Green thumb dreamers UNITE!

February 19, 2010
St. Charles County, MO
By Kris Kolk

The backyard is currently a creepy display of toppled snowman chunks and his wardrobe accessories. Oh, but just think what the yard could become!

Don’t you think February was invented for garden dreaming?

Seed catalogs grace mailboxes. Gardeners and wannabes (like me) soak up images of cheery, prize-winning bushel bounties.

Those catalogs along with uplifting February sunshine create a powerful mood-boosting alliance. They arrive just in time to rescue us from midwinter slumps and guide us to springtime eagerness.

Let’s make use of this newfound optimism and tackle spring planting together. It is my hope that we neighbors can collectively figure out suburban home food production here in St. Charles County and share our findings with one another.

Here we go…

According to the Stark Bro’s. Nursery website, it appears St. Charles County’s hardiness zone is 5B.

Heirlooms sound like a good choice. I hear they are easy to grow and taste good. Since the “fruits” of my labors will be consumed within a few feet of where they are grown, there is no need to make seed choices based on shelf-life and shipping durability.

Saving seeds from one season to the next also seems to be a good idea. It may justify the amount spent during year one. We’ll see how that goes later.

Several years ago, we planted four Chardonel grape plants from Rosati Winery in St. James. (The winery is now closed). Three of the plants are still alive. Grape plants take a few years to fruit, so we look forward to a grape harvest one day.

For the last two years, we’ve also kept a small garden in the backyard. The first year we planted tomatoes and green peppers. Last year, we added popcorn (a kit from Tractor Supply in Troy). We have yielded mediocre success with a backyard plot.

This year, rife with economic uncertainties, seems THE YEAR to shift from backyard hobby to useful food production. Yes, we can do this!

Please (oh please) e-mail me at kris@lslneighbors.com with any comments or descriptions of your garden.

Here is my current plan:

Backyard garden plot:
East facing. Lots of morning sun.
Tomatoes (Burpee #52068A $3.95)
Green Peppers (Burpee #60520A $3.95)

Backyard, closer to house:
East facing. Lots of morning sun.
Potatoes (Burpee #15371 $18.95)
Carrots (Burpee #61861A $2.95)

Freestanding container in the backyard (find suitable container):
East facing. Lots of morning sun.
Lettuce (Burpee #60459A $2.95)

Backyard, spot to be determined:
East facing. Lots of morning sun.
Pear tree (Stark Bro’s. Nursery #3003 $31.99)
May need an additional pear tree for cross-pollination.

Side of house:
North facing. Sunny.
Onions (Burpee #51117A $4.95)
Cucumber (Burpee #60335A $2.95)

Other side of house:
South facing. Shady and sometimes wet.
Peas (Burpee #52589A $3.95)

Front of house:
West facing. Sunny in afternoon.
Mint and chamomile as ground cover in shrub areas.

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