If our raised beds ever get finished, this is what I plan on planting in them. You can view my container garden plans here.
Raised Beds
We have two 12-foot raised beds in our garden. Only half of one is filled with soil, and the other 3/4 are serving as a dumping ground for cardboard, grass clippings, sticks, and compost. Our goal is to complete them before we need to start planting (obviously) so we can maximize our harvest.
I direct sewed some beets as an experiment on February 28th, so we’ll see what happens with those. As for the others, I plan to fill them with everything I haven’t designated to a container. Things like tomatillos, ground cherries, tomatoes, and kale will be in the beds, with marigolds scattered throughout for organic pest control. If I’m feeling bold, I might add some small breeds of sunflowers.
Here’s the thing: I have never had this much room to plant what I want. I am realizing, as I start seeds, that I am not a vegetable person. I’m quite picky, so the few things that I do like, I will be growing a lot of. Most of the greens that we’re growing will be for our future ducks, or to dehydrate and turn into a green powder for smoothies and/or soups.
This is my year of experimentation. I’m learning to preserve through dehydrating, canning, and freezing. My goal is to get confident enough to know what to do with produce from the garden every time I harvest.
In Ground Garden
This year, we are dedicating all of our in-ground garden space to flowers! Cut flowers, wildflowers, sunflowers – anything to keep our bird and bee friends happy. A freshly cut bouquet for the dining room table isn’t so bad either.
I will also plant some okra in-ground as well. Last year, I planted two in my raised bed and it loosened up the soil so nicely with it’s thick roots. We have hard clay in our backyard, so it would be nice if the okra and sunflowers can loosen the soil up for future plants to thrive.
Additionally, we have Dahlia bulbs to plant. Neither my husband nor I have dealt with bulb planting before, so this is a total shot in the dark. If it works out, we will have years of beautiful maroon Dahlias in our future.
Fruit Trees
These are technically in-ground, so they’re included here. Some fruit trees on our property were planted by the previous owner, and we’ve added a few as well.
Peach tree– There are 2 peach trees that are very well established in our front yard. Last year, we had too many peaches to know what to do with, so we let neighbors come pick what they wanted. One tree was looking sad, so we made sure to fertilize them both this year.
Chickasaw Plum tree– We didn’t plant this, but the tree produced quite a few plums last year. Our mail lady picked most of them and I attempted to make a fruit leather with the remaining plums in the dehydrator. I was not a fan, but maybe this year we can think of a few other uses!
Apple tree– We just planted this tree last year, so we’re not expecting to get a harvest for a while. I believe it’s a Fuji tree. We got this tree and the cherry tree from Fast Growing Trees.
Cherry tree– This was also planted just last year, and was completely destroyed by wasps eating the leaves. It’s still alive and in dormancy, but I’m at a loss what to do about the pests!
Persimmon tree– We actually cut this tree down when we first moved in, not knowing what it was. Since we didn’t take out the stump, it grew back and we didn’t have the heart to cut it down again. I didn’t even know what persimmons were until I did my research!
Overall Garden Plans
I am truly excited for this to be another year of learning to grow and preserve my own food. We will be one step closer to food security, and I love the idea that we will be able to rely on just ourselves for food if need be!