We didn't know anything about gardening. We spontaneously cleared a space in my parents yard in the beginning of May, threw the seeds in and watered it. A month later we put up a fence when rabbits started attacking. We got about 5 salads worth of lettuce, a few handfuls of cilantro, 10 smoothies worth of kale, tons of cucumbers, and about 30 surprise jalapenos in the middle of September.
By the way I say "we" but really Tommy did everything. I maybe went down there three or four times...
This year is different though. I finally have our dream garden space, I've been reading a lot about gardening (and preserving), I'm making a plan, and I'm hopeful and confident we'll have a successful harvest this year.
The first major part of my planning was ordering the seeds.
As much as I want to max out all the space we have, I also know that I need to make my first real garden manageable. So I narrowed it down based on:
1. What We Eat Often
Although we eat peas, squash, and asparagus on occasion, we don't eat them often enough to want a large amount of them.
2. What Grows Well In Our Zone
Jalapenos, kale, zucchini, and cucumbers are a few of our favorite foods that are all fairly low maintenance and high yield crops in Michigan.
3. What We Have Space For
My main garden area is about 25 feet by 35 feet. I also have two 5x10 foot spaces on the side of the pole barn I can use. I don't think I'll fill all the available space this year - thankfully we are blessed with lots of room!
What we're planting:
- Carrots
- Jalapenos
- Onions
- Celery
- Cucumbers (two types)
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Bell Peppers
- Zucchini
- Spinach
- Tomatoes (three types)
- Cilantro
- and a few other herbs and sunflowers
What we're not planting (but I plan to buy locally from stands & the Farmer's Market):
- Cauliflower
- Asparagus
- Cabbage
- Beets
- Watermelon
- Cantaloupe
- Corn
- Potatoes
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Apples
- other herbs
I'm excited, nervous, and really just anxious to get out of the cold house in be outside! Once my seeds are in, I'll post Part II - which will include my quantities of each crop, planting schedule, layout, and a few more things I'm still researching.
What else should I include in my first-time garden plans?
