Rethinking the Veggie Garden

Rethinking the Veggie Garden

Well, the experiment is not a success. 

Perhaps it was the way I made the beds. If I were to do it again: 

• I would not use the cinder blocks. I don't think the raised beds are really that important. And the marigolds do not really grow all that well in the small squares. 
• Also, do I really need any kind of edging?  The garden paths are mulched, the beds will be mulched. So no edging needed.
• Also, I need to remember to leave at least one foot around the outside on the bed between the fence to get back there and weed and harvest.

Tomato Cage

The squirrels or birds took most of my tomatoes last year. Seems crazy, but maybe I'll make a cage? 

Asparagus Companions

• chives- move the chives to the back of the asparagus bed, near the middle.
• thyme- back of the asparagus bed, near the middle
• lettuce- grow in the side closest to the hose, so it is easier to harvest

Strawberry Companions

In the new strawberry bed, interplant with sweet alyssum. Plant marigolds around the edges of the bed. Sprinkle seeds between the metal bed and the fence?

*Add a cat food can with PBR (40) to catch slugs.

Broccoli

Interplant the scallions and nasturtiums. The onion scent may help keep pasts away.

Plant thyme near broccoli

Carrots

Continue to grow borage along the fence line of the bed. Interplant carrots and scallions. Succession sow each of them, to get a continuous crop.

Plant Rosemary near carrots

*Add a cat food can with PBR (40) to catch slugs near carrots and lettuce

Replace one Lemon Balm plant with Chamomile

Rotate Crops 2026

 Next year is probably time to rotate crops. Obviously, the asparagus and strawberries have to stay where they are. But the Tomatoes, Broccoli and Carrots should be rotated. 

June 19, 2024 Seed Starting Thoughts

Seed Starting Thoughts

• The Green twister coneflower started ok, didn't get all of them to germinate. But got fungus gnats and did not survive hardening.  Maybe these are best purchased as a plant.

• I realized that I really like the companion flowers in the veggies garden and should probably start them from seed, even it it seems like "wasting" a lot of seed starting space with them. The borage grows well when started and then I have something nice to look at while the zucchini is coming on. Many of the borage actually came back from dropped seeds this year, but it takes a while for them to get going, so start 12 from seed.

• Also really like the marigold surrounding the tomatoes, but they are difficult to keep consistently moist in the cinderblocks. Starting from seeds is so easy so start 24 of them. 

•  Nasturtiums start easy, but get very viny quickly. Maybe try in different cups or taller containers.

• Broccoli is going well this year can easily fit six to eight under the new netting support. But the whole thing needs to be staked well. The thin stakes provided don't work at all and it blows over in the wind. Also, the squirrels got in and ate everything. Figure out some sort of wire base to keep them out. 

• Balloon flower germinated well. But should probably start it a little earlier. Was small when it went out and took a long time to some on. Right now only one on the front slope has flowered.

• Lavender did not overwinter in the basement this year. Maybe leave it upstairs so you'll give it more attention. Either way, the front of the beds are full, so no need to keep starting it.

• Zinnias were more orange and not true red, so not really worth growing.

• Winter sowing is fine, but still had only mid results this year. Probably time to give up on it. Plus I really get more satisfaction from seed starting indoors.

• Rudbeckia did great. Too bad the rabbits ate so much of it this year. Keep starting plants to put in the front wildflower bed or for guerrilla gardening.

• Thyme is fun to give away, but that one plant is plenty and survived the winter.

• Hyssop blue did well and all germinated and survived. They aren't really doing anything in the garden, but I hope next year they will take off. The four I bought from Gade's were much further along and flowered quickly. Maybe start a few next year to finish the back side of the garden, but that is pretty shady and probably needs something else. Maybe wild bergamot? Make sure it is something that won't spread. Yarrow was a BAD idea!

• I love the idea of different varieties or shades of the Veronica on the front bed. But most of those you can only buy plants. Maybe buy one plant or root and divide after three years. Or you can also take stem cuttings in the summer. I have not had great luck with that, but maybe it is something I should learn?
• The new cells worked great. At first I thought the small ones were too small, but they just need to be potted up a little earlier. Takes up more space sooner, so I have to plant ahead for that. The one problem with them is that several did not get seed starting medium all the way down to the bottom of the cell. I am leery of packing the medium too much, but when filling them- fill halfway, making sure the medium goes all the way down and then fill the rest. 
• I read somewhere about seed starting Rudbeckia in the summer for fall planting. 
• It’s also good to note that rudbeckia flower best when they have a period of exposure to cold temperatures. This allows for the biggest flowers and the longest stems due to a process called vernalization - a period of cold (i.e. winter) that signals to the plant that it can get established and put down a good root system that will allow it to flower well the next year. If you start rudbeckia in the spring, you may only get a few flowers and very short stems by the fall - they are best planted in the fall, overwintered, and then allowed to bloom the next year. 
• So, I am starting some this summer. Half (24) started on July 27 with no cold stratification and the other half later after 30 days stratification. 

• The celosia never really filled in and the balloon flower took forever to come on. Switch the garbage can bed to Veronica and coreopsis. Start a few more Veronica to fill on the front bed, transplant some of the second year ones from the front slope to garbage can bed. Start 12 coreopsis to get at least six plants. Should fill in and make a nice mound by the second year.
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