Mommy's Pen

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Garden Calendar: March

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Here’s a great gardening project for the kids: bean pole hideout! Take a bunch of long branches or bamboo poles and secure them at the top to form a tepee. Then plant pole beans (or any climber) at the base of each pole, so the vines will cover the structure and make a secret hide-out! More detailed instructions here.

While you’re picking up your pole beans, here are some more veggies that can be direct seeded in March. God, I love Zone 8!

More peas
Parsely
Cilantro
Broccoli
Radish
Beets
Spinach
Chard
Arugula
Onion sets
Seed potatoes (after the 15th)

Get dirty!

Garden Calendar: February

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Here in the Willamette Valley, it's already time to plant peas. Throw
some rainboots and grubby clothes on your kiddos and head outside. We planted a packet of organic peas right next to the chicken run. Starting after February 15th, you can plant peas about every two weeks for a continous supply of fresh peas later this spring. Don’t work the soil too much this time of year as the soil is still very wet. If you have an existing plot, just rake a small area, add some organic fertilzer and plant your peas about an inch deep and an inch and a half apart. If you don’t have an existing plot, I’d recommend planting in pots if you want to start early. If you work the soil before the ground has dried out, you’ll end up with unbreakable clumps.

Your toddler can open seed packets, put seeds in the holes, and cover the holes with dirt. Little ones also love working the hose. This is a good time to practice detaching from perfection; kids will compact dirt you just cultivated, throw seeds all over the ground, cover themselves in dirt and drench themselves in water. It’s okay, seeds are cheap and baths are fun.