Summer has always been my favorite season. I love the feeling of warm sunshine, fresh air, and endless days spent outside. Whether I’m playing fetch with our dog, hammocking on the deck, or working away in my garden, there’s just something magical about this time of year.
The garden is, without a doubt, my happy place. Each year my husband and I try to make our garden a bit better than the previous year. The first year we winged it, without doing any research and hoping for the best! We had a decent yield, but knew that we could do better.
Over the years, we have added in more garden beds and tried to find more efficient ways of doing things.
Last year my husband built a fence around our garden to help keep animals from eating our produce. Since putting up the fence, we haven’t lost a single crop to hungry foragers.
He even installed a sprinkler in the middle of the garden, so we can let it gently water everything for 15–20 minutes on autopilot. This is a simple upgrade that’s already saving us plenty of time.
This is the first year we’ve put extra thought into the preparation process, and it’s already made a big difference. In the spring, my husband laid down garden fabric on all seven of our garden beds to help with weed control. This has tremendously cut down on our time spent weeding. It’s a change we’ve loved, and one we’ll continue making part of our garden prep for years to come.
Another upgrade we made this year was how we plant our garden. It used to go in sections; carrots go here, cucumbers go over there … This year we tried a completely different approach. I took the time to research what things I could plant next to each other in order to boost their growth, maximize space and repel pests. This is known as companion planting.
To give you an example, instead of building trellises for our pole beans like we have done in the past, I alternated sweet corn and pole beans in one garden bed so that the beans could climb the corn stalks.
Additionally, I planted flowers like marigolds and cosmos intermittently throughout our garden to help attract pollinators and bring in insects that will benefit the garden by feeding on pests.
Here’s a few guidelines to follow with companion planting in southeast Minnesota.
1.Pair nitrogen fixers (like peas and beans) with heavy feeders (like tomatoes, corn, squash and peppers).
2.Add flowers like marigolds, cosmos and nasturtiums to help deter pests.
3.Pair deep roots with shallow roots. Some pairings that we tried this year are tomatoes and carrots as well as peppers and spinach.
4.Use plants that cast a lot of shade to protect cool‑season crops. This year we planted tomatoes next to lettuce and spinach. This has been our most successful year of leafy greens yet!
During my research I also learned some things you should avoid. Here’s what I did not plant together this year:
1. Onions with beans/peas – onions stunt beans/peas growth.
2. Corn with tomatoes – more likely to be taken over by pests and both will over compete for nutrients.
3. Tomatoes with potatoes – one sick plant can kill both crops since they are in the same family,
4. Cucumbers with potatoes – they compete too much for nutrients and potatoes tend to attract pests that can harm cucumbers.
Whether this is your first year gardening or you’ve been doing this for 10-plus years, there is always something new to learn! I love the process of experimenting, learning from both the successes and challenges, and using that knowledge to continue improving our garden year after year.
Here’s a delicious recipe that puts some of your fresh garden harvest to good use!!
Meet the author – Sara Mensink. She believes that small changes can make a big difference.
Through gardening, mindful consumption, homemade solutions, and everyday habits that benefit both people and the planet, she is embracing a more sustainable way of life. Sara shares her family’s journey towards a more intentional lifestyle, offering practical tips and simple strategies to help readers make meaningful changes in their own lives.
Juicy Grilled Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs
2 lb. chicken breasts
½ tsp. cracked black pepper
1 cup teriyaki sauce
1 large pineapple
⅓ cup pineapple juice
3 bell peppers
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 bunch scallions
½ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Skewers
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