1) Grow what will grow in your area.
2) Grow what you like to eat.
3) Grow what chickens like to eat.
4) Grow what you have time to take care of.
There are a lot of greens that will grow up north where you are. My chickens really like kale and spinach. I love spinach; kale is only so-so. I grow it for the chickens.
Oh, man, am I ready for spring too. I've been getting the garden
porn seed catalogs. This time of year, I tend to buy way too much, thinking everything sounds good. Last summer, garden seeds were hard to come by in some places, due to Covid. I bought most of what I'm growing next year in August, telling myself that I don't NEED to buy any more seed. Yeah, right.
So next year will be tomatoes, butternut squash, potatoes, onions, garlic, asparagus, strawberries, and blueberries. I tuck greens in where I have room, and I'll try some mangels next year for the chickens.
Here are some things that worked well for me (or maybe it just worked out well this year? who knows):
Plant a lot of onions in with potatoes. No potato beetles that I saw. Best onion and potato crops I ever had.
Plant marigolds near tomatoes. No soldier bugs that I saw. (Had a bunch the year before.)
I'm trying some different tomato varieties next year. Still had to buy some this season to can all the 'maters I'll use in a year.
I retired last spring, and I spent a lot more time weeding. It really showed, and I had the most productive garden ever, even though some things were a total flop. (Melons, I'm looking at you. Grrr.) So that's why I say plant what you have time to take care of. I happen to like playing in the dirt.
