Here at the Roost we are busily planning for a bountiful harvest (if the weather conditions permit!). This year we are adding a couple of new raised beds to the garden and switching around where we planted our vegetables from last year. Of course more bed space means I get to add some new vegetables we've never grown before!
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| Cover of 2012 SESE catalog (image via www.southerexposure.com) |
Here are my choices for this year, ordered from Southern Exposure and Seed Exchange:
pole beans
greasy beans
beets
cauliflower
sweet corn
pickling cucumbers
slicing cucumbers
garlic (already planted, almost ready for harvest)
collards
kale
spinach
lettuce
okra
onions
southern peas
peppers (red, yellow, orange)
banana peppers
radishes
yellow crookneck squash
zucchini
butternut squash
acorn squash
pumpkins
tomatoes (Brandywine, yellow brandywine, Barnes Mountain Orange, Cherokee purple, Roma)
cherry tomatoes
herbs (basil, cilantro, mint, rosemary, oregano, chives, marjoram)
*if we have room, I'd like to try potatoes this year too!
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| my rough 2012 garden sketch for our back yard |
I have planned where each plant will go and exactly when to plant seeds for each according to frost dates as well as according to the moon. Has anyone else tried planting by the moon? I'm curious to know if the plants are more productive with this method. We plan to start lots of seeds in our cold frame as well this year.
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| my watercolor of the "three sisters" garden |
Another thing I'm really excited about is in one bed, I will plant a "three sisters" garden with my beans, corn, and squash. The "three sisters" tradition of planting places the three complimentary crops together so that they benefit each other: the corn acts as a stake for the beans to climb, the beans provide nitrogen to the soil, and the squash leaves shade the ground and help retain moisture for the other plants. Since I've had to be off my feet so much lately due to my broken leg, I thought I would make a little watercolor illustration of the three sisters garden (shown above). Watercolor painting for me is so therapeutic.
Are you raising any special or new vegetables in your garden this year?
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