2016 Garden Plans
Yes my friends. It is time. Planning for the 2016 garden season has begun! These rainy weekends are perfect for sketching, list building and seed catalog scouring. My focus this year is getting the main bed organized by divvying it up into eight plots. Other goals include:
- Get raspberries healthy again – I had a major case of rust last year
- Add more blueberry bushes as you can never have too many IMO
- Incorporate more color with perennials, especially ones that are pollinator friendly!
Designating the eight plots will help me closely keep track of what’s been planted where year to year. I’m also really good about stomping all over so I’m hoping these new beds will keep me from doing that. Although it seems like I’ll have less space, I think I’ll be able to “do more with less” with smart companion planting. My plan is to border these beds with strawberries, herbs and perennials to draw all of the bugs to the yard! Well the good ones, so to speak.
I’ve become a bit more selective in what I’m planting this year. While it’s fun to plant a million different veggies, I’ve tried to narrow it down to what grows well in our yard and what we’ll actually consume. Here’s what will be sown this year:
- Carrots
- Lettuce
- Tomato – from 3 plants up to 6 this year
- Peas – both sugar and snap
- Green beans
- Potatoes – so fun to grow and harvest!
- Squash – max 3 as we always have way too much, acorn though. Always acorn.
I like to support local and will be purchasing my seeds from the Seattle Seed Company in Madrona and will hopefully be sourcing my blueberry bushes at the Seattle Tilth edible plant sale coming up in March. The three bushes I got last year did amazing for their first year.
What are your 2016 plans? Do share!