Thinking Ahead to the 2018 Garden
About a month ago I got out our seed catalogs, a few sheets of paper and a pencil and started scribbling garden ideas. How can we try to grow more food, we’ve been asking ourselves, as the years roll on and the number (and size) of the bellies we fill is ever expanding.
So I scratched out a possible list of larger crops. Now that The Chicken Field is expanded enough to fit a small field crop, we’re looking to grow some calorie crops there. In particular, we are considering putting potatoes in in February and Black-Eyed peas in after the harvest in June, Lord willing.
But first, the spring garden is not far off. That seems crazy to say since we are literally just wrapping up the fall garden. But here in Texas we tend to stick to three shorter growing seasons. So I scratched out the spring and summer gardens to get us started. I scratched out a little plan that goes something like this:
Start Seeds Inside
- January 10- Broccoli
- February 1 – Lettuce, Collards, Eggplant, Peppers, Tomatoes, Tomatillos
- March 1 – Start Sweet Potato Slips
Transplant Into Garden
- February 15 – Broccoli
- March 1 – 15 – Lettuce & Collards (will still need covering on freezing nights)
- April 1 – 15 – Eggplant, Peppers, Tomatoes, Tomatillos
Direct Sow in Garden
- February 15 – Potatoes
- March 1 -15 – Beets, Turnips, Bunching Onions, Radishes, Kale
- April 1 – 15 – Summer Squash, Cucumbers, Pumpkins, Green Beans
- May 1 – June 15 – Okra, Second Round of Summer Squash, Cowpeas, Sweet Potatoes
Much of this plan has come after years of not being ready in time to beat the summer heat. If we don’t get even the heat-loving plants well-established by July, things tend not to go very well. So we have learned we must start seeds inside early, transplant carefully and cover as needed, and try to do as much as we can before July.
Our seed order from Southern Exposure Seed just arrived and it has been warm the past few days but while it might feel like spring, it most certainly is not. Even so, years of being behind has me making an attempt at being prepared for spring planting.
How about you – are you planning your 2018 garden?
Here in northwest British Columbia I won’t be starting anything until March if the ground thaws by then. I learned that peas and carrots can go in then. I always forget to care for seedlings and have no good light in our home so will probably buy seed starts again this year. I am only planting what I know will grow well and we will eat. Focusing my efforts on getting a decent potato crop which I’ve never managed before.
I cannot wait until our little neck of the woods warms up enough for my daughter to come plough up my garden area. I am expanding so I need her to do a very good plough up and then she will till it a few times before I throw some cow manure on it and add our compost pile dirt. I will leave it set for a few days and she is going to till it again. We have really good dirt but it is full of rocks so it will take me weeks to get all the rocks out. By the time I can plant my cold weather plants like carrots and peas, the soil will be in a good condition for planting. I have been planning what I am planting and when and what will grow well next to each other and what will not. I cannot wait. I love gardening almost as much as I love canning, dehydrating, pickling, fermenting, and jellying up all the delicious fruits, vegetables, and herbs that I get. We are vegetarians so I plant a lot of peas and beans of different varieties because they are our protein sources and we plant a lot of leafy green vegetables for the iron. This year, I am hoping to get grapes off our little grape vines we planted last fall. I also planted prickly pears, black berries, and some more river cane and if all goes well, we should have prickly pear jelly and black berry jelly. I’m like you, I love planning and planting the garden. I really don’t mind weeding it either.
Beautiful photos! Its been wonderful to follow your journey and see your food production systems evolve.
Liz – Likewise! I have been inspired by your blog throughout the years. There is always so much more we can do but I am so grateful for all of the progress the Lord has allowed thus far.
We are in the middle of another -22C day in Ontario so plans for the garden haven’t even been thought of as we do as much homeschooling as we can while stuck inside in order to free up time in the spring….which is really late May here
Lindsay – Brrr… I remember it well but still can’t believe how far out the northern planting schedule is.