So. Lots of stuff went in the ground last weekend. Not everything for the season, but a lot. And of course, I already don’t like what I did and have plans to do it better next year, and that’s okay! Things are just starting out, and I can’t call it a failure until it actually fails. I have this whole philosophy of “fuck around and find out” with gardening, and I think that’s what keeps me going and pushes me to do better every year.

The biggest change between this year and last year is how I started my crops; indoors in seed flats, with grow lights and heat mats (courtesy of a dear friend)! It made an unbelievable difference, since in previous years I just sorta….threw them in the windowsill? Not a good way to go for seedlings since they get leggy from lack of light.

I also just barely remembered to harden the starts off before putting them in the ground, a process that involves slowly introducing them to the full power of our sun so they don’t immediately burn from all the UV radiation that’s suddenly blasting them from this big thing called the sky. I will absolutely be taking care to do that again next year, and hopefully I can start a little earlier and then utilize my mini greenhouse on the deck!

I did end up buying a few crops earlier this year because I was late on my cool season crops, but that’s what fall planting is for! The onions have already gone kaput and the broccoli probably bolted, but I’m holding out a wee bit of hope for the brussels sprouts. In the fall I will be replanting some different onions and multiple broccoli crops in the hopes that my harvest season can be extra long.

The to-do list is still long. I have a shit ton of trellises to build. I would love to try an A Frame for my melons, and I bought some nice long sticks of bamboo to help me with that. I also need to build trellises for the rest of my climbing crops like peas, beans, and cucumbers.

I’m getting ahead of myself. Don’t y’all want to know what I planted first? Well heeeeeeere you go!

Obviously this looks….complicated. And it is, but I don’t regret it. At least for the most part, I just know what I want to do differently next year. I made this plan before I decided to go out and get the already established crops, so it’s still MOSTLY accurate. Since I’m using the Square Foot Gardening method, I have a tiny bit more leeway with my space but I’m also probably over crowding some things. Gonna have to wait and see, then try to do better next year I suppose!

But anyway, here’s a cool list for all you list folks out there. We’ve got…

Bed 1 - Three Sisters - An old Native American planting method that utilizes companion planting to protect crops and support a more bountiful harvest! This bed has not shown much movement yet, but I already have plans to lay another round of seeds soon.

Scarlet Runner beans
Sugar Sprint snap peas
Mardi Gras Blend green beans
French Horticultural shell beans
Witch Broom corn
Table Queen acorn squash - planted!
Possibly ornamental squash in the fall?

Bed 2 - Stakers - We got plans for this one.

2 Spineless Supreme zucchini - which I will be turning into a….tree? Thanks to a staking method taught to me by Lucy Alice.
Black Beauty and Galaxy of Stars eggplants - One of these got a little…munched on…already, but thankfully I still have backups!
Buena Mulata pepper - similar to cayenne, but PURPLE!
Mulato Isleno - similar to a poblano!
Purple Bell pepper
Mystery pepper that I think is purple? Idk I got it on a whim at the Flower and Jazz festival lol

Bed 3 - The Melon Patch - Please don’t die on me like last year. This is one of the beds that will go through some changes depending on what works. I was absolutely plagued by downy and powdery mildew last year, and it took almost all of my cucurbits and melons with it. I’ve got copper fungicide at the ready this year, and I will have NO MERCY.

Canary melon
Ambrosia melon
Sugar Baby watermelon
Aphrodite melon
Rich Sweetness melon (later?)

The Bags - One of the things that I am regretting already is how I did these. We will see how things fare this year before making plans for next.

Parisian and Cosmic Purple carrots - to be planted again in fall!
Murasaki Purple sweet potatoes - these will technically be planted all over, but they do have their own dedicated bag which is currently hosting the brussels sprouts.
Lemon, Muncher, and SpaceMaster cucumbers - go hard or go home bitches
De Cicco broccoli - to be started in the fall, for right now it is purchased Gypsy broccoli that has most certainly bolted.
Purple Haze onions - another fall planting, currently it is purchased red and white onions.

Okay holy shit this is getting long. I had a bunch more I wanted to mention, but I feel like this is pretty good for an introduction post. The coming weeks may be slow before summer hits its stride, so I’ll hopefully have plenty of time to fill y’all in on the companion plants, flowers, herbs, hanging bags, the front garden, and my dear ol’ strawberry patch before we really get in to the harvest season. I can’t wait to personify my plant babies and swear a lot and take cool harvest photos and just do all of the good stuff that goes along with gardening. I will accept my failures with grace and keep on keeping on no matter what the season brings.

And hopefully, my dear reader, you can stick around for the ride.

Until then, here’s some no-context garden photos for you. :)