Okay guys and gals spring is here and everything from vegetables to insects are just itching to pop. That’s right little insect eggs are dancing around in their shell waiting for the right moment to yell, “here I am!”

Starting a new spring vegetable garden is like a new world of happiness. Well for me it is. Once, I seed something I check on them every day until it start to sprout. Yes, I’m that excited. Let’s get started, you want to know where to begin?

You can start by reading my page on where to begin or follow me along for a tour.

I just finished my Indian muster last week. So I’m I need to turn the soil, recondition my raised bed by turning the soil add more perlite for oxygen and peat moss for retaining moisture to get ready for spring vegetables and other plants. Just make sure that the area you choose will have at lease six hours of sunlight.

I also acquire some medicinal plants from a friend of ours in California. I’m not sure if it’ll survive or live here, in the southwest Arizona. However, I have a lot of herbs that I thought it wouldn’t survive or grow here and it’s doing really well, with care of course. Check out my herb page here. They thrive here in zone 10 A.

What kind of seed I’m planning to put in the ground

Seeds are :

• • Canna the dark red leaf kind
  • Hmong mustard 2 variety
  • Green beans and pole beans
  • Passion fruit vine
  • Chili peppers 2 variety
  • Summer squash
  • Sunchokes are up already
  • Victoria rhubarbs (fingers crossed)
  • Other medicinal plants

Okay canna isn’t food of course however, we used the broad leave like corn husk to wrap tamales, Hmong, style. If that makes sense.

In my raised bed I planted Hmong collard green (zaub ntsuab) and another variety of Hmong mustard (zaub nkuaj fa) if I wasn’t lied to. Seeds were given to me by my mom. So I’m excited to grow those. This year I’m doing something I’ve never done before.

I used straws to cover my seeds instead of what I used every year, grass cuttings. I’m hoping that it will do fine. Or I’ll find out. Fingers crossed.

The green beans and pole bean I planted by the cinder block wall. I planted them next to my old box spring that I ripped out the spring and foam, used the skeleton as a trellis. I also planted passion fruit vines at each ends.

By the time the passion fruit vine is big enough for fruition and edible, I would have already harvested the green beans. Well, that’s what I’m aiming for anyway.

The two chili peppers are goats weed pepper, very hot, smelled hot. I love that smell. And, well I call it the mans’ chili tree bush, because, when it fruits the pepper looks like a man’s, manhood. *clear throat* now I’m excited about that one. Is it getting hot in here?

Then couple of summer squashes. I started late but then again as long as it isn’t 120°F yet. My veggies will be fine. I hope.

What are my first time planting

My sunchokes or jerusalem artichoke are growing really well. Hoping to harvest them after summer. My first year at growing them. Now you’re wondering why there’s so many rocks? Well, I didn’t think they will grow and I was experimenting.

Rhubarb is also my first year and attempt at growing. So far it’s kinda still cold so they are lingering on. I was told it’s a cold loving vegetable and well see if it lives during the hot summer here. It’s a perennial so I hope that it’ll grow back next cold season. I can wish can’t I? 😛

Canna is another plant that is new. This spring in trying everything I can think of that I would like to grow. Hopefully they’ll survive like my other herbs and vegetables that I thought it’ll never survive but it did.

Find your spot

So you found a nice spot that has sunlight for at lease six hours. It doesn’t matter if you are seeding or transplanting, check. Till or cultivate your area to loosen up the soil. Check to see what kind of soil you have.

Check this companion planting guide. Everyone loves a great neighbor. So does your plants.

Then you want to have sections. Like a section for your kale, a section for your collards, a section for your onions, and whatever you want to plant this spring. Try companion planting. They will love you for it.

Are we having fun yet? Yes, we are. I am just talking about it and after this I’m going to visit my plants to see how they are sprouting.

I normally cover my seeds with grass cuttings but this year like I said earlier I’m using straws. If you don’t have grass cuttings or straw use mulch.

Sit and Relax

In a four or 5 days depending on what you sowed you will start to see little sproutlings peeking from beneath the dirt. I love being outside with nature and watch the birds, bees, and hummingbirds play tag on my moringa flowers.

Take a cup of tea or coffee outside, sit and relax be with nature. Take in all the fresh crisp air that we still have at the moment and just enjoy life all together.

If you have any comments or questions feel free to leave them on my comment section and I’ll be happy to get to them as soon as I can.

I hope this inspire you to start a new spring vegetable garden. See you again in the next post. Now go take on the day and challenge the unknown.