The Years Garden Improvement

This is last years garden in July. I got a really late start last year and didn’t plant anything until early June. Since I had no indoor starts and I went to the nursery and bought what I could find for plants. We had tomatoes, squash, peppers, dill, cilantro and a few radishes, carrots and peas. Not too bad for no planning.

This year I started in February with my indoor starts. I have planned a lot and have five beds instead of three. I have also used those black things for potatoes and moved the compost to a different spot.

This year I am also going to try my hand at raspberries, grapes and some rubarb. I bought two kinds of raspberries and three kinds of grapes. But I an afraid one of the raspberries and one of the grapes might be dead as they have not sprouted while the others have.

I’ll keep you posted.

Garden Planning

So I am finished with my garden planning. At least for now. It’s always changing. Here’s what I have decided to plant.

Winter Squash (Delica and Carnival)
Zuchinni
Brandywine Tomatos
Mexican Midget Tomatos
Tomatillos
Corn
Cantalope
Anaheim Pepper
Watermelon
Sweet Peppers
Basil
Mint
Lettus
Chard
Parsnips
Carrots
Radishes
Beets
Cilantro
Dill
Leeks
Scallions
Texas Onions
Eggplant
Soybeans (edamame)
Sunflowers
Peas
Pole Beans

I have 170 sq ft of garden space. Four 8 x4 beds and two 3 x 7 beds next to the south house wall. The wall serves as a great heat catch and I plan to try some four season gardening there this year. I’d also like to plant some berry bushes this year along with some patatos but we will see what the finances look like as we go along.

So far I have invested $95 in the four 4 x 8 beds and $65 in seeds and starting supplies. I am going to try starting some seeds this year as well. There is a great little video on the basics of seed starting over at OG.

The last frost here is generally around May 15th but that depends on your elevations and your yard (slope, sun, etc.). I have figured out which plants I want to start inside when so that I will have plants to out in the garden in May. Different plants have different needs so make sure you read the labels. Some need to be soaked or scratched.

I am going to try some experimenting with different plants that aren’t necessarily normally started indoors. Since I live at high elevation with cool night temps there are some plants that are harder to grow from seed. So check back and I will fill you in on my successes and follies.