It’s on like Donkey Kong – the garden plan for 2014
The temps are in the teens tonight, and only getting colder this week. The wind is whipping off of Puget Sound, and I am freezing my balls off. Naturally, this is the week to start seeds, because why not?
I am trying really hard to not buy seeds this year, but as always, that will be a colossal failure. A girl can dream, pretend, and be in complete denial, right? Most of my seeds are from last year and are from various sources, mainly Territorial Seeds and from various boxes I’ve received from Homegrown Collective.
Apples
We are adding three new mini drawf trees from Raintree Nursery to our micro farm this year.
Akane (I got this one two years ago)
Ashmead’s Kernel Apple
Beni Shogun Apple
Red Boskoop Apple
Beans
Speedy (bush bean)
Malibu (pole bean)
Beets
Bulls Blood
Brussels Sprouts
Franklin
Cabbage
Quick start
Carrots
Nelson Hybrid
Bolero Hybrid
Yaya
Cucumbers
General Lee Hybrid
Homemade pickles (hmmm…wonder what I’m making with these?)
Double Yield
Diamant Hybrid pickling cuke
Herbs/Medicinals
Greek Oregano (from Homegrown Collective)
Purple Coneflower (from Homegrown Collective)
Thyme (from Homegrown Collective)
St. John’s Wort (from Homegrown Collective)
Profumo Basil
Dill-Fernleaf
Borage
Garlic
Killarney Red Hardneck (this is the third year I’ve grown it. Good investment of $16 for seed garlic in 2011). Sadly, I don’t have nearly enough leftover in storage from last year to last until August. Truly tragic.
Gooseberry
Captivator – this was a freebie from Raintree Nursery, and I have zero idea how to grow it. Perfect!
Kale
Nero Di Toscana. My fav!
Lettuce
Crisp mint
Little Gem
Onions (I’ve never grown them before. Should be exciting)
Guardsman
Copra Hybrid storage onion
Parsnips
Cobham Improved Marrow
Peas
Dakota
Oregon Sugar Pod II (I assume a vast improvement from pod I?)
Sugar Sprint
Super Sugar Snap (oddly enough I have two packages of this. You think I’d stop with one…)
Cascadia
Potatoes (all saved from last year’s crop. Go me)
Yukon Gold
Sangre
Rio Grande
Pumpkin
Small sugar. This is my third year growing this, and it’s always been a great grower.
Radishes
Easter Egg II
Cherry Belle
Spinach
Renegade
Squash – summer
Black Beauty zucchini
Patio Star hybrid zucchini
Squash – winter
Vegetable spaghetti
Strawberries
I am getting a pack of 25 roots from Raintree Nursery. I don’t remember what they are, but they were free with an order of apple trees. Troy is going to build me a strawberry tower from some old pallets, because yo we’re going vertical up in here. Our space is so limited, that I can’t continue to expand horizontally.
Tomatoes
Gill’s All-Purpose
San Marzano
Heinz
Brandywine
Principe Borghese
Flamme (I buy this as a seedling from a woman at my farmer’s market. It’s my favorite!)
I am both excited and already overwhelmed with the thought of this year’s garden. It’s hard to work full-time and be gone 50 hours a week and do things successfully, so I settle for doing my best and letting the rest go to pot.
What are you growing this year? What are you most excited about?
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That’s awesome! Last year’s small container garden was pretty much a fail, but hopefully this year will be better. I think we’re going to try cherry tomatoes and loads of basil.
First time gardens are meant to fail. You are human, and it will be better this year. That is the lie I constantly tell myself, “next year, it is going to be better”!
I second Amanda, I’d love to see a photo of the garden. And WOW, that’s quite the list! Never heard of purple coneflower.
See the bottom of the post before. I’ve updated it with some links to photos ot the garden.
I have never heard of the purple coneflower either. We shall see!
Purple coneflower is just a common name for Echinacea purpurea, which I’m sure you *have* heard of (or even ingested!).
I would also love to know how big your yard is. We moved into a tiny rental house this past September with permission to do whatever we want to the yard (yeah, a yard!) as long as we put it back to grass when we are leaving. I don’t have a ton of space, but we do get a decent amount of space. I planted some garlic as soon as we moved in, and we will grow tomatoes, peppers, lavender, basil, mint, carrots and radishes at a minimum. If we can squeeze more in, we will attempt brussels sprouts, cabbage and sugar snaps. How much space does your small pumpkin take up? I’d like to grow some, but I know they tend to spread a lot. Oh! I almost forgot, we have three raspberry shoots that we brought with us from my in-laws that we planted when we moved in. They may or may not have made it through the winter. We’ll see.
We get a decent amount of *sun*
See the bottom of the post before. I’ve updated it with some links to photos ot the garden.
I now have hope that if I get my but in gear, I might be able to grow enough that between my garden and the CSA we do, I shouldn’t need to buy much for veggies next winter. Excited!
Wow that’s awesome! Will you post a pic of your garden please?
See the bottom of the post before. I’ve updated it with some links to photos ot the garden. ;-D
I was so excited to be attempting my first garden this year, I jumped the gun and started seeds the last day of January. I have sprouts for broccoli and cucumbers and marigolds. I will also be planting tomatoes, both large and cherry, jalapeno, bell, and cayenne peppers, cowpeas (pinkeye puple hull), onions, carrots, potatoes, garlic, and strawberries. I wanted to do an herb garden, with about 12 different types, but I’m afraid I’ve already bit off more than I can handle.
That sounds about right. Not too early, and as long as you’re willing to up-pot the plants as their grow, I think it should be ok!
Wow, that is an amazing amount of veggies. May I ask how big your garden is? I am dealing with a 20-by-4 plot, which is just a sliver of the 60-by-20 garden at my former home. I packed a lot into last year’s garden, but am always looking for real life ways to do even better. Love your blog.
See the bottom of the post before. I’ve updated it with some links to photos ot the garden.
can I recommend adding tomatillos to your line up?? I grew some last year, my whole garden was neglected and those puppies produced and produced, plus they make kick-ass salsa. I did buy the plants so I’m not sure how well they do from seed.
What zone are you? I tried tomatillos in Los Angeles, but had limited success. It was also my first garden, so I am sure I screwed it up somehow and it wasn’t the poor plants fault.
Okay, Sarah, I know you’re crazy amazing, but HOW do you make all this work in your yard?! We have a fairly good sized garden, and I can’t imagine getting all of that planted! Share your secrets, please?! 🙂
See the bottom of the post before. I’ve updated it with some links to photos ot the garden.
wow! that is some serieus planting you are going to do! And did you know, the Red Boskoop Apple is from the Netherlands! From Boskoop, a town nearby us. Best regards from the Netherlands, Eveline
I think that info was in the tree catalog and I thought it sounded pretty darn cool. I’m super excited to grow it! I assume you’ve had it before? Is it a tasty apple?