Operation: Season Transition with Elegance

The traditional veggie gardener will rip out and completely redo a bed at season change.  It really is the easiest and fastest way to prepare and amend a bed for a new growing season.

With our year round bed being out in the front, the traditional method isn't a favorable option.  We want to maintain a degree of curb appeal.  And elegance.  Elegance is important.

Critical components of the operation plan included:
- allow some winter veggies to go to bloom and seed for interest
- plenty of early spring annuals blooming
- visually striking perennials to anchor
- potted plants that can move around
- marking the spots for summer veggies that will get winter veggie harvest priority (clearing while eating)
 


Seeds Started
Cumin, Anise, Anise Hyssop, Early & Often Sweet Corn (back), Cowpea Fagiolino Dolico di Veneto (salad bar), Green Romaine lettuce, Dianthus, Quinoa, Amaranth, Chicory, Dill & Basil

Planted in ground from seedling cups
Okra, FL variegate collards, Dill, Fedco Lemon Gem marigold, Nasturtium, Peirceba Broccoli, Seminole Squash, 8 ball Zucchini, Cantaloupe mini-bites, Melon, Yellow Crookneck squash

Purchased
18 pack yellow zinnias; pacman broccoli and romaine lettuce*

What's Blooming?

This is a Mexican Mint Marigold.  I just love it - cute, vibrant and a heavenly scent.  Content in partial shade.  Reseeds easily.  Did I mention smells heavenly?  This one came from Seminole Springs Rose and Herb Farm. Below, from Bonnie Plants:

"Texas Tarragon" which they say is also known as Mexican Mint Marigold. At any rate, a tarragon substitute.

Dwarf Grey Sugar Pea - the blooms subtly change color as they age.  A bed full of these must be stunning.  They are short, and the tender.  Good salad additions.

Potinara Hoku Gem " Super spots" Orchid
 

Bulbine frutescens - orange variety.  I bought 2 pots on clearance last fall and divided them.  They are growing all around the place.  Happy and carefree bee and butterfly magnets.  They are easy to divide, just like liriope or any rhizome plant.

Half-a-buck clearance special verbena from the clearance rack.  It's purple, of course it had to come home with me.  And it fills out the no-mans land spot at the edge of the street and driveway perfectly.

Mizuna mustard

Zinnias - overwintered snugged up to the garden heater

Sunrita Yellow Gaillardia.  I was hoping to divide this, sadly - not yet.  Need to go back and get just one more.

Marigolds - the mother plant (in this pot) froze in December.  Seeds were loosely scattered (after the freeze) and they started growing in Feb.  The other seed that I placed out the beginning of Feb is just now 2" high or so plants.  Not yet budding.

This is in an orchid pot, buried in ground.  I can have different flowering annuals growing at different times and switch the pots around.  The orchid pots drain well, and buried don't dry out to fast and don't stay to damp.  

Would you guess that my color scheme is yellow/lime green and purple?  Purple!  Love the purple.  And Lime Green.  Can you guess that I love Johnny Jump Ups?  Must have more next winter.

The main front garden (the strip) has been spiffed up, layered with peat enriched mulch, amended, fertilized and top dressed with pine fines.  The first set of spring/summer plants are in ground and growing (okra, eggplant, hot peppers, squash, melons and cucumber; and beans of course)  We are down to the hardy leaf veggies for salads with just a few winter lettuce remaining.

* Note to future self!  Start more lettuce in January & February next year!  That is why I bought the broccoli and romaine lettuce, to stretch out our baby greens a bit more.

According to UF/IFAS in March I can still plant radish, turnip and collard greens.  So ... I will be planting some seed for these!  Though I will probably give ourselves a boost and buy a 9 pack of southern collards at the orange box.

I actually did not finish.  Operation: Season Transition with Elegance was aborted for a higher priority mission.  The mission you ask?  FREE PLANTS!  Not only FREE, but plants I wanted!

Last winter I worked on a path and fountain/pond to be that came to an aborted stop upon the collision of steel and hardened oak stump.  Tree grinder people later, and Operation: FREE PLANTS - the path is almost finished.  Hubs and I both love how the dwarf mondo grass frames the path and brings in a welcome burst of vibrant green.  We would not have been able to pull off the instant bold green border ourselves.  A win-win; a neighbor didn't want it; and we dug it up for him.

Now, how do we keep our dark brown mulched pathway leaf free?

It looks so good, and is working out to be nice firm footing; combined with (1) capping more sprinkler heads (2) less grass to fuss with and (3) less edging for hubs to cope with ....

We are going to extend it to the driveway, move the half-circle stones to the waterhose marked spot and move some grass.  Yay Us!

To be decided yet is what to do with the paver path.  I'm inclined to move it to the back where we have the waterfall issue off the florida room porch and implement a 'under weed block fabric' water breaking solution for this spot.

In the mean time, our skinneri burst into full bloom - right on easter schedule.   I'm afraid that my brassavola nodosa has not survived the past few years of stress as well as the skinneri did.  Sob ....

The lubber grasshopper nymphs are out in full force and the tomato fruitworm's are making an appearance.  And the dang inch worms.  It must be time to plan Operation: No Bugs in Our Food.

I have a bottle of alcohol hanging from the bush over this tomato.  Shock 'em and squish 'em - my new motto.

From this point towards the street is my full sun garden.  Not terribly obvious, but in and amongst the cool weather crops are spring and summer crops growing up.  Generally in the middle'ish of the cleared areas.   Marked by short garden stakes.  Or straws.  In the foreground is the Black Beauty Eggplant that overwintered (with fruit now).  On either end is a Florida Market Eggplant and in the center are two Orlando Eggplants.  Two patches of corn.  5 Burgundy Okra plants between the tomato buckets in the back section.  Summer & winter squash, cantaloupe, hot peppers, bush cowpeas, cucumber and tomatoes.  Oh, and some herbs.

As we harvest and eat winter crops the spring/summer crops should be growing up and in to take center stage.  The spring annuals are intended to be a filler to help with the transition as well as companion planting.

When the season transition is complete; seeding, transplanting and what have you has settled down - I must take some time to do a fall/winter post mortem.  Plan what I'll do different next fall.

The garden is continuing to feed us, and we are happy with what we get.  We just want a bit more {big grin}.  And we do not plan to share with the bugs - tyvm.  Ain't no bugs going to be eating our food!