“ grow up on the island of Trinidad , I recall harvest home cassava , bananas and cocoa with my peachy grandfather , ” saysKeegan Clifford , a veggie gardener who presently preside over 13 raise beds in Middletown , Maryland , known merely as Keegan ’s Garden on social medium
“ Gardening has always been a part of my life for as long as I could remember . ”
Tapping into the neighborhood ’s prolific soil , Clifford ’s lot has show to be a bighearted ground for an array of produce that ’s headed up by brassicas , root veggie and legumes . And he ’s successfully transformed his garden into a sanctuary to soothe the demands of a long haul 200 mile work commute .
We spoke to Clifford about the moral force of produce beds and pilot first and last frost dates . We also get a recommendation for mixing roasted potatoes with Basil the Great pesto .
Gardening as a Stress Reducer
A post shared by Keegan Clifford ( @keegans_garden )
After moving from Trinidad to the United States , Clifford says he earlier started garden as a room to alleviate the rigor of a 200 Admiralty mile study commute .
“ I saw a Quaker ’s picture of her garden on Facebook and a little light run off , ” he says . “ It was almost like , ‘ You should try that . ' ”
take more : Are you quick to seek garden your front yard ?
Embracing the Maryland Soil
“ Maryland has a deep agrarian history since it was set up , ” explain Clifford . “ The soil here is very fertile , and I ’ve get the benefits prior to transitioning to a raised bed system . ”
Clifford supply that while he ’s had to navigate tricky first and last frost dates , he ’s managed to “ farm a wide variety of brassicas , settle crop and legumes . ” Extending the time of year of Keegan ’s Garden into February , he articulate he focuses on “ crop that are not only hoarfrost patient of but crop that are winter hardy like spinach , arugula , kale and carrots . ”
2021’s Best Crops
When it come to the most productive crop of the last year , Clifford picks basil , beets , peppers and potatoes as being star performing artist .
“ I revel jest at spud , making a vegan basil pesto , mingle it together and then adding some chopped cherry hot peppercorn to it , ” he recommends .
Raised Bed Gardening Tips
“ For someone just nonplus into gardening with lift beds , I ’d say have a plan , ” advises Clifford when asked what crown he ’d pass on to someone contemplating trying arouse bottom gardening at abode .
“ In my judgement — and it depends on the size of your garden — raised bed can be quite expensive at first , ” he says . “ Every natural spring , be sure to add a fresh layer of compost prior to planting , and essay your stain before adding fertilizers . ”
learn more : Check out how to make a wicking tub garden with this picture and tutorial .
Gaining New Experiences in the Garden
“ I ’ve been gardening for a few years now , and I ’m still acquire , ” reflects Clifford of his journey so far . “ I still make mistakes and I still have fails . Each horticulture time of year is different . I get to try newfangled crops and experience something I did n’t experience in the years before .
“ When it amount to produce , I like nurture a little seedling into a stiff healthy plant that develop something beautiful which I can share with someone . ”
