I'm Planning to Grow an Intentionally UNplanned Garden...

[applestar]

For some reason, this year, I'm feeling a HUGE resistance to pre-planning the garden. I don't know why? Last two years, I was meticulously mapping where EVERYTHING would go, including succession planting through the seasons.

This year, I'm not only feeling a serious lack of motivation to map where things are to go, but am feeling a lack of enthusiasm about writing down where I planted things already.

I've also decided that since I always let weeds grow to recognizable size unless they're too close to a desirable anyway, I'll just go around sowing veg, herb, and flower seeds wherever there's a patch of bare ground. WHY let just the weed seeds grow there? I'm feeling pretty confident of most weed as well as intentionally sown seedling ID now, which I guess is critical if you're "planning" to do this.

For the most part, I AM keeping track of the first seeds to be planted in any given area, as well as what was planted last year -- therefore -- what NOT to plant there/what SHOULD follow -- so I can keep to the Companion Planting guidelines, which I feel is related to Guild/Plant Community Associations.

So I'm writing down that I sowed X, Y, Z when, but only sometimes where. Of course then I end up turning up sprouting peas, like I did today while planting out some lettuce transplants. But that's OK. If lettuce is going to go there, the pea plant can't grow there anyway -- one of them is a weed. In one instance, I just patted the pea back in the ground and planted the lettuce 6" away.

I'm starting to see sprouts that look like beets and kohlrabi, carrots and cilantro, probably lettuce, among the weed seed sprouts.

[soil]

sometimes I am so lazy, I just mix all my seeds together, and give them a toss and water them in. in a few weeks I have a natural veggie garden.

[gixxerific]

Apple are you my missing twin?

2 min ago I set down for umpteenth time to try a plan out a garden schematic. I just can't do it. So I will be plating haphazardly as usually. I will somewhat be following companion planting, when I plant variety "A" I will try to next plant variety "B" that somewhat goes with it. I have been planning in my head but that changes daily. My main planting will be tomatoes and what ever I can squeeze in around them will be great. Sure I have been killing myself in the basement green house but as soon as the weather warms up it will be a free for all. I can't wait. Sometimes you just gotta do what feels right.

And to what soil said I already have mixed up some flower (companion seeds) to sprinkle here and there. As well as broadcasting radish seeds over both of my gardens just to see what happens. If they grow I will be eating radishes as well as helping my soil by opening it up with the radish.

[soil]

I just tossed a mix of beet, radish and turnip out 2 months ago. been eating them up lately. really tasty for just throwing seeds and not even planting them.

[Sage Hermit]

sounds like a waste of seeds. I have a good idea how about I come over and you throw random seeds in my gallon bucket.

[gixxerific]

Waste of seeds? That's a good one.

I myself have more seeds, seedlings, plants than I know what to do with. I have been busy giving stuff away lately. I have many friends and neighbors that now have tomatoes and flowers. More to come.

Anyone living near me please come get some plants.

[Ozark Lady]

I never go to meticulous lengths in planning what to plant where.

Proof positive is: I had nightshade plants in every single bed in my garden... not good!

So, this year, I am doing better. I hope. I only have volunteer nightshade in one bed so far.

I am planting non-nightshade plants in the mainly nightshade beds.
And I am making new planting areas for the nightshades!

I hope this works! I know tobacco likes new soil to grow in, like when the old timers always cleared new forest land for their major tobacco crops, and the soil didn't get depleted, until, they had no more new land to clear. And tobacco is nightshade the same as tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and eggplants. And those are the bulk of my gardening, most years.

So, I am actively clearing brush, and looking at fences, that I can put my nightshade beside, to cage the tomatoes and anchor them to the fences.

I am checking out containers that I could start potatoes in, and have no dig potatoes.

I am checking out buildings and figuring if nightshade, an herb garden, or a flower bed can go there.

I am trying hard to think "outside the box" but, I am sorry, I just am not to the point of mixing or tossing seeds. Just not there yet.

And I can't not dig. I must have a sandbox mentality. I like to dig, I like to feel the soil in my hands. I get my little hand trowel and make my rows, and then I cover them back, by hand. I just garden as an excuse to play in the dirt, gee growing up means so many joys left behind.
I also like to go barefoot in the garden, and feel the dirt under my toes... another joy from gardening.

I don't start plants inside out of necessity, well, not for the plants.
I can start them just as well outside, and get better results.
Just make my row and plant them, works great for tomatoes, peppers, cabbage etc. I start them inside, for me... I want to play in dirt, I want to see greenery...

But, I don't allow myself to start short season plants inside. Just doesn't make any sense to me to start radishes, lettuce, carrots, beets, turnips etc. They just grow too quickly.

And I don't start corn, squash, okra, beans or peas inside.

[gixxerific]

Unplanned and dirty that''s how I like it as well OL. I have dirty hands right now so go figure.

So you like going barefoot in the garden, just don't tell us about your Ruth Stout episodes. She like to garden in the nude. Her husband said it made traffic slow down past their property.

[cynthia_h]

.... to garden in the nude. Her husband said it made traffic slow down ....

OMG. If I were ever to try that in this neighborhood of 50' x 100' lots, traffic would certainly come to a halt. Every single driver would pull over, get out his/her cell phone, and call the police. We have a non-emergency phone number for the police in our town. Imagine this:

"Police? Uh...there's a...["lady" certainly wouldn't do ] woman weeding in her garden."
"So?"
"Well, um, she's wearing Crocs and a hat."
"Yeah, sounds like a gardener. Why have you called the police?"
"That's all she's wearing. I think she scared a neighborhood cat--it was running away down the other side of the street!"

Getting "in touch" with nature can manifest in many ways. I haven't studied Ruth Stout's methods but assume that she had more privacy available to her (and probably a healthier physique!) than I do! I can only imagine--and it ain't pleasant--all the itching and allergy stuff I'd be dealing with if a large portion of my body weren't protected by clothing in the outdoors!

And, with the odd growing conditions in this yard, if I don't plan well, nothing will have anything like sufficient sunlight to grow at all. Except out by the street, where kids walking to school will pick them. Root veggies and "odd food" get planted out there!

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[Joyfirst]

Yes, you have to have a big property to garden so freely. And a lot of sunlotion. But you can do it in swimsuit to please the law. And probably still slow down some trafic.