants underneath.

So, back to timeliness--I've been berating myself for not getting the garden planted earlier, but the perfect evening presented itself, and I was able to take advantage of it (along with much help from the Resident Dragon). The predicted Thursday deluge was more of a shower, but enough to moisten the seeds. I did not see any tiny leaves on Thursday night (yes, I am that impatient!), but, perhaps, critters and weather permitting, soon. In their own good time.

What about you? What have you planted in your Savory garden?

Nancy