Garden Planning 2010

It's a little bit hard to imagine sun-warmed soil, gentle breezes and little green shoots right now. We're in the midst of several weeks of very cold days, topping out in the 20s and lower 30s.

Even so, this is the ideal time to sit down huddled under blankets, and plan this year's garden. This is an annual event for us. Jamey gets the garden notebook, full of notations and plans from previous years and I bring my notes of what we might want to change from last year based on how much we have left of certain things, what we might want more or less of, etc. Jamey keeps track of how many plants/feet of row we grew from each year. This makes it easy to make adjustments for the coming year. Of course, we have no control over how wet or dry it might be- these type factors play a role in our yields every year whether we like it or not.

After an hour of discussion, this is what we've come up with...

What we grew last year and will grow again (indicates amount we will plant this year):

garden peas- grow more (grew 190 feet? of climbers last year), try non-climbers this year
lettuce- same amount (spring and fall), more variety, build a larger cold frame
broccoli- grow more (12 plants in spring, 18 plants in fall), make sure planting area is mulched with chicken manure, research organic ways to keep worms away
spinach- grow more (spring and fall)
Swiss chard- grow same amount, harvest earlier in summer before bugs come
zucchini- grow more (4-5 plants)
red bell peppers- grow more and an early variety, don't mulch (6 plants)
green bell peppers- same amount, don't mulch (10 plants)
jalapeno peppers- same amount (2 plants)
garlic- same amount (60 cloves), let dry out several days before braiding
onions- we didn't get nearly enough of these last year (we're already out), same amount, new variety (~3 pounds sets, 125 feet row)
tomatoes for eating- grow an earlier variety (4 plants), grow 2-3 plants of new varieties we saved seeds from
Roma tomatoes for saucing (15 plants)
green beans- plant a little less (60 feet row)
potatoes- plant a little more (90 feet of row)
butternut squash- plant more (4 plants)
basil- grow same (30 plants)
parsley- grow same (5-6 plants)
corn- grow a little more (180 feet row)
carrots- grow more and try to find a variety that stores better, 2 beds- one for storing, one for eating and canning
watermelon- grow same (3 plants)
cucumbers for eating- a little more (3 plants)
sweet potatoes- grow more (90 feet of row)
pumpkins- 2 plants
sunflowers (seeds for chickens)- fill in where have room
cantaloupe- 2 plants
oregano- 2 plants


New things we want to try:

stevia- to use as sweetener, 6 plants
leeks or shallots- research how many
dry kidney beans- We actually grew a small row of these last year (just to try them out). We didn't get enough to eat, so we've saved the beans and will be planting them this year (with hopes to eat them, of course)

Perennials that we grow that may/may not need attention:

strawberries- plant another row (they were thinned heavily last year and the plants are several years old)
red raspberries- plant another row
asparagus
rhubarb
sour cherries- pray for no late frosts
peaches- hoping to get our first peach this year or next
pears- there is one tree left

So, there you have it. Jamey is already taking stock of seeds we have leftover/have saved and is making lists for our seed order. He also has the garden mapped out (we change it every year) and is scheming as to when we can move the cradle (where Miriam hangs out while I'm on the computer) to set up seed-starting tables in the office. We're off! Pin It