This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy was my first dog and he thought the garden was his, even though I did all the work. Now Suzie and Charley follow in his footsteps. We're located near Boston (USDA zone 6A). I have a community plot, a backyard vegetable garden, fruit trees, berry bushes, chickens, and bees. I use sustainable organic methods and do my best to grow all of my family's vegetables myself.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
2011 garden plan
I think this will be a good plan for my two vegetable garden plots for the coming year.
The garden design looks well designed/planned. I am planning to develop my kitchen garden in area which is 14.7 width x 20.7 depth. Wish to learn more from you and your blogs are very informative for a naive like me. thanks and best wishes rajesh.
Your plan looks great. Do you use a garden planning software (which one, if so) or just draw up your own? It always looks like a good idea to do this. I always over-buy and over-plant.
Kathy, have you grown bulb fennel? We are eating more and more of it, and I'd like to try to grow it. I see a new variety called Orion from Burpee/Cooks, but am curious if there is an old favorite.
And I see I forgot to add the fennel location. I'll squeeze it in with the other roots. I have never grown fennel before but I bought some seeds (Perfection from Territorial) that I thought I'd try. I don't know if there is an old favorite.
And companion planting is a good reminder too. I haven't considered this yet. Usually my companion gardening is to add companion flowers in the vegetable beds. Nasturtiums with the squashes, marigolds with the potatoes, etc. When I get time, I'll look up good combinations in my book "Great Garden Companions" and add to my diagram.
Your on the Ball Kathy good plan. The only thing i have confirmed for my Cummunity plot is Peanut`s, Blu Mac Potaote`s. and Gai Lam. The balcony i going to grow cucumbers strait up with 2 tomatoe cages joined together opposite.
Looks like another lovely year ahead on both your plots. On a tip from a Lottie neighbour we grew Nicotiana (Tobacco plants) amongst our dwarf beans last year they really did help repel fly and they look and smell pretty. Marian (London UK)
I'm thinking I'll probably move the cukes to the back of the cold frame so they get more sun. Maybe I'll try tomato cages like Donald, but I don't know what you mean by joined opposite.
I love Nicotiana, but they end up covered with aphids if I don't spray them. I used to have this same trouble with nasturtiums, when I grew them in my side yard. Now I know the nasturtiums do great if I grow them full sun only. Nicotiana are probably the same.
I will have to give more thought to the flowers I will plant this year - definitely my usual favorites: sunflowers, marigolds, nasturtiums, and zinnias.
What did you use to mock up the plan? An online tool, gardening program, or did you draw it up yourself in an illustration-type program like Photoshop (etc)?
Very nice placement, I look forward to having more space of my own so I too can set-up a spectacular garden!
Kathy, Do you think there's any software that could accommodate my victory garden that abuts yours? My plot plan is inspired by chaos theory, which is planful in its own way. A you know, I have some circular tiers built up to cover the tree stumps that prevent ground use there and to increase the growing space.
This week I'll plant peas along the compost bin fence to take advantage of that "trellis" and later tomatoes there to take advantage of the compost pile leaching.
On companion plants, I will plant marigolds inside along every fence so as to stifle the weeds and provide insect control.
Want to trade some scarlet runner bean seeds for some purple hyacinth bean seeds?
17 comments:
Like it! I especially like the placement of your chairs! it's so nice to be able to sit and take it all in!
The garden design looks well designed/planned. I am planning to develop my kitchen garden in area which is 14.7 width x 20.7 depth. Wish to learn more from you and your blogs are very informative for a naive like me.
thanks and best wishes
rajesh.
How do your cucumbers do in partial shade? I've been trying to decide what to plant in the shady corner of my garden next year...
Nice plan. Have you taken account of companion plants?
Your plan looks great. Do you use a garden planning software (which one, if so) or just draw up your own? It always looks like a good idea to do this. I always over-buy and over-plant.
Kathy, have you grown bulb fennel? We are eating more and more of it, and I'd like to try to grow it. I see a new variety called Orion from Burpee/Cooks, but am curious if there is an old favorite.
What a coincidence, I just posted something similar on my blog this morning.
I like your diagram better though. Very professional looking! Plus, I haven't even begun to decide where I'm putting particular crops this year.
I drew this diagram using PowerPoint software.
And I see I forgot to add the fennel location. I'll squeeze it in with the other roots. I have never grown fennel before but I bought some seeds (Perfection from Territorial) that I thought I'd try. I don't know if there is an old favorite.
And companion planting is a good reminder too. I haven't considered this yet. Usually my companion gardening is to add companion flowers in the vegetable beds. Nasturtiums with the squashes, marigolds with the potatoes, etc. When I get time, I'll look up good combinations in my book "Great Garden Companions" and add to my diagram.
Thanks!
Your on the Ball Kathy good plan.
The only thing i have confirmed for my Cummunity plot is Peanut`s, Blu Mac Potaote`s. and Gai Lam. The balcony i going to grow cucumbers strait up with 2 tomatoe cages joined together opposite.
Looks like another lovely year ahead on both your plots. On a tip from a Lottie neighbour we grew Nicotiana (Tobacco plants) amongst our dwarf beans last year they really did help repel fly and they look and smell pretty.
Marian (London UK)
So what are you planting for flowers? I think I saw a small-flowering dahlia in one of last year's shots?
One of my favorites but not easy in our zones.
I'm thinking I'll probably move the cukes to the back of the cold frame so they get more sun. Maybe I'll try tomato cages like Donald, but I don't know what you mean by joined opposite.
I love Nicotiana, but they end up covered with aphids if I don't spray them. I used to have this same trouble with nasturtiums, when I grew them in my side yard. Now I know the nasturtiums do great if I grow them full sun only. Nicotiana are probably the same.
I will have to give more thought to the flowers I will plant this year - definitely my usual favorites: sunflowers, marigolds, nasturtiums, and zinnias.
thanks for drawing up your garden plot. I am going to try and create my own plot diagram each season or so
http://thriftnestsew.blogspot.com/2011/01/january-plot.html
Its handy seeing what others are planning to plant. I would love to plant asparagus, but read it takes at least 2 years until you yield any vege...
I do hope your lettuce plants survive under that cold frame. Sending you some Australian sunshine :)
This is absolutely wonderful.
What did you use to mock up the plan? An online tool, gardening program, or did you draw it up yourself in an illustration-type program like Photoshop (etc)?
Very nice placement, I look forward to having more space of my own so I too can set-up a spectacular garden!
Thanks Chrissie. I used PowerPoint to draw this.
I have some penciled-in edits that I have to remember to add here. My son asked me to "squeeze in" some popcorn.
Kathy, Do you think there's any software that could accommodate my victory garden that abuts yours? My plot plan is inspired by chaos theory, which is planful in its own way. A you know, I have some circular tiers built up to cover the tree stumps that prevent ground use there and to increase the growing space.
This week I'll plant peas along the compost bin fence to take advantage of that "trellis" and later tomatoes there to take advantage of the compost pile leaching.
On companion plants, I will plant marigolds inside along every fence so as to stifle the weeds and provide insect control.
Want to trade some scarlet runner bean seeds for some purple hyacinth bean seeds?
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