FINALLY got the veg garden planted

[Siwsan]

Marinara, San Marzano, Grape and Early Girl tomatoes, zucchini and yellow squash, green, red and orange sweet peppers, chili and serrano hot peppers. 43 plants, in all. One of the serrano pepper plants didn't make it. I cover the garden in landscaping fabric so I never really have to weed.

I also have LOTS and LOTS of garlic.

Fingers crossed this is a much better harvest year than 2021.

[Walleye]

1. Sounds great and ambitious, good luck.I envy you for your gardening space

[wryter2000]

2. Love Early Girls

They're the best tomato for our cool climate. I usually had so many I'd have to make sauce with some of them.

I moved into an apartment in March, so no garden for me. But I did get 2 Aerogarden hydroponic systems and am making pesto from the basil from one today. Plus, the cherry tomatoes in the other one are in flower now. I must have homegrown tomatoes one way or another.

[Diamond_Dog]

3. We got ours in last week.

Or, rather, my husband did. I can’t work out in the heat like he can.

We’ve got 2 lettuces, green beans, eggplant, basil, tomatoes, cukes, and hot wax peppers this year. 10-12 plants of each thing.

Do you find garlic easy to grow? I’ve always wanted to try it.

[Siwsan]

5. The garlic was here when I moved in

It can go crazy. I have to do a lot of thinning but I like to wait and get as much usable as possible. I even keep some of the small heads and use the individual cloves as a garlic supplement - taken like a pill. I crush it and swallow it whole with a LOT of water.

[zeusdogmom]

7. Plant garlic in middle,October, harvest in mid July (at least in central Ohio)

Really easy to grow. Buy good seed cloves from a reputable seed company or nursery. Decent soil, a little mulch for weed control, water while bulbs are forming if dry.

[zeusdogmom]

4. Your garden sounds lovely

And yes it is a most glorious feeling to have everything planted.

I finished the planting this morning - two big pots out in the main garden - extra tomatoes (as if I need more) As I was digging around in the existing pot soil in preparation to adding additional potting soil, I felt something warm and moving in my hand. 😬😬😬😬. Baby bunnies - fully furred but still nurslings. Cute little critters but not in my garden thank you very much. They managed to hop out and scamper away and my heart beat returned to a semblance of a normal rhythm. I figured there was a nest somewhere - an adult bunny has been spending a lot of time in the yard - I have clover in the grass and garden beds are full of wonderful things for bunnies to eat 🤨. I later saw her scampering about in a rather frantic manner. Kind of feel sorry for her. She may find her babies or the hawks will.

After planting, I made sure all of my raised beds and pots are netted, chicken wire fenced or otherwise protected in some manner. Besides Ms Bunny there are visiting and/or resident deer, chipmunks, squirrels, woodchucks, skunks. Don’t think the neighborhood raccoon visits too often. Coyote slinks thru on occasion also. FWIW - I live smack dab in the middle of a smallish city. No fences in the subdivision. There is however a creek and a no build floodplain natural area on the edge of the subdivision - actually a very nice green space to have close by. But it does mean critter abundance.

Gardening may be hard on the fingernails, but it is good for the soul. I hope your garden grows in great wonderful abundance.

[Siwsan]

6. I want to put raised beds in the enclosed garden, next year

I plan on planting enough for me and a little extra, but not the volume I have, in the past.

I love the San Marzano and Marinara tomatoes for sauce, the grape for snacks and making Greek and Italian dishes. And I always have some 'slicing' tomatoes for sandwiches.

Ideally I'll have enough tomatoes and peppers to freeze some stewed tomatoes and make some Marinara sauce.

[Paper Roses]

8. Wish I had enough room for a big garden but I have had a raised garden for 2 years.

I've planted tomatoes, lettuce, green beans and in a separate pot, basil and parsley. No room for anything else. One of the lettuces is romaine. Wish it did not grow so fast and so big. I''m not quite ready for it and it is big enough to pick now.

I wish I bought a bigger wood raised garden but the size I chose was all I could afford then.
I think I'll need more this year with the price of produce now. We do what we can. Since I'm now alone, I could not attend a big garden anyway. My late husband used to dig up half the back yard and we had a great crop of everything we planted.

The price of 'veggie' flats was very high but I bought what I could use. In some cases, I doubt the cost of the flats was more that buying them at the store, The romaine was $4.99 for a pot of 2 plants.. I think I should have left them and planted more green beans.

We have a weekend Farmers Market and I can get what I need but the prices are high. I am not being critical of the vendors, things are tough for everyone. It is cheaper (funny!) to go the the grocery store. Not as good but when it hits the wallet, it is my only choice.