a new plan for a New Year

I am very excited about my new garden plan for my Community Garden plot. I have a plan to grow a great mix of plants that are all Companions. I'll grow them intermixed rather than in patches so they have the benefit of being near their companions.

I was a bit concerned as I started to plan this year because my crop choices are quite limited this year. Community Gardens often have particular plants pests that make growing some crops very difficult, or impossible. At my Community Garden, bean beetles are severe - so no beans. Eggplant flea beetles also make growing eggplants almost impossible. And this year, we have the problem of a recent influx of a certain voracious rodent critter. They devour the fruits of squashes and pumpkins, tomatoes, corn, and  strawberries. They also dig up bean and corn seeds before they sprout.

The plants I plan to grow are mostly potatoes, onions, and brassicas (cabbage family plants). These do great in my Community Garden plot. It has beautiful full sun, not so many cabbage worms, and nice rich soil from all the composted cow manure I bring in every year. Plus, these plants are not affected by the rodents, bean beetles, or flea beetles.

I was interested to notice, when reading The Companion Planting Guide at Mother Earth News that these plants are all good companions. Cabbage family plants do well planted near onions, which deter root maggots. Potatoes like to be near cabbage family plants. Based on the lists in this article I added a few more companions to the mix. I'll mix in basil with my potatoes - it deters potato beetles. I'll add some carrots and beets among the rows of onions, since onions deter root maggots. I'll add some flax near the potatoes since this is said to deter potato bugs, and improve growth and flavor. And I'll add marigolds wherever I can. Marigolds are good to plant with all crops because they stimulate vegetable growth. In my garden marigolds will also help by deterring aphids, potato bugs, nematodes, and maggots.

Since I stumbled on this great mix of companions, I switched from my usual pattern of planting crops in patches and decided I will plant in alternating rows. I think the resulting plan looks beautiful! Can't wait to get planting.

the basics of growing a vegetable garden

I have a giant notebook compiled from my Master Gardener class. Of course, the vegetable section was one of my favorites.

I was interested to see how our manual breaks down the major components of growing a vegetable garden. 1) Planning and 2) Maintaining growth momentum.

Planning includes site selection, soil, type of garden (raised beds, etc), how you will irrigate. It also includes planning what to grow, how much, and what to plant where. It includes deciding whether to grow from seed or use transplants, where to obtain these, and generating a planting schedule.

Maintaining growth momentum includes what you need to do after the garden is planted (or after seeds are in pots under lights). I'm thinking that this component includes both maintaining good momentum of plant growth, as well as - maybe more important - maintaining momentum of the gardener. For the vegetable plants, maintaining momentum requires using proper practices for individual plants such as fertilization, irrigation and mulching, weed control, pest control, succession planting, cold protection, harvesting, winter clean up and cover crops. (For the gardener, maintaining momentum for an entire season requires ...?)

So, I'm now moving into the planning season. I've already received a couple seed catalogs. At our community garden, we're planning programs we'll run next year. I'm looking forward to trying some changes in my garden including improving my soil, installing drip irrigation, interplanting, and trying some new varieties. I'm even planning for the weather; The Old Farmer's Almanac says that after a mild, snowy winter, our area will have a cool and wet summer. Ha! That's hard to believe! We're still in a severe drought here. I think I'll take that forecast with a grain of salt.