So I am trying to plan my dream garden; the big challenge is making it fit on my small piece of property. I have ideas of raised beds everywhere, an agreement with my neighbors to expand into their yards and "share the bounty" as P. Allen Smith says. I would like to be able to plant enough to eat plenty of fresh vegetables and have lots more to share and to preserve for the following winter and spring. I think this post will serve as an outline to begin my planning.
A. Summer Garden
1. Tomatoes
When people think of a vegetable garden, the first things most people think of are tomatoes. I have grown them every year since I started, and I couldn't imagine not growing them. I love eating them fresh, but canning homemade sauce, stewed tomatoes and salsa is also an important thing to consider in this planning stage. I grew eight tomato plants this year and that was enough for fresh eating. I'm going to take a wild guess and say that maybe if I planted 40 tomato plants and they did all rig, I could can enough stewed tomatoes to last the whole year.
2. Cucumbers
I could eat a cucumber every day of the year and since I started harvesting them this year, I have eaten one just about every day. My first attempt at pickling was made this year. I mixed cucumbers with zucchini and I think they came out pretty well. I only grew one hill of cucumbers, so if I was to grow enough to make a years worth of pickles, I would have to grow at least a few more hills.
3. Peppers
This year, I did 12 hot peppers and 8 bell peppers and 4 Italian sweets. That was probably enough hot, but I probably would need to quadruple the bells or maybe try to extend the season with some type of hoop house to keep them going into the fall.
4. Summer Squash
I had two 4'x4' beds devoted to summer squash this year, and it was probably enough. I canned pickled zucchini and froze about 3 1/2 gallons worth of shredded zucchini for cakes, muffins, etc.
5. Winter Squash
Winter Squash did not happen this year due to a lack of space, but if I do, I would want to plant at least 4 different varieties. Maybe butternut, acorn, spaghetti and buttercup. If I got half as many of each of those as I got zucchini this year, I would definitely have enough for the winter.
6. Eggplant
This is another thing that I didn't plant this year because of space confinements. I wouldn't need too much of these; we don't eat that much of it. Four plants would be plenty.
7. Sweet Potatoes
I have never planted sweet potatoes, but I want to try. I have done some reading on this Morning Glory cousin, and although they are a tropical plant, there are some varieties that will do fine in my climate.
8. Potatoes
2016 was my second year planting potatoes and they are incredibly easy to care for. I still haven't harvested them, so I will have to conclude the numbers for my dream garden at a later date.
My goal is to add all of these things up and map it all out so I can figure out how much ot the neighbor's yard I really need to intrude on.
....to be continued.
* UPDATE * 9/21
9. Beans
In my 10 years of serious vegetable gardening, I have only planted green beans. This has got to change. They are possibly the easiest vegetable to grow, and require very little care. Don't get me wrong though, I love fresh green beans, but I need to work on doing succession plantings to spread out the harvest and I also need to broaden my horizons. I need to dry planting some drying beans as well. I love black beans, pinto beans, navy beans and cantellini. With the vine plants, like beans, cucumbers and musk melons, I want to have them grow over a arched trellis and make a food tunnel. I think that would be really cool. Also planting corn with beans acts as a natural trellis as the beans grow up the corn stalk and I believe they are companion plants because of how they interact in the soil as well.
10. Muskmelon
When I tell some people that I want to grow Muskmelon, they immediately turn up their noses and say, "Eew!" Muskmelon is simply the family that cantaloupe and honeydew melons are part of. There are also may lesser known varieties that I have heard rave reviews about. Part of the problem with all produce in the grocery store and especially melons is how they have to be picked before they are ripe in order to survive up to 2 weeks of shipping. I have listened to people describe what a fresh picked melon tastes and smells like, and I need to try this for myself. They say that a single fresh melon can fill an entire house with sweet fruity fragrance and the flavor is exponentially greater than a store bought one.
11. Corn
I have been apprehensive about growing corn simply because you are supposed to plant a lot of it to ensure that it pollinates properly. I looked it up and it looks like it could be challenging, but I promised my kids that we would try to grow some next year. Maybe they will get more interested in helping me out if we plant it, so it may be worth it.
B. Fall
1. Swiss Chard
I recently discovered this cool weather vegetable and I can't get enough of it. It doesn't get the pests like kale, and I haven't seen any sign of disease on my plants this year. If I had 12 good plants, it would be more than enough for me and the neighbors.
2. Spinach
I never had luck with spinach, but maybe it's because I always planted it too close together and didn't think it properly and I also planted it in late spring, so we will see how it does this fall.
3. Lettuce
I am watching some romaine grow right now, but I also want to trust some other types like bibb lettuce.
4. Mustard Greens.
I heard the it is a very attractive plant and it would probably look nice in my front yard alternated with some swiss chard and kale.
5. Brussels Sprouts
I have read that these are the heartiest of all the cabbage family. People have reported that they were harvesting Brussels Sprouts out of snow covered plants. We actually eat a lot of these, but I have never attempted planting them.
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