Planning the Garden

I know it's cold. I know the wind may be blowing. I know it may be snowing. I know it's hot chocolate season. But if I want pumpkins and squash (and carrots and zucchini and onions, for that matter) for next year's Mayan hot chocolate, I have to plan now.

So it's time to plan the vegetable garden and buy the seeds. I start with a piece of graph paper, but you can find garden planning apps or programs on the internet. I draw each bed to scale so that I know how many rows or plants I need in that bed. That way I know how many seeds to buy.

This year, we need to rotate the potatoes into another bed and plant some legumes in the old potato bed. And we're going to build another raised bed for experimental crops (there is NEVER enough space if you garden). And we're going to add an asparagus bed. So all of that needs to be figured into the final plan.

First, I go to my seed box in the basement. Most seeds will last two years - the year I buy them, and the following year. I throw out anything older than that. That way I see what I have before I order.

I get out the seed catalogs or go online to my usual sources. Some of them are up there on the right. I pick absolutely  everything I want to grow. Then I start the process of weeding things out - get it? Anyway, I look for how long it will take to be ready to pick, I look for cold/heat tolerance, I look for organic seeds, I look for heirloom varieties, I look at planting guidelines. I look for old favorites and new things that I want to try and gradually eliminate the things that won't work, and keep the things that will.

Then I make my list and the company I want to get that particular variety from. For example, tomatoes - I like cherry tomatoes, slicing tomatoes, paste tomatoes and a few heirloom varieties. This year I ordered from Johnny's Seeds, Burpee Seeds, Seeds of Change and Vesey's Seeds. Each one is abbreviated on my master list.

Tomatoes
Cherry
B – super sweet 100
J – sun gold
Roma
J – plum regal
Slicing
B – brandy boy
B – black truffle hybrid
B – early girl
J – dafel
J – moskvich
Heirloom
SoC – paul Robeson
SoC – costaluto Genovese

Now I know who I ordered from and what I ordered. And I don't have any duplications by having a master plan. I order now so that I can start my tomato and pepper plants inside in February or March.

I order some flower seeds - marigolds to edge each bed, pansies and nasturtiums for the edible gardens, and sunflowers for the birds.

I order herbs - mostly a few basil varieties and cilantro. I already have thyme and parsley growing in the garden.

I ordered onion sets from Dixondale Farms.

I also ordered planting supplies - little row or plant markers, peat or coir pots, gardening gloves.

I share seeds with my daughters - even by ordering little packets, there are still too many seeds for our garden. It's much cheaper to share seeds with someone and trade with your friends.This is especially true if you are limited on space and can only do a container garden, for example.

So, grow some veggies, even if you have a tomato plant and some basil. There is no comparison between store-bought and fresh veggies. Or visit your local farmer's market and support these organic gardeners.

Happy planting!