Here's How My Garden Will Grow
This year I am expanding my garden from the 4x12 box I've used the past two years. Along our chain link fence that gets fantastic amounts of sunlight, I'm putting in 18 feet of 2 ft. wide beds. I'm attaching wooden trellis to the fence so the plants won't have direct contact with hot metal. Because there is a grade along the fence going to the back part of the yard, I'm doing a three tiers, to keep the planting surface level and help with water retention. I'm also going to put in a very small scale hugelkultur and bury a foot or two deep of rotting logs under the soil. This will also aid in water retention.
In those beds, I've mapped out my tomatoes and peppers. I'm putting in Tomatillo Verde, Buckbee's New Fifty Day, Gold Medal, Cherokee Purple, and Amish Paste for tomatoes. For peppers, I'm going with Craig's Grande Jalapeno, Santa Fe Grande, Italian Pepperoncini, and Sweet Yellow Stuffing. This should give me a nice variety of colors and flavors, for making salsa, tomato sauce, eating fresh and canning.
In my garden box, I'm putting in two types of carrots, Berlicum2 and Cosmic Purple (did you know that the original carrots were red and purple - orange is a relatively recent breeding?), Black Beauty zucchini, Aswad eggplant (an Iraqi heirloom that is all but extinct in its home country thanks to big-Ag and big-Government "helping" Iraqi farmers), Bronze D'Amposta onions, Beit Alpha cucumbers, Sugar Baby watermelons and a European Mesclun Salad mix. In two small planter boxes I'm doing cilantro. Did you know that cilantro is the leafy herb, but the seeds of the same plant are coriander? I just learned that little tidbit.
My strawberry patch that I put in last year is still going strong and spreading on its own. I'm expanding that bed to give them more room to grow on their own.
All of my vegetable seeds are coming from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. The coriander / cilantro are coming from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. I plan to get the finishing touches on the greenhouse this week. The things that need an early start should be going by the end of next weekend.
Have you got your garden planned, or even started yet?
Wow, with the sleet coming down outside it's a mite difficult to contemplate gardening. But I think you've got the right idea... plan now while the weather sucks to keep your spirits up.
ReplyDeleteI'll also be adding another raised bed this year, but you appear to be the winner with that 18-ft new bed. Please keep us all informed as you plant, tend, and harvest those heirloom varieties.
I sure will!
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