Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Thinking About the Garden

Yum
The garden and seed catalogs started making their way to our mailbox over the last couple weeks. 
The perfect time to start thinking about what we want to do with the garden this year. Things we will do differently, things we will do the same, and new things we will try. 



I started by making a list of "everything" we have ever planted in our days together here at the farm. Out of that list, I pulled out what we will not raise again. On that list we have the following:

  • Eggplant - we tried and just don't care for it. Regardless, we try a "new to us" vegetable every year. 
  • Spinach - we try every year and have no success. We'll save that for farmer's market trips
  • Watermelon - Neither of us care much for it, we just wanted to see if we could raise it. Mission accomplished. 
  • Artichokes - To much space, for to little yield.  
  • Brussel Sprouts - Until I learn a way to cook them that we enjoy, they are in the same category as eggplant. 


Then, there is the exciting part of the list. What new things we are going to try.

  • Pea's that aren't a snap pea - Each year we raise pea's, but get a very low yield and really struggle getting them to grow. Every year, we raise snap peas. This year we are going to try something new.
  • Sweet Potatoes. I've looked at the plants at the green house, and think about adding them to the garden. This year we will follow through with trying them!
  • Broom Corn. My friend Carla, from The River, shared some of the broom corn they raised last year, and I am so excited to plant some ourselves this year.
  • Alpine Strawberries. This is a challenge, as we don't know where we will plant these, but Jessica from Oregon Transplant has me so inspired to try these little berries.
  • Shallots. Why not?
  • Beans for drying. Again, why not? Something fun to try for one summer.
  • And...... Fooled You Pepper. For my husband, a jalapeno that isn't hot! Our jalapenos were so blazing hot last year, I couldn't bare them. 



And, what I am most excited about is blueberries! My husband has a lot of research to do on how we need to prepare our soil, but I think this will be fun. My parents tried and were successful, until the deer made the blueberries come to an end. We don't have as many issue with deer, and what we do have, I think Mr. C. is going to be good at helping out with. 

Are you planning your garden yet? Are you trying anything new?

16 comments:

  1. I'm so ready to start up the garden again too! I keep staring out the window, willing it to warm up! Ugh! I hate the wait!

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  2. Can't wait to see what you are going to do with your garden this year!

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  3. Hi Kris, your garden is going to be outstanding!!!! if you are looking for a bean 2 years ago I planted fava beans and we had them coming out of our ears, they were delicious!

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    1. I need to check into Fava beans. Thank you sooo much for the suggestion!

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  4. I'm excited to see you are going to try the alpine strawberries! I can't wait to see how they do! I think I'm going to try beans this year. I've heard they are a great companion plant for zucchini, so I'm figuring, why not? My husband's dad grows beans around here and his do awfully well, so I'm crossing my fingers! I'd love to try shallot, but my garlic didn't even come up this year. I might try to conquer the garlic before I move on to shallots 😁

    I hope you are having a great week Kris!

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    1. We tried garlic last year, but my dear husband forgot we planted it and thought it was weeds... the rest is history... lol! We will try again this year!
      I bet you will knock the beans out of the park! A friend grew pole beans last year with the sweet corn and had such great results. I haven't heard about them with zucchini before. Looking forward to hearing how that goes for you! And of course, I will let you know how the alpine strawberries progress!

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  5. What a fun list! I would love to try potatoes or sweet potatoes, but I am not sure I'm ready to commit this year! Jessica's apline strawberries do look amazing. Dried beans would be fun too. Now I need to go check out what broom corn is. It is so much fun to think about all of the produce! The blueberries would be awesome too. We love our strawberries and blackberries. Maybe we need to look into the blueberries one of these years too!

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    1. If only we had the time to try everything, right?? We struggle with potatoes, but my husband is not ready to throw in the towel yet!

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  6. Fooled you pepper sounds fun! Alpine Strawberries 🍓 very cool!

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  7. Yay for Broom Corn!!

    My parents planted beans for drying. My mom was very pleased with them.

    I am still pondering my garden plans. I will keep you posted.

    P.S. I am chuckling about the peppers. :-)

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    1. You and your family seem to be inspiring a new plant for us each year, last year it was popcorn :)
      What type of bean did your parents plant?

      Those peppers are a hoot. I am excited to try them. Hoping they will truly will live up to their name!

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  8. LOVE your garden plans, especially the peas, berries and beans for drying! Sounds wonderful.

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    1. Thanks, Jean. I am so excited for the growing season to begin!

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