The Master Plan 2011

Layout

Instead of rows this year, I'm doing beds and making them densely packed.  I'm also doing a smaller garden this year.  A total of 4 beds side by side, 2 feet wide by 12 feet long, with 3 feet of hardwood mulched path between each bed and around the garden.

Watering

This year, instead of soaker hoses, I'm using sprinklers.  The soaker hoses break and leak too easily, don't lay exactly where you want them, and only water a narrow area.  Some parts get soaked, some stay dry, and it takes just long enough to water that you forget to turn the water off in time to avoid flooding the garden.  Soaker hoses beat hand watering, but I wanted to try an alternative this year.  Since a single sprinkler doesn't quite cover the full garden area, I'm using 2 sprinklers.  One between the first two beds and the other between the last two beds.  It seems to be quick, easy, and effective so far, with the only downside being that the placement of the sprinklers needs to be adjusted based on wind speed and direction at watering time.

Fencing

So I thought the fence didn't do much last year because the rabbits could squeeze through and hop over.  However, since the peas, spinach, and lettuce have already been decimated this year and I've been forced to replant, I am seriously rethinking my no fence decision.  Stay tuned.

Companions

In Bed 1 we have a double row of peas (1/2 pound Early Frosty, in keeping with tradition) climbing a 12 foot long section of (ironically) rabbit fencing.  On either side of this double row is spinach, planted about 4" apart in each direction to fill the bed, and with beets and turnips interspersed.  I planted this year's Bloomsdale Longstanding (one packet was not enough) on one side of the fence and last year's Melody Hybrid on the other.  Beets are Baby Ball and turnips are last year's Purple Top White Globe.

In Bed 2 we have half the bed devoted to zucchini (Garden Spineless) to be interplanted with nasturtium, and the other half of the bed reserved for bush lima beans.  I went with Fordhook 242 (1/2 pound), although it was a close call between those and the Burpees Improved Bush variety.

Beds 3 and 4 each have two rows of corn (Argent, rows 1 foot apart), intermingled with head lettuce and leafy greens.

Bed 3 includes Paris Island Cos Romaine (transplanted) and Swiss Chard (Large Ribbed Dark Green, direct sown).

Bed 4 includes Buttercrunch (transplanted) and Mesclun Salad Mix (1500 seed packet containing arugula, endive, buttercrunch, black seeded simpson, grand rapids, and prizehead lettuce), with a few feet devoted to last year's collards instead of mesclun.

And in the flower bed out front, surrounding the trees, I planted strawberries.  24 plants of the Everbearing Quinault variety.  Purchased cheaply as roots from Wal-Mart.

Busy Garden Week

Tuesday I spent 2 hours in the heat of the day weeding the part of the spinach and pea row where the rabbits have taken care of the peas, and I've decided is the best place for the lima beans to go.  The rush is that I just realized the lima beans will need to go in the ground soon.  They're about ready whenever the spot is ready.  Which means buying posts and hanging the concrete wire Bill had left over from his bean support system.

I wound up with sunburn on my thighs and on what would be the tramp stamp area from weeding bent over for two hours in the midday sun.  This serves as a good reminder that sunblock goes everywhere.

Then Dave came home early and had time to work with me in the garden.  We added mushroom soil, store bought topsoil, and slow release fertilizer to the new flower bed we're making out front.  Then we (meaning my man-beast) tilled the flower bed to be and the area of my veggie garden where the corn goes.  There was also weed whacking and lawn mowing that went on.

Today (Thursday), I planted all 4 rows of corn and Matthew helped me.  He played with the dog, he watered his feet, and he played in the new sandbox Dave built, among other interesting activities.  The nearer half of the rows are planted with the earlier variety of corn (Seneca Snowshoe) and the farther halves have Argent which matures later.

Did I mention there's a dogwood tree temporarily residing in my veggie garden?  Yeah, it belongs in the flower bed to be out front.  It's sitting where the melons will go while they grow a bit in their peat pots.  The cantaloupe and honeydew are all up, and I just thinned them to one per cup.  And the first melon is peeking out of the dirt today, hopefully followed by at least one per cup in the other three cups.  :)

I have some spare tomatoes and eggplants, and some basil and oregano still upstairs too.  Everything, except maybe the oregano is about ready to be transplanted to a bigger pot... if not to the great outdoors.  Those basil are getting big and beautiful (relatively speaking).

Melons & Beans

I just started my watermelons, cantaloupes, honeydew, and pole lima beans in peat pots yesterday evening. Can't wait to see them take off. But hopefully not too much before it's time for them to go outside. :)

Seed Varieties

In February, I made the pilgrimage with my inlaws to the "seed store" in Pennsylvania, perusing their catalog on the ride up and deciding what varieties to buy of the types of veggies I already knew I wanted to grow. Our source? Rohrer Seeds

The following are the seeds I have bought for my 2009 garden except for the peas and spinach I already mentioned ($0.99/packet each), along with their descriptions:

Argent Sweet Corn (1/4 lb, $3.99)
se 86 days. This white version of Incredible has large 8 to 9 inch ears with excellent sugar enhanced quality. Argent may be the best introduction of sweet corn to come by in a long time, possibly overtaking Silver Queen and Silverado.

Seneca Snowshoe Sweet Corn (1/4 lb, $5.59)
se 65 days. This exceptional high quality sugar enhanced sweet corn boasts bright white color, creamy texture, delicious eating quality and good cold germination and seedling vigor. Snowshoe is the earliest white, sugar enhanced variety available. Stalks grow 6 1/2 ft. tall and produce ears 71/2 in. long.

Bush Jubilee Watermelon (Pkt,$0.99)
95 days Productive bush type melon producing 11-13 lb. oblong fruit. Rind is light green with dark green stripes and flesh is dark red with a very high sugar content. (approx 30 seeds/pkt)

Garden Spineless Zucchini (Pkt, $1.79)
53 days. Great home variety producing 7-8 inch long, dark green smooth skinned squash. Spineless open plants make harvesting easy without getting scratched. (approx 15 seeds/pkt)

King of the Garden Lima Beans (2 oz pkt, $1.29)
(Best Seller) 88 days. A lima bean of superior quality when compared to any bush lima. A vigorous grower producing big crops of large green pods filled with 5 or 6 large, white, flat beans. Treated Seed.

Kentucky Blue Pole Beans (2 oz pkt, $1.99)
58 days. A 1991 All-American Selection Award winner. Combines the flavor of Kentucky Wonder with the enhanced sweetness of Blue Lake 274. pvp

Gourmet Mixture Lettuce (Pkt, $0.99)
Four of our highest quality lettuce varieties combined in one to give you a chefs blend of gourmet salad. Attractive red, dark green, light green and apple green blend of lettuce for all season use. (approx 2000 seeds/pkt)

I can't wait to see how these varieties do in my garden!

Planned Garden Layout for 2009

The above is my planned layout for this year's garden (after the peas and spinach have been harvested). The rows of corn are 4 feet apart to facilitate placing 3 foot wide weed control fabric between them. Each row of corn will be half one variety and half another with different maturity dates. I plan to have green beans growing up one row of corn and lima beans growing up another. Individual watermelon and zucchini plants will be 2-3 feet apart amongst the rows of corn.