All through the garden year we plan the next year through our mistakes and a few good choices. After over 20 years of gardening the same lessons come back and as I get older they are even more needed in writing to remember next year. So easy to forget the lessons.
Potatoes: they slouch so badly - I will grow less and only two rows instead of four, expecting them to take up any isle left between them and anything else.
Beans: I can't preserve them so I like them so grow less. One pole bean and one bush. Leave the drying beans for someone else except for the Hutterite soup bean. And no matter what the package says, it is a pole bean. Edamame is the exception to the rule. If I could just get the Masai bean to grow that would be my choice.
Tomatoes: I will grow half as many and only one peacevine cherry but it must be grown because for a month while the others grow and grow, I am eating tomatoes. One Roma for sauce and the other 2 will be Brandywines.
Radishes: don't bother - use nasturtium flowers. They don't bolt.
Squash: Two zucchinis not five. Less winter squash.
Melons: two not five. I will decide later which to grow from those I am growing this year.
Cabbages: I love them but a couple in pots will be enough.
Brocolli: Two and stick to Calabrese. These and cabbage are best in the north side of the garden where sun is limited to 5-6 hours.
Cauliflower: Let someone else do it. It takes a lot of space for one harvest.
Kale: Grow about 4 and in pots or find the copper tape and use wood chips for mulch.
Celery: I am conflicted. I want to grow some but two rows is nuts.
Onions: I must. To go out and get one when I am cooking - but remember that I can get them all winter at the Amish market so don't try to grow to stock up unless you want to add them to sauce.
Cucumbers: Wait to start them. There has been no problem with the striped beetle on the plants I put out in July. Buy the plants at the Amish market later. Right now they are still in pots and the slugs were killed before the pots went to their spot. I may leave them in pots - 8" seems all right for them.
Beets: I grew a row so I could keep them - maybe start them later after the peas are done in that space? I was going to start some but am out of steam and may not get to it. Time for a principle of energy conservation - my energy.
Okra: probaly could grow two rows vs four. I love to grow it but don't need quite so much.
Corn: takes a lot of room and the Amish market carries organically grown and I can freeze some of theirs.
Fava: Can't get it elsewhere so grow it in the field where it is happy.
Peas: probably would grow it again but stick to something that does not need shelling.
Herbs: The oregano and thyme are always there. I need basil, dill, cilantro, and rosemary for cooking. I may make a raised bed somewhere with the 2" hemlock cut offs I have for these. Put wood chips around the outside.
Sweet potatoes: They keep all winter and are not work plus I can eat the leaves so probably I will continue to grow them.
Salad greens: Luckily I have the raised three beds on legs for these so I will continue growing them.
Wild edibles: Don't grow spinach - use lamb quarters. Use the wild spring onions - no need to grow scallions.
Volunteers: I had kale this year and so many potatotes. Just reserve a row for potatoes and move the volunteers to the row. Of course there were tomatoes - start less plants?
Perennial veggies: sea kale, good king henry, welch onion, lovage - use it better, and asparagus,
Strawberries: Yes they are work and take vigilance against slugs but I love them. Maybe I need raised rows to keep them up off the ground. What about the edging that Home depot carries as edging that could keep the ground edges vertical? Is there taller edging? Is there something to repurpose to use? Wish those styrofoam trays were stronger.
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