I was given the opportunity to be interviewed for a little radio spot sponsored by a local bank; Zion’s Bank. It is a great little blurb on me and my business, check it out here!

My friend Dominque sent me a message a few weeks ago - she was looking for help building and planning a vegetable garden. Since last summer was the third summer in a row that I (along with my partner in crime, the talented Matt) had built a garden from scratch, I was much obliged!

Dom lives in Colorado, so we have been communicating via the virtual world. I've emailed her several times - nice long nerdy emails about soil, sun, plants - she sent me pictures of where she dreams of garden plot living.

Here are the first 3 steps I told Dom to take; thought I'd take you along for the ride. Do you mind?

I ripped this image from the pages of January's Better Homes and Gardens - it inspires & EXCITES me! Its time to get organized and make plans for this year’s VEGETABLE GARDEN!

Whether you already have a vegetable garden or will be building from scratch this year, here are a few tips to get you planning:

List - Think back to last year. What did well? What failed? What did you wish there was more of, and what were you begging the neighbors to take off your hands?

Once you have a list of veggies you can start to separate the cold season vegetables (leafy greens, brassica's, peas) from the warm season (tomatoes, beans, corn). You can also decide what you would like to start from seed, directly sow or buy as seedlings. If this is your first year for a garden, having a list will help you identify how large your garden needs to be. It is often less overwhelming to start small and add more garden in following years.

Plot - Having a drawn plan will help to ensure the best use of your garden space. It will help you plan where cool season plants rotate out and warm season veggies get planted, help with crop rotation by keeping your drawn plan for a reference in following years, and to help ensure plants will receive the ample amount of sunshine they need by making sure tall plants are not planted in front of shorter plants - blocking the sun. I also like to know what I will be growing vertically up trellises, which helps to utilize garden space.

Schedule - It is helpful to start a schedule now for this years garden so you know when to attend to such things as: starting seeds which requires a lot of scheduling as different seeds require different amounts of time to be mature enough plants for transplanting. For instance; tomatoes take 6-8 weeks to grow into strong transplantable seedlings so starting your tomato seeds by the end of February/early March will allow for plenty of time. Each plant has a different time table. Information about how long it takes a seed to be transplantable can be found on the back of your seed packet or check out this link.

Starting seeds can take a bit of room and time, but is so rewarding as well as great winter therapy.

Also, having a schedule to know when to get your cold season vegetables in the ground and then when it will be time to plant warm season veggies is helpful. This link is a list of recommended vegetables for Utah and their planting dates.

Additional resources; USU Extension Square foot Gardening

Need help with your garden plan?

Jessica Hadfield

diglandscape AT gmail DOT com

dig-landscape.com

@digdesign on twitter

Fall Pots

Even though we have officially welcomed fall - there is still a lot to enjoy in the garden. Here are a few tips, and pictures, on how to spruce up your pots for the cooler weather.

Use perennials: As the nurseries slow down they are looking to get rid of inventory. This means you can buy perennial plants (usually for the same price as seasonal annuals, or LESS) that will stay vibrant until they go dormant for the winter, longer then a cold sensitive annual that will go brown once the thermostat reads anywhere near 40 (or 50) degrees.

And here is the big bonus - use those perennials in your pots now, then come spring plant them in your garden - double for your money! You could of course use perennials

in your pots as a semi permanent fixture (most perennials will last a few years in pots before they need to stretch their legs), I have a few examples of this below.

Here's a list of a few Perennials that still have some "show" in them for the fall (using common names): Coral Bells, Grasses (such as Fescue, Sedge and Carex), Asters, Sedum, Gaura, and Ground Covers such as Variegated Thyme and Ajuga.

Container garden at The Lamp Co. Designed

by dig using primarily perennial plants

Use Cold-Hardy Annuals: There are some annuals that are able to combat Mr. Jack Frost. Using these annuals now will allow you to enjoy your pots until the snow starts to melt and in most cases, again in the spring. These would be annuals such as Pansies (of course) and many of the flowering cabbages will keep their color through the winter as well.

Before and during shots of The Graham Residence

fall pots using cold hardy annuals and perennials.

Some of The Graham Residence Fall Pots

Accessorize your containers: By incorporating a mulch such as gravel or attractive rock you are not only helping to retain water but also adding an element of interest to your container garden. Another fun thing to do would be to add gourds, squash or pumpkins to your fall pots to make them a little "festive".