Planning the Garden
Last night I started the planning process for my garden. I gathered all of my materials, seeds, notebook, The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook, Companion Planting Chart, Spring Indoor Seed Starting Schedule, my computer, and a pencil. Then I look at what I grew last year and add it to my list this year. Next, I go on the MIgardener website and look at the current catalog to see if there is anything that I want to add this year and put it on my list and in my cart online. After that, I write down next to each plant what time I should be starting seeds indoors or outdoors and how many seeds I should start. I typically start my first round of seeds in the beginning of March. When I started seeds last year, I did not do a lot of research into how to do it well, which showed in my results because the majority of my starter plants were wimpy. This year, I bought some good potting mix (Pro-Mix Potting Mix), some fertilizer (Trifecta+), some seed starting tray kits, grow lights, and a small 4 shelf greenhouse (I have not used the seed starting trays, grow lights, or greenhouse yet but when I do I will share my thoughts). I am ready to hit this head on and hopefully have greater success this year.
So, how do I choose what I want to plant? The biggest factor is what my family will want to eat. When I say family, I am talking about my husband, 2 kids, father-in-law, and brother-in-law. My kids are pretty picky but the guys will eat anything and they are always willing to try new things. The next thing that helps me choose is whether or not the plant is a companion plant and how it can help my garden. For example, I plant marigolds all around my garden because it is a pest deterrent. I am always looking for plants that will help control and deter pests.
Once I have finalized what I’m going to plant then I draw a rough sketch of where I plan on putting it in my garden. This is where the Companion Planting Chart comes in to play. I really focus on the “foe” column because I want to avoid planting something next to something else that doesn’t grow well together. Then I look to see if there are any plants that work really well together. For example, I learned this year that bush beans and potatoes are good companions because bush beans help deter the Colorado potato beetle and potatoes help deter the Mexican bean beetles. I also try not to plant something in the same spot that I did last year. I usually wear down my eraser during this step but I eventually get it done.
I am by no means an expert, not even close, but I do a lot of research and am willing to try things at least once. I have learned from last year and I am making changes this year. One big change is the use of various products (neem oil, beneficial nematodes, etc.) to help manage crop damage from squash bugs, the squash vine borer, Japanese beetles, and Colorado potato beetles. I will be sure to update throughout the summer on how the battle is going.
New things I am adding to my garden this year:
- cilantro (pest deterrent and companion plant for potatoes)
- pepperoncini (for my Mississippi pot roast)
- cannellini beans (for my white chicken chili and Italian stew)
- red romaine lettuce (nothing better than a fresh salad in the summer)
- watermelon (a family request)
If you have any advice please add it to the comments and share your wisdom. Thanks for reading!