What did you do in the garden today?

[BullChick]

Cabbage has its uses.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

I have this 10'x10' area in my garden plan that I'm not sure what to do with. Notice the big yellow square at the lower center.
View attachment 2952494

I tentatively placed some pumpkin and squash here in the plan. I'm not committed to these though. This area is just open ground. There's a 4' garden fence along the lower side, a raised bed of herbs to the left and rows of potatoes to the right. I could put more rows or mounds or whatever in here, but not sure of what so I'm open to ideas. Please make suggestions or just share your favorite things to grow that are not in my list already. Here's the list so far of everything in the garden plan:

Butternut Squash (MAYBE)
Carrot, Nantes
Cucumber, Straight Eight
Eggplant
Garlic
Herb, Basil, Large Leaf Italian
Herb, Basil, Large Leaf Italian
Herb, Cilantro
Herb, Cilantro
Herb, Dill, Long Island
Herb, Green Onion
Herb, Green Onion
Herb, Oregano
Herb, Parsley
Herb, Thyme
Jerusalem Artichokes
Kale, Dinosaur
Lettuce, Green Leaf
Lettuce, romaine
Onion
Pepper, Banana
Pepper, California Wonder
Pepper, Jalapeno
Pole beans
Potatoes, Kennebec
Potatoes, Superior
Potatoes, Yukon Gem
Pumpkin, carving variety (MAYBE)
Radish, French Breakfast
Shallots
Strawberries, Jewel
Tomato, Amish Paste (Paste)
Tomato, Cherokee (Slicing)
Tomato, Yellow Pear or Sweetie (Cherry)

My vote is for either some kind of pumpkin/winter squash or some kind of summer squash. Around here they tend to be low maintenance of course if you have a significant vibe borer problem squash might not be the best idea.

 

[Sueby]

I also vote for some kind of squash or pumpkin - something new.

So plowing is done. We ended up with probably 14 or 15 inches. A big over achiever storm!

The garden:

The chicken run - they will NEVER come out - even though I snowblowed the run & put out mealworms. The little babies hid inside.

The grill, looks about 14 or 15 to me, I should have measured:

 

[BReeder!]

My vote is for either some kind of pumpkin/winter squash or some kind of summer squash. Around here they tend to be low maintenance of course if you have a significant vibe borer problem squash might not be the best idea.

I'm growing zucchini as summer squash. I could add something like patty pan.

Cabbage has its uses.

Cabbage would be an interesting plant and there's certainly space for it. I do worry about bugs with cabbage, but I've also never grown it to full size. Tried two years ago and it was stunted by weeds and then decided to grow in the late fall when the weeds were gone but it didn't make it but a few weeks until winter weather took it. I am better about weeding these days, so perhaps I'll give it a go again.

@Sueby:

I also vote for some kind of squash or pumpkin - something new.

I have done a lot of squash and pumpkins. Maybe I'll try for a large carving pumpkin. I certainly don't need pie pumpkins because I put up quite a bit in the freezer this past Fall. A new squash variety would be nice. Maybe I can plant a winter squash along the fence and train the vines onto it, leaving room for other things to grow in the plot still. Ideas...

 

[Sueby]

@BReeder! do you get squash bugs? If I didn't get overrun with them no matter what I do I would have so many options. I want to try kabocha squash this year but I'm scared. I also need to see if I can find some type of yellow squash with some bug tolerance. Prolly not possible. I would love to do summer squash too. Oh so many choices...

 

[BReeder!]

@BReeder! do you get squash bugs? If I didn't get overrun with them no matter what I do I would have so many options. I want to try kabocha squash this year but I'm scared. I also need to see if I can find some type of yellow squash with some bug tolerance. Prolly not possible. I would love to do summer squash too. Oh so many choices...

I've had squash bugs, but they haven't concerned me too much. A few bore holes once in a while. I try to carve the larvae out if I find them. Last year there I did find a bunch of mature adults under a zucchini plant that was hanging over the edge of a raised bed down to the mulched pathway. I cleared the plant out and burned it and then sprayed pyrethrin in the area and didn't notice them again at all.
Bean leaf beetles also popped up last year. They were feasting on my bean plants when the plants were just a few inches tall. I sprayed pyrethrin on the leaves every few days and that solved the problem.

 

[BReeder!]

And this is why I love this thread. Helpful people!
The 10'x10' section I was utterly confused by is now mapped out.
Cabbage plants along the top edge near the path where I can keep an eye on them for weeding and keeping vines from encroaching too much on them. Pumpkins to fill in the center. Winter squash that I'll train up the fence on the lower edge. DW likes spaghetti squash so I'll put some of that in and I like a more traditional squash so butternut, acorn or kabocha will be the second variety. Since I have a bunch of butternut in the pantry and will soon be cooking and freezing it likely I will probably go with the kabocha if I can find seeds without paying an arm and a leg but the acorn is always available locally I know.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Morning Gardeners. There is hope. We may have a few days of dry weather.

 

[Sueby]

@BReeder! - funny I just ordered Kabocha seeds from High Mowing. I think it was 5 something for 10 seeds. Not cheap, but I LOVE that company & trust their seeds implicitly.

I also ordered:
Yellowfin F1 Zucchini
Spaghetti Squash
Dragon Langerie Bush Bean
Rattlesnake Pole Bean
Pink Brandywine plants
Spanish Onion plants
Sungold cherry tomato plants
a Thyme plant (mine never survive winter, gonna bring this one inside next year)
& some chive plants

I'm hoping @Sally PB will send me some of those Egyptian Walking onions because I can't find them anywhere I usually buy from.

I'm probably done ordering for the garden & my mind has been made on the new beds, they will be squash. Here's hoping I can keep the bugs at bay.

 

[wyoDreamer]

@BReeder! I always have snow pea, snap pea and garden peas in my garden - surprising that you don't have any of them on your list. Great for fresh snacking while you watch the kids weed, lol.

I grew up snacking on pea pods in the garden during the summer. My first garden was 2 pumpkin plants, 4 rows of peas and 2 rows of green onions. I was 12 and begged my Dad to let me put in a garden to grow peas. He worked up the plot and bought green onion starts and a package of pea seeds- that man loved his green onions.