Here is a layout of my garden for 2016. With so much going on I don’t think I’m going to get a chance to till the secondary garden for my tall plants, but if I have time, I might try planting loofas in the back forty.
The tally for this year is as follows:
Asparagus
Basil
Beans: Green and Speckled Bush Beans
Bee Balm
Blackberry Bush
Blueberry Bushes (3)
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Carrots
Collards
Comfrey
Corn
Eggplant
Garlic
Grapes (4)
Kale
Kholrabi
Lettuce
Mangels
Okra
Oregano
Peas: Sugar Snap Peas, and whole peas
Peppers: Serrano, Jalapeno, Sweet Banana, Bell, and Poblano
Potatoes
Pumpkins
Radish
Rosemary
Spinach
Squash: Yellow, Zucchini, and Patty Pan, Spaghetti Squash
Strawberries
Sunflowers
Sweet Potatoes
Swiss Chard
Tomatoes: Roma, Cherokee Purple, 2 different yellow tomatoes, and Better Boy
Thyme
Watermelon
Ordinarily I’d grow the corn and sunflowers in the secondary garden. This year I’ll plant a token bed for each in the main garden.
The graphic below is how my raised beds are set up. I have a large asparagus bed to the left of this, and several smaller beds for greens and lettuces situated around the chicken pen.
I’d like to get a couple more blueberry and blackberry bushes. I also need to move my grapes, but I think it’s too late in the year to do that now
How does your garden grow? What are you planting this year? Do you have any reliable favorites to suggest? I’m trying a new green bean this year and some new lettuce varieties. (My lettuce is beautiful, but every year it’s bitter. Still trying to work that out.)
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All original content copyrighted by Maria Zannini 2016.
When disaster strikes every last minute survivalist will be heading your way, Maria
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I doubt it. We literally live in the middle of nowhere. Besides there are plenty of easier places to hit.
Wow! With all you grow, do you ever even have to go to the grocery store?
I would love to grow sunflowers! I don’t have any of my own green space though…I wonder if I could grow them in pots?
I do want to get some potted bougainvillea and/or allamanda and/or hibiscus plants to bring some color to the front and back of the house.
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Madeline: Sunflowers are really BIG plants. But I think there are dwarf varieties now.
re: groceries
My downfall is my (so far) inability to successively plant so my plants produce through most of the year. We also have a three month period of intense heat during the summer where few plants produce.
But I’m trying every year, and every year I get a little bit better at it.
Lettuce goes bitter when it gets hot. Unfortunately, in Texas, you may not be able to do anything about that except perhaps trying to grow it in the winter. Look for heat tolerant and slow-to-bolt varieties, particularly. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to enjoy some of the lettuce out of MY garden this spring before it gets bitter, since we’ve already been having sporadic 70-80 degree days. :/
Rebekah: This year I’ve got a small box planter that I’m putting in a shadier spot to do some test lettuce. My other option is growing it indoors but I am terrible at watering my indoor plants regularly.
Bear in mind, if there’s any apocalyptic issues, me, kiddo, and Molly are headed your way since you’ve got some serious self-sustaining going on lol! We’ll make ourselves useful
Angela: Greg will attest to the fact that no one can stand next to me for very long without me giving them something to do. Must be why he hides from me when I’m doing something back-breaking. 😀
That is a great variety of veggies you are growing! Very organized with the laying out of it too!
betty
Betty: It was a process a long time in the making. We’re slowing getting it to where we want it, but it takes time–and money. The boxes, the drip irrigation system, and the weed barrier mats are expensive. (We’re still not done buying mats.) And it takes time to make enough compost for all those beds. Hopefully by next year it will be more maintenance than new expenses.
Aww! I’m so jealous!
We’re doing a lighter garden this year. Just tomatoes, carrots, rhubarb and maybe zukes and cukes
Sarah: I’ve always wanted to try rhubarb. I had it in a pie once and it was pretty tasty. I hope you’ll post a picture of your garden once it gets going.
Wow! I am in awe. Your garden is better than a supermarket! I managed to grow two things this year: fava beans and kale. I got a few very tiny kale plant which yielded about a cup of fresh greens. The fava plants look beautiful and have lots of flowers. There a few pods beginning to grow, but I’m not holding my breath.
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