we are about 90% complete with putting in our 2017 garden. we worked our butts off this past weekend getting everything tilled up (thank God for my dad’s tractor) and getting the soil ready. i picked up all my plants from the greenhouse up the road who so graciously started my seeds for me. knowing that i have some “major events” coming up this summer i tried to really scale back on my garden. that didn’t happen. BUT at least i was more cautious with my actual plants. in lieu of 30 million tomato plants i only did about 8 total, a few eggplants, peppers and a bunch of squash. all varieties that i couldn’t’ find at the farmers market. i think i’m going to be veggie shopping there a bit more than usual this summer.
what is taking up an overwhelming majority of my garden is the flowers. i planted so many cutting flowers but i honestly feel like they are easier to maintain than veggies. i feel less guilty about dead heading a zinnia than i do chucking a rotten tomato. plus flowers are easier to harvest. they’re higher up.
i don’t think i went super crazy planting but we did allow each plant to take up more room so we can rototill the weeds in the middle aisle and mulch in between the plants so there are larger rows which take up more room. i still have a few flats to stick in but i’m excited with the progress. next year i’m going to put in a few more beds than rows. some of my veggies just seem to do better there.
here is a list of everything i planted this year. all of my seeds came from either baker creek or floret.
squash
nasturtium
cosmos
poppies – mother of pearl, champagne, peach, sherbet, flemish, black peony, black swan and danish flag
strawberries
tomatoes
Larkspur
fox glove
snapdragons
cress
crinkled cress
stock
bells of Ireland
morning glories
sweet peas
celosia
zinnia
cockscomb
amaranth
marigolds (keeps rabbits away)
we still have a bit of work to do to get it off and running but i’m anxious to get it complete hopefully before the weekend. (hopefully)
Your marigolds also deter slugs and bugs that are attracted to tomato plants! Can’t wait to see how your flowers do! I started sweet pea inside and transplanted them and also directly sowed sweet pea seeds in the garden. My starts are hanging on but so fragile. The other plants are coming up much heartier and thicker.. we will see!
So will the flowers and vegetables be for sale? If so…at your home or at your shop? How exciting! That’s a ton of work planting all of those things!!!
Please let me know. Thank you!