Hello everyone!
I hope you all have been enjoying these past few weeks of summer weather! I can’t tell you how awesome it’s been being able to go outside in shorts and feel the sun on my back. It’s so refreshing!
On one of these summer days a few Saturdays ago, I had the incredible idea to start planting my annual summer garden. Admittedly, my family and I slacked off last year, but this year, we definitely made up for it. From lettuce, to carrots, to tomatoes, to even an unknown plant that my mom and I have no idea about what we bought, I’m excited to get see my plants blooming… and approximately four weeks later, I see a lot of buds!
Today, I’m encouraging you to plant something. In fact, you can even buy some plants that have already sprouted or those that have started to yield some fruit!
Let’s get to it!
Getting the garden ready
It’s simple to begin! Depending on whether you have blocked off an area to plant, have a pot, or maybe just experiment with one plant somewhere miscellaneous, just make sure that you have enough space for the amount of plants you will plant.
This year, I decided to grow eight tomato plants! Why? I’m not sure. My mom came home with a lot of sprouted tomato buds, so I went ahead and put them all in the ground. With no doubt, I know that I will have an abundance of these guys, but before they were planted, I had to space them out and make sure they had their special tomato structure thing (view my photo below to see what I’m talking about).
Depending on whether you have blocked off an area to plant, have a pot, or maybe just experiment with one plant somewhere miscellaneous, just make sure that you have enough space for the amount of plants you will plant.
To be honest, I am not quite sure what these tomato planter things are called, but after using them for the past couple of years, they help tremendously with making sure the tomato plants stay upright. Definitely invest in these if you plant tomatoes!
As seen in my photos, I tried my best to give each different plant their own row with ample room to expand. This year, it is my first time experimenting with lettuce, broccoli, carrots, and arugula. And that one mystery plant that hasn’t changed since I last planted it.
Putting them in the ground
Once you have a layout in your mind about how the plants will go down, get to it! Beside you, you might need some fertilizer that can be bought at homeware stores and possibly at some grocery stores. Have a shovel beside you, mini or large, to help you move around the soil. Since our garden makeshift sits outside year round and endures all four seasons of weather, our soil tends to be extremely tough to move, even once it hits summertime.
Bending down on your knees can be hard, so bring out a towel or something that you can rest your knees on while you dig. The act of planting seems easy, but it can actually get quite long and exhaustive, so plan on giving yourself ample time when you do this. For example, my garden took me at least an hour to two hours to plant.
Bending down on your knees can be hard, so bring out a towel or something that you can rest your knees on while you dig.
The cleanup is always the hardest part because one tends to get overwhelming hot, tired, and maybe even sunburned. Don’t forget to apply sunscreen and have a good hat with you. I store all of my planting supplies in my garage. Because it rains a lot right now, I don’t leave any of my materials outside.
Tips from a professional planter
While I have been planting for a few years, I relish getting advice from other fellow planters. Why not impart some wisdom from a professional planter with you all? Carmenza, my one of incredible abuelas, has been planting all types of vegetables, fruits, flowers, and other similar things since she was very young. As a girl, she would use these harvests to put them into salads and her family’s meals. I asked her some of her best tips for ensuring awesome plant growth. She tells:
- “Make sure that your soil isn’t rocky and is loose.”
- “Water [the plants] everyday unless there is a lot of rain where you are.”
- “Talk to them,” she says jokingly. Admittedly, I already do this.
- “Know how much sun your plants are supposed to receive daily; make sure that you plant them in places that will absorb a lot of sun throughout the day.”
What are you waiting for? Get going!
Channel your inner gardener and begin planting away! My mom bought some of the plants in our garden, but for some of the other ones, I went to Home Depot and found that there was an abundance of seeds of almost any type of growable flower or food.
Get excited for another post coming up soon about what to do with all of the vegetables I’ve grown! What’s really funny and ironic about my tomato plants is that I actually don’t like tomatoes, except when they are in sauces or ketchup. Maybe I’ll have to learn how to make something creative out of them!
I hope you all are doing well and are pumped to start getting outside and planting! Perhaps you want to start having some flowers around, or want a cute succulent, or start out with a small plant first—all of these things are awesome! Don’t cut yourself down over the steps you take. Plus, I have accidentally overwater and abandoned a ton of plants before (sorry plants), but the few that survive each year are what keep me going (how cliche, but yes, very true!).
Have an amazing week, and I look forward to talk with you all soon! Sending much love to all my readers.
Quote of the post:
“Teachers put the stars within reach.”
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