2015 Garden Planning

[JoyGal]

2015 Garden Planning

Is anyone planning yet?

Will you be going with traditional plants you are familiar with?

Trying anything new?

Trying a new seed source, or using your favorite?

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I will start planning here very soon. I'm usually a little late getting my seed order in so want to be plenty prepared this year for an early order.

I'm not sure if I will grow onions this year. At the end of this past summer we had onion maggots I will put diatomesis earth in the bed once it thaws, but I'm afraid of those nasty little bugs again.

I need to get some sort of shaded cover for my greenhouse. It has constant sun and everything just gets too burned. So I will look into some green plastic to cover it maybe.

Pumpkins and sunflowers are my biggest challenge this year and I am determined to get them to work Well, and tomatoes. It's been a constant learning process since we've been here for a lot of things except green beans

[WanderingJuniper]

We are at the beginning of the beginning stage of planning. Which meals we have talked about the garden, needing to create an indoor seed starting station and agreed that a garden is essential to our spring/summer for health(mental & physical) and financial reasons.

[charla]

I'm horribly bad at gardening, but I've planted one every year for the last several years. I will plant one again, but I think I'll cut back to the plants that I can actually grow so I don't get so discouraged - tomatoes, peppers, herbs, cucumbers, and hopefully zucchini. I got quite a bit of asparagus from my asparagus patch last year so I was so happy about that. If I can get some of the garden in early, I might go ahead and try lettuce, spinach, kale and radishes since I already have the seeds.

[greengirl19]

Oh, I'm in! I am having trouble deciding what to do this year. My garden doesn't really get enough sun until the peak of summer. All my winter things are puttering out. I want to start seeds again to save some money. I have lots of seeds of various sorts left over. My garden has been very prone to tomato diseases so last year I put those in containers - that was a huge success and definitely doing that again. It's about time to start seeds around here, spring will be here very soon and it will be hot before I know it.

So:
tomatoes in containers
3 raised beds - one herbs, one early veggies, one late veggies.

[RiverRock]

I understand about maggots. Last year my turnips were infested. Maybe I will try parsnips instead...or pick the turnips when they are small.

More and more I am trying to plant what we eat and not what looks nice growing. I want to make a "tea" garden. I have a friend who grows a variety of herbs so I will ask her for pointers.

I need to prune the blueberry bushes. I think danger of frost has passed for us. I have semi-converted the sand box into another garden bed. I might fill it with squash/pumpkin plants for fun. We removed two plum trees last year. One spot now has an ornamental tree planted, but I need to decide what I want to be in the other spot. I have two apple trees nearby for pollination. I need to check on my options for adding another fruit tree.

---------- Post added at 02:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:01 PM ----------

I found this link for self-pollinators: https://www.victoriananursery.co.uk/...e_Fruit_Trees/ I realize it's from the UK, but it gives me ideas. I could plant a cherry, pear, or damson plum tree. I might be leaning towards an eating cherry.

[Chaos Coordinator]

I'm planning a container garden due to drought here...any plant recommendations?

[RiverRock]

Dh vetoed the cherry tree because they attract too many worms and birds. We will be looking for a dwarf bosc pear tree.

CC, I think you can grow most things in containers. What do you like to eat? My favourites have been tomatoes, strawberries and herbs.

[Mother of Sons]

I talk myself out of a garden every year. I have a hard time believing it really ends up saving money. I think I might just try a little salsa garden and see how it goes.

[Chaos Coordinator]

Tomatoes strawberries and herbs are good. We eat a lot of strawberries and tomato sauce, especially in summer! Hmm. Maybe that's all I need to do. Seems measly, but when you are hauling around containers maybe less is more

[CelticJourney]

I've started putting together my raised bed garden

[backtobasicsmum]

It will be a long time before I'll even be able to see my yard under the snow, but I do hope to actually have some garden space this year. All along our back fence, the previous homeowners had "landscaped" ....in other words, added shrubbery and that stupid red wood chip mulch. We want to rip that all out and place trellis all along there and see what we can grow up! I'm thinking beans, peas, cucumbers....and then I also want zucchini, tomato, and herb plants between. And flowers. There's not a flower in the entire back yard!

[WanderingJuniper]

Originally Posted by Mother of Sons

I talk myself out of a garden every year. I have a hard time believing it really ends up saving money. I think I might just try a little salsa garden and see how it goes.

If you count physical labor in the financial equation it "might" be an even trade. However, we don't include that time because I have more free time in the summer and I enjoy it. We spent $75 upfront last season. We easily got that back in produce within 3 weeks of harvesting. By July when zucchini peppers and tomatoes were ready we were in the black easily. I end up not needing to buy produce from May to November.

This year I think we'll only be breaking even but that is because of a seed starting set up we want to purchase.

I want to add I my containered herb garden at home. I am adding things like horehound, echinacea And chamomile. Pretty plants that help us too.

[RiverRock]

I belong to a group called Food Matters, and get free seeds and seedlings through them every spring. People harvest seeds and share them. I have shared perennials from my garden. It's a wonderful community group. They also arrange gleanings to happen in the community throughout the harvest months. If you have fruit trees that are not being picked, or too much fruit for your needs, they will help the food get used. A portion always goes to local food banks or soup kitchens. After that the gleaners can divide the fruit among themselves. The only time my garden doesn't seem cost effective is when I need to buy soil or manure to amend the dirt. I have access to free manure, but I don't usually remember to compost it.

---------- Post added at 10:52 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:51 AM ----------

Oh, my community also has a school gardening club. Kids get a lot of seeds for only $2.

[Mother of Sons]

It would cost a lot more than $75 for me to have a garden or we would lose everything to deer and other animals. I've tried containers in the past and yielded nearly nothing. A handful of tomatoes and one very tiny green pepper. I'm going to have to do a little shopping and price it out.

[knitlove]

I heard of a tomato pland grafted on to a potato root - I think it is called tater and ketchup. I would need a bigger container than our normal tomato pot but I am very intriuged.