By Elizabeth Takakjian
Grids
When introducing new gardeners to vegetable gardening, I suggest they string out their beds in colorful neon mason line following the Square Foot Gardening method introduced by Mel Bartholomew. It’s a great method that helps you with planning out your plant spacing for optimal growth and the neon colors look great! If you have a raised bed it’s easy enough to staple the sting to the wood but for in ground beds you would need ground staples to secure the stings. Ground staples are available at most garden supply stores but you can easily make them using a hefty wire cutter, metal hangers and a can of bright spray paint. Spray the anger corners, measure off 8” from each end and snip them off with a wire cutter. Spraying them a bright color makes them easy to find when cleaning out the garden in the fall. Other options would be to lay wood or bamboo on the ground, but it’s been my experience that they just don’t stay in place and if you insert sticks in the ground to tie string to they can become tripping hazards if, so be sure you keep them visible and out of the way.
Markers
As much as possible I like to use recycled materials for my garden plant markers. Use paint pens, grease pens or pencil so the information stays visible throughout the season. I’ve found that permanent “Sharpie” marker disappears when exposed to the outdoors. When making wooden sign it’s best to use primer, outdoor craft paint or left over house exterior house paint so they last beyond the first hard rain. Here are some of the items I’ve used to mark my garden plantings:
- Painted stones
- Reclaimed window blinds
- Paint stirrers or rulers
- Wooden signs made from scrap material
- Radishes
Radishes? My new favorite vegetable garden markers are radishes. That’s right, RADISHES! In an effort to make every square in of my garden productive, I’ve taken to marking out my garden grid in radishes as I plant the bed. Radishes germinate in about 3 days, making them perfect to line out the area where I’ve seeded other crops that take more time like lettuce which takes a week or carrots which might take up to 21 days! It takes a little bit of practice but it’s a tasty way to mark out your garden as you plant it, and you get the benefit of a continues supply of radishes to harvest and enjoy.
Elizabeth Takakjian is a Program Educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County’s Family Health and Wellness Program, as well as a Master Gardener. She can be reached at 631-727-7850 ext. 325 or at et344@cornell.edu.