KATHY'S HOME & GARDEN TIPS - PLANNING THE NEW SUMMER GARDEN
It's definitely cold outside and we all know that Punxsutawney Phil has already decided we have six more weeks of winter. Even so, planning ahead for your summer garden is going to take some time and effort so take the next six weeks to get your summer garden all set. With a little planning you'll definitely have a bountiful garden!
Use graph paper
to plot out space for your garden, have each square represent one square foot.
Notice how much
sun your plot gets. For full sun plants it needs full sun at least six hours
per day.
Choose an area
that has good drainage. Most garden plants need a lot of water but an area that
does not drain well will quickly cause roots to rot.
Most soil in Chicago is clay like.
Augment with sand and manure and peat moss. Of course you will have to wait
till the ground thaws.
Now is the time
when all the seed catalogues come in the mail. While I would not recommend
starting from seed for beginners, they are great for getting ideas for flowers
and veggies to look for at the garden center later in spring.
Keep cognizant
of how much space each plant needs. Tomatoes need a lot of space, at least 3
square feet per plant. Beans and peas are climbers. They can be trained up a
fence or trellis. Plant other veggies in front. Plant often harvested
vegetables like lettuce and spinach in an easy to reach area.
Start out with a
few plants of each vegetable that you like the best.
KATHLEEN WEAVER-ZECH & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
