Beauty, practicality go together in spring planting plans

As I’ve gotten older and unable to manage a shovel any longer, I pretty much gave up on a vegetable garden. For the last three or four years I’ve stuck with my front-deck potagers of various herbs and small veggies to enhance my cookery.

The great big pots out front have been planted with ornamental perennials, replaced from time to time as the deer discovered their edibility, and now three of them are basically empty. I was looking at them the other day (under their two-foot ice cream-cone of snow) and had an epiphany: “What If?”

The inspiration of the “Year of the Birds” coupled with the thought of providing shelter and food for them — and myself — and beauty for all of us, brought me to a decision: I’m going to plant veggies again.

But this time it’s going to be easy on me, and here’s why. I’m going vertical! I’ll have two of the really big pots moved to the south side of the house and placed against the wall, which will first be adorned with two upright lattice sheets.

One pot will contain pole beans — probably early bearing (50-60 days) Emerite, a slender French filet bean “producing heavy yields of uniformly slim … beans in cascading clusters on graceful vines up to 8ft. tall”). I’ll accompany it with dill or possibly basil as ground-cover. Dill draws a host of pollinating insects, and basil is hated by deer — which may serve to deter any of those opportunistic mooches.

The second pot will hold shelling peas — I love sitting with a big bowl in my lap and a basket of fresh-picked peas beside me: Snap off the top, pull down the string, run your thumb down the row of sweet round green orbs to tumble right into the pan — (eating a few raw) — it seems like only yesterday a six year-old me sat beside Grandma Davidson doing that. Wow! Was that really 80-plus years ago? It left me with a love of shelled peas, however and I’ve never cared much at all for the edible pod/snow peas.

Peas take a bit longer to mature than beans, but can be planted so early (as soon as you can work the ground) that one doesn’t notice the time. Beans, of course should not be planted till after the last frost date — historically around June 5 here — but grow so quickly they break ground within only a few days of seed planting.

As for the low-growing companion for the peas, I’ve found a source of ground cherries (also called ground tomatoes) — Grandma Riesland grew them and I adored them. Small yellow tomatillo-like, grape-sized fruits growing inside a husk, they used to be found around this area back in the ‘40s and even into the ‘60s growing wild in fallow fields. Since peas and tomatoes get along well in the garden, I’m assuming this little distant cousin will make a good companion.

You may opt for other climbing possibilities — cucumbers, summer squash, vining tomatoes and such; it all depends on location and the soil needs of your chosen veggie. For most, direct sun is needed for a goodly part of the day — and watering — especially in container planting, is vital.

OK, that’s the unseen side of the house, but out front, where my new porch roof covers the deck, some color and drama is called for. And while the beans and peas will feed me, the front is definitely “for the birds”! Large pots will star again as planters and lattice — narrower this time — will again play the support role for old-fashioned fragrant Sweet peas — a precious “come-on” for the hummingbirds. Starts of native Clematis — both white and blue small-flowered varieties will share the pots. It will of course take a couple of years for the clematis to mature, but annual plantings of Sweet peas and climbing many-colored Nasturtiums will cover in the meantime.

I had considered hop-vines — a fast-growing perennial, but need to research its root needs through the years. A hardy vine might over time need more soil space than even a large pot or other container can provide. I’d welcome information from anyone having experience with them.

My extant four potagers will still grace the front porch as well — with their bounty of parsley, chives, tarragon, rosemary, thyme, Johnny Jump-ups and whatever else I pick up at the Farmers Market or the Bonner County Gardeners’ spring plant sale. One of the pots will contain a precious gift from sweet long-time pal Joyce Pence — “Mama’s Ponderosa-type tomato seeds — saved every year since 1930!” I’m sure they’ll grow for me, since I, too, was born in 1930!

You can see how easy this year’s gardening is going to be for me! A little potting soil, a little watering, and hopefully, a little harvest — just right for an old Mother Nature type who’s not quite ready to call it quits! No digging, no stooping, bending or heavy lifting. You know, you could easily do this too!

On a personal note: Please feel free to call me anytime between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. at 208-265-4688. I have a land-line and am “in the book.” If you leave a cell message, please enunciate your number clearly — I received a call regarding bird identification from dear friend Judy Heraper some time ago (are you reading this, Judy?) and mis-heard the number — so when I tried to return the call, it was wrong. I actually found her number in an old phone book but it was obviously voided since it rang on forever. I really urge people to keep their land-lines along with their cell-phones — else how can your old friends find you?

Valle Novak writes the Country Chef and Weekend Gardener columns for the Daily Bee. She can be reached at bcdailybee@bonnercountydailybee.com or by phone at 208-265-4688.