Not a doggone thing! Oh, we have our grapes, apples, pears, rhubarb, cherries, apricots, blueberries, and strawberries, but I'm not planting anything else. We discovered last year that it was just as economical for us to go to the various Farmer's Market's here and select just what we want so the preparation for freezing and canning wasn't so hectic and overwhelming. I hate it when everything is ready at once and has to get done right this second! There's just Ken and me, and of course we share some with the kids, but we ain't getting any younger and it's turning into more hassle than it's worth. The kids also hit the Farmer's Market, and Tam orders Bountiful Baskets as well. Besides, we know most of the people who sell at the FM and have total confidence in the freshness and quality, so why not support them as they try to supplement their incomes?It's a gorgeous day out and the breeze feels like a kiss from the Lord! Got my first plowing done and the chickens have gleaned all the surfaced grubs, bugs and worms from the soil. It's funny when you get the tiller out and they know what it's for and start to gather round.
Got some starter soil for my seeds and will be planting those today and placing them in a sunny spot indoors. Never got this kind of soil before but it's organic and has worm castings and bat guano in it....yay for worm and bat poop!Am mixing that with mushroom mulch and hoping this mix makes for strong seedlings.
I tried to stay with heirloom seeds this time as the last garden showed them to be the best and most vigorous producers:
Cherry tomatoes: Matt's Wild Cherry
Tomatoes: Mortgage Lifter, Brandywine, Big Rainbow, Tigerella,
Peppers: Kaleidoscope Mix
Hot Peppers: Hungarian Yellow Wax, Jalapeno
Cukes: Boston Pickling
Squash: Yellow Straight Neck
Lettuce: Buttercrunch, Winter Density(Romaine), Cimmaron(Romaine), Freckles
Spinach: Giant Noble, Space
Radishes: Crimson Giant
Pea: Snap Pea Sugar Sprint
Onions: Candy(sweet, large)
Herbs: Chives and anything else I find at the nursery that I have room for!
Flowers next to the garden to bring in pollinators and attract not so beneficial bugs away from my garden: Milkweed, Coreopsis Baby Sun, Monarda, Rudbeckia Autumn Colors, Calendula, Sunflowers, Nasturtium, Wild flower mixes, and whatever I find to throw in there.
In between the rows we'll be planting White Dutch Clover to attract honey bees, to crowd out weeds, retain moisture and fix nitrogen in the soil.
We've scaled way down this year on the garden so will not be planting potatoes or corn...maybe will sneak in a few pumpkins or gourds if I find the space. I'm going to be doing square foot gardening this year and also companion planting, which I find really maximizes garden space and creates more shade where it's needed for certain plants.
Will not be mulching with hay this year but will be using weed suppression cloth on mounded up garden rows. I've never done that before and am looking forward to it. I think I'll be placing some leaves on top of the beds before placing the cloth so that I can attract some worms into that space and retain more moisture.
What's everyone else planting this year?
It's mail order or on line so you should have no problems whatsoever. Just type Gurney's into your search engine and shop away!
