Finding space to plant more greens

Yesterday Natalie was sharing how to get more greens in your diet, now I will share with you how to find more space to plant some.

We are expecting a storm, it’s 8 am and I am rushing out in the garden to take a few pictures.

Last year I was trying to find a way to produce more greens and make it easier for me to have them handy.  I decided to install planters just in front of our kitchen door on the fence. It allows us to have organic greens easily accessible, I don’t even need to bend to harvest it … A pair of scissors and we have an organic fresh salad! It’s also a way to use the fence as a planting space it gives shade in the summer hot days to these fragile little greens.

We found these planters on ebay for really cheap and it’s made of non treated cedar wood perfect to grow organic foods.

Greens do really well in planters ( even inside for those without a garden and dream of fresh greens ) When I was living in Paris I would grow on my windows mostly greens and herbs it was such a luxury.

You just get potting soil and compost, water well. I would suggest to plant some every 2 weeks to keep on having fresh greens.

You can plant them from organic seeds or get some in your local nursery. It makes it cheaper to plant from seeds and they come up really fast.

My favorites for salads are arugula, spinach, sorrel, red lettuce, mizuna.

Enjoy your greens and your day! 

getting started

i was in bed most of the week with a back that went out. i couldn't do much of anything, especially in the garden. i don't like lying around much so needless to say i was a bit grumpy. but to cheer me up a bit i ordered a large load of compost to be delivered in hopes that i would be mended and ready to go this weekend. my kitchen harvest, a local curbside organics collection and composting company makes all of it's compost right at hillside farm where i work. it felt so good to be using compost made with local kitchen and yard waste. a little contribution from many community members involved now helps my garden to grow!

 i was so happy to find that by friday i was feeling better. i headed straight for that pile of black gold and got started. we spread a majority of it throughout the garden as a feed/mulch but saved a bit for some flats of seeds. hannah chose several types of heirloom tomatoes,cucumbers and watermelon. we also made a new raised bed along the chicken coop. we planted lemon verbena and borage and planted some sweet pea seeds to grasp on to the wire. after the sweet peas are finished we will replace them with pole beans.

 by the end of the day my hands were stained black and my back ached just a little. i went to bed with a heating pad and a smile on my face.