Kim Werker

Help! What should we plant this year?

Help! What should we plant this year?, originally uploaded by kpwerker.

This is the week for putting in the garden chez Werker. We’re going to take an hour here or there to go pick up seeds and plants so we can avoid the crowds this coming long weekend. I missed gardening last summer; I was crazed and busy and I’m really looking forward to getting back into it this season.

In the past we’ve put in tomatoes, peas, green beans, zucchini, and cucumbers with great success. Butternut squash not so much. Carrots were so-so. It’s a small garden, but I want to have as much usable food as possible, and I’m tempted to try preserving some for winter (though I never have, so don’t want to count on it). I’ve labeled the photo with the stuff that’s perennial; the stakes are leftover from last season; we’ll remove and replace them as needed. We also have some planter boxes closer to the house; we’ll grow some lettuce in them, in addition to herbs.

We’ll definitely put in tomatoes; beyond that, I’m open to suggestion. What do you think? Got any ideas for this shabby organic urban garden that gets fairly good light in zone 8 conditions, and has a handy drip irrigation system for low-consumption watering?

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joy

god knows that every plant i touch turns to a withered, dry mess… but from when i was younger i know we had some luck with strawberries and my mom has had great success with peppers. i, myself, am trying my luck with basil and parsley. i’ll document my progress and cross my fingers that i don’t bring death to my seedlings.

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Carol

I’d recommend some peppers, swiss chard and arugula. Maybe summer squash instead of butternut? I love to add it raw to my salads. I’d also like to find out more about your composting efforts, if you’d care to share?

Happy gardening!

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Kim Werker

Thanks for your suggestions! I forgot to mention in my post that it doesn’t get hot enough here to grow peppers; we’ve tried several times. I’ll look into swiss chard and arugula – thanks Carol!

And Carol, what would you like to know about our composting? We use the black composter you see in the photo; we’re lucky to live in a city that helps to subsidize the cost, too. We keep a lidded metal bucket next to the sink in the kitchen, and toss all non-animal-derived (except for egg shells) organic matter into it; we empty it into the composter as needed. This includes fruit peels, the ends cut off of carrots and peppers, veggies that have gone bad, coffee filters (we use unbleached ones; the coffee grinds are great for compost), etc. We also add leaves and other yard waste as long as it’s not going to start taking root and growing in the composter. We put the composter in the area of our backyard that gets the most direct sunlight; it requires a good amount of heat to expedite the composting process.

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Julie

Well, we’re doing a kids garden..pumpkins, watermelon, peas, radish, rainbow carrots, lettuce. We’ll get strawberry and tomato starters later.

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Mel

You can always use the Gold method… our “garden” is flourishing beautifully with dandelions & crabgrass (no need to publish this comment)…

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Vicki

I hear mint grows really well in Canada. It’s great to have fresh mint for Mojitos!

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Kim Werker

Ok, update time! We went to the nursery this morning (proper blog update tomorrow). We’re going to plant lots of tomatoes and cucumbers, plus snap peas, pole beans, cantaloupe (might be a stretch), lettuce, and swiss chard. We might add kale later in the season. We already have rosemary in our herb container, and we’ll plant basil to go with it. All this combined with the plums, apples, and raspberries, and I’m giddy with anticipation! Thanks for your suggestions!

0
Reply
Mel

You can always use the Gold method… our “garden” is flourishing beautifully with dandelions & crabgrass (no need to publish this comment)…

0
Reply
Kim Werker

Ok, update time! We went to the nursery this morning (proper blog update tomorrow). We’re going to plant lots of tomatoes and cucumbers, plus snap peas, pole beans, cantaloupe (might be a stretch), lettuce, and swiss chard. We might add kale later in the season. We already have rosemary in our herb container, and we’ll plant basil to go with it. All this combined with the plums, apples, and raspberries, and I’m giddy with anticipation! Thanks for your suggestions!

0
Reply
Vicki

I hear mint grows really well in Canada. It’s great to have fresh mint for Mojitos!

0
Reply
Julie

Well, we’re doing a kids garden..pumpkins, watermelon, peas, radish, rainbow carrots, lettuce. We’ll get strawberry and tomato starters later.

0
Reply
Kim Werker

Thanks for your suggestions! I forgot to mention in my post that it doesn’t get hot enough here to grow peppers; we’ve tried several times. I’ll look into swiss chard and arugula – thanks Carol!

And Carol, what would you like to know about our composting? We use the black composter you see in the photo; we’re lucky to live in a city that helps to subsidize the cost, too. We keep a lidded metal bucket next to the sink in the kitchen, and toss all non-animal-derived (except for egg shells) organic matter into it; we empty it into the composter as needed. This includes fruit peels, the ends cut off of carrots and peppers, veggies that have gone bad, coffee filters (we use unbleached ones; the coffee grinds are great for compost), etc. We also add leaves and other yard waste as long as it’s not going to start taking root and growing in the composter. We put the composter in the area of our backyard that gets the most direct sunlight; it requires a good amount of heat to expedite the composting process.

0
Reply
Carol

I’d recommend some peppers, swiss chard and arugula. Maybe summer squash instead of butternut? I love to add it raw to my salads. I’d also like to find out more about your composting efforts, if you’d care to share?

Happy gardening!

0
Reply
joy

god knows that every plant i touch turns to a withered, dry mess… but from when i was younger i know we had some luck with strawberries and my mom has had great success with peppers. i, myself, am trying my luck with basil and parsley. i’ll document my progress and cross my fingers that i don’t bring death to my seedlings.

0
Reply
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