Growing Pains: The UGP of 2009

It was probably out of desperation and disdain for the lingering winter that we looked to such an advantageous project—two first time gardeners, pairing with a family of 4 (including one man-sized boy and one newly teenaged girl), and a freshly plowed 1,000 sq. ft. plot. It was the makings of a bountiful dream!

We knew we didn’t want just a slew of traditional rows. We planted some long rows,  some short, a strawberry patch, a lettuce patch, and a few herb beds. Like communism, our garden looked great on paper.

But holy weeds, batman! In just a few short weeks, our meticulously planned rows were landing strips in a well-fed yard. Infested with mosquitoes, No See Ums, and all sorts of caterpillars, we were growing grass much more successfully then we were growing vegetables.

And reality grew nearly as vigorous as the weeds. After losing several crops to crows, caterpillars, mildew, and ignorance, we decided there had to be a better way. Every week, we were clocking nearly 12 hours of constant, backbreaking work in humid, buggy misery, tending a 6 person garden with the hands of just two people. (But don't BOTHER sharing any tales of woe with anyone; apparently, this *is* all anyone expects out of gardening, which I still refuse to believe.)

However, as horrible as the experience was, I had fallen in love with the smells and flavors of food that had lived in my own backyard, from birth to fork. I was hopeless, but I was hooked.

During one of WNC’s many snowstorms this past winter, I found SquareFootGardening.com, and for the first time, and approach to gardening that wasn’t just “hard work, but worth it,” but logical, ecologically sound approaches enjoying not just what you grow, but enjoying the act of growing itself. Before you could say “traditional row gardening,” I’d bought the latest edition of Mel Barthalemew’s book that started the revolution, Square Foot Gardening.

This year, the UGP2.0 is being planted according to Mel’s modified raised bed approach. We’ll be providing specific posts as we cross each step, but right now, we’re planning on two boxes (4’x4’ each, I’ll let Rachel talk about what we’re putting in them).