Garden on the Deck: Planting Root Veg & Soil Rotation

On Easter weekend we had gorgeous weather. Chris tried out for a softball team on Sat. and made it. Yea! We joined a family Easter gathering at our friend Aly & Jeff's place (thank you!), and I made some serious progress in the garden.

Beet (top) and Carrot (bottom) Seeds, 4/6/2010.

Root Veggies: Last year I grew two sweet onions. This year I'm giving the root vegetables a real go. Their seeds can be planted straight into the soil outdoors and can go in early (before the last frost), while the soil is still fairly cool. The beets from our CSA last year were amazing, thus the inspiration. Carrots? Why not?

Rotating the soil in every single bin, 4/4/2010.

Soil Rotation (aka Breaking your Back): At a workshop hosted by Southside Community Land Trust, I learned that plants are more healthy when they are planted in different areas each year. A specific type of plant will sucks out particular nutrients in the soil, while others take them from the air and leave them behind in the soil (ex: potatoes and peas take nitrogen from the air and leave it in the soil, while tomatoes need nitrogen in the soil). I'm not planting in the ground & couldn't rotate where I place the plants (tomatoes still need the giant bins, lettuce needs the shallow planters, etc.). So, I rotated the soil in every single bin, meaning tomato soil is in almost all of the little planters, and vice versa. A fun and dirty day.