My veggie garden is growing really well so far!
Especially bed #1. I don’t know if it’s because (1) I started the plants by seed this year instead of buying starts (didn’t want to invest too much money in case we moved and I had to leave them) or (2) if it’s because I put them in the ground earlier than usual so they got a good head start or (3) the unseasonably warm weather we’ve been having or (4) this is the only bed that got homemade compost. Who knows – maybe all of the above! So far it’s looking good and I’m happy about that!
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Anyway, I thought some of you might be interested in what I have growing. I’m in Georgia Zone 7. This is bed #1
In bed #1 , from left to right, I have sweet corn, sunflowers, cucumbers, beans, zucchini and 1 sugar pie pumpkin (which will grow up the arbor). There are also marigolds in there that I started from seed as well
The beans are growing behind the corn and sunflowers and will be picked soon.
And right now the cucumbers (2 plants) are growing up the sunflowers! I have 4 zucchini plants which some people will probably think is three too many! But I have NEVER….EVER….been able to grow zucchini! Imagine that – people always claim to have too much zucchini. This is the best they’ve ever looked! I plan to grow them up the trellises.
Everything in bed #1 was started from seed in my little $30 greenhouse from Big Lots (which I’m still using for starting flowers and loofahs right now). Also, all the seed came from Dollar Tree (I think they were $.25 a packet or maybe even $.10) except the pumpkin which I saved from those I grew last year. Normally I’m a bit of a hmmm …shall we say “seed snob”, and order seed from Seed Savers or Cook’s Garden. But like I said, I didn’t want to invest too much money in case we moved and had to leave everything. I’m quite pleased with my dollar store seeds!
In bed #2 are Sweet 100 tomatoes (which will grow up the arbor), Danvers Half Long carrots, (3)peppers – (2)Red Bell & 1 Fajita Bell, White Lisbon bunching onion, (2)Big Boy tomatoes, 1 Early Girl and basil.
The carrots will need to be thinned (oh it hurts to pull those babies up).
I have tomatoes already! This bed was planted with starts with the exception of the carrots and bunching onions.
This is bed #3. Which has a Roma tomato, Blue Hubbard squash, a mix of lettuce and radishes and pumpkin. It also has some herbs -Lemon Balm, Bee Balm and Pineapple Sage. I grow most of my herbs for cooking in containers on my deck to make it easier/quicker to harvest.
I have potatoes growing in this grow bag. I asked my husband to bring home some organic potatoes for dinner a month ago and all of the ones he bought had tons of sprouts and were all soft and shriveled?!! “Oh, that’s why there were only a few left in the bin”, he said when I explained why I wasn’t going to be cooking with them!!
I’ve always read not to plant potatoes purchased at the grocery store but since these were organic and sprouting, I figured why not? They are growing – now we’ll see if I actually get any potatoes this year!
I also have the strawberry bed and a fourth bed twice the size of these that I moved my raspberries into last fall (fruit trees etc is another post) on the other side of these raised beds. I think I have a lot growing in these 3 beds! But I also have a lot more that I could do with the space I have.
One of my projects that I’m starting this week is to increase the size of my veggie garden. I’m going to move the back picket fence and get another four or five raised beds in plus some other fun things. I was going to try to get it all ready to plant this season but I think that’s too much for one person to do! So I’m going to take my time and have everything ready for fall planting. Including some cold frames to use this coming winter.
I’ve always had a backyard vegetable garden as more of a hobby than really trying to grow enough to be a primary source of food for us or even having extra to preserve. I hope to change that!
Everything looks great! I can’t grow zucchini either. A couple years ago I did and was so excited. My secret? Composted (donkey) manure. Hey, it worked! 🙂 I will try that again this season. Enjoyed my visit here today, and it provided the much-needed inspiration for me to get moving on the gardening dept! We are well behind you here in Missouri, but I have fresh lettuce and scallions to pick this week.. yay! Thank you for sharing your lovely garden.
All of your beds look healthy and happy! Curious about one thing… your sunflowers. You mention picking them soon but also that cukes are growing up them. Will you just take the flower and leave the stems as a trellis? I know from experience that they have a great root system and are very sturdy, how do you plan to use them? Thanks:@)
This is hard for me to even imagine…we’re still waiting to be sure we’re past our frost-free date here in Zone 5. It all looks so fantastic!
We’ve “recycled” unusable potatoes before with good results. It seems like I remember hearing you’re supposed to bleach them or something first (to prevent disease?), although I don’t remember if we bothered with anything special.
I’m especially envious of your zucchini. Can’t wait to make my favorite dish every summer: http://bluebarnbulletin.blogspot.com/2008/07/honey-roasted-zucchini.html
Thanks for sharing your garden with us. Looking forward to more updates.
That does look delicious! I will try it. I have some zucchini from the framers market but no feta!
Manuela
Beans will be picked soon. The sunflowers haven’t gotten their seedy heads yet.
Manuela
Your gardens look beautiful. Our cold crops are just coming up now in northern Vermont.
Warm wishes, Tonya
Wow, your garden is beautiful! Except for the perennial herbs (and a couple of them did not survive our bad winter), I just planted our garden. I still have space for a couple more items which I’m pondering what to use it for.
Like you, we want to expand our raised bed garden to go beyond hobby gardening (a little this year and hopefully a lot next spring).
You inspired me so much, I kept thinking of you as I used some valuable garden space to plant flowers. 🙂
What an inspiration you are. Your veggies look wonderful. I visited our local community garden this weekend and along with a private tour got to taste so many wonderful things straight from the earth. It inspired to try new things this fall and next spring Chief among them will be sugar snap peas…cn you say Yummy!
Your garden is so much more advanced that mine Manuela!! It is really looking great. Did you know when you thin our your carrots or radishes, that you can use the “greens” in a salad? They taste great mixed with lettuce….that makes it easier to thin, knowing that you can use the tops in a salad.
Hugs,
Penny
I’m green with envy here. What a beautiful garden. Where I live right now, we don’t get to plant for at least another week and then we can’t plant tomatoes, cucumbers or things that freeze easily until after June 1st. I love the looks of your gardens…so pretty. Hugs
How very pretty everything is! We haven’t planted anything except asparagus! It is still too cold — 48-degrees right now at 11 a.m. Go figure…
I love the raised beds. Aren’t they so easy to maintain??
Healthy looking plants. Lots of good eating in the future. 🙂
Very ambitious, Manuela. It all looks terrific.
Awww…you’re sweet! I don’t think it’s too late in SC as it’s not too late to plant in Georgia. I would contact my local country extension office to find out for sure or just do al little research on the net.
You got chickens! I’ve been thinking about chickens for a long time. I’d like the fresh eggs and chicken poo for my garden – I’m just not sure I want to be responsible for more living things!
Manuela
I hope it’s alright to say I love you! I wished I knew how to grow anything really besides weeds! We just got 2 chickens yesterday for the first time! I’m really eager to learn! I’m in SC, is it to late to plant anything?
Take care!
Jennifer
Wow…your garden is way ahead of ours! We have been dealing with cool and damp weather for the last few months. Today we woke to sunshine, I am so excited to get working in the veggie gardens. We are doing raised beds this year too! 🙂
Blessings!
~Nadine
What a lovely garden! We’re right behind you in Virginia, with tomatoes and yellow squash on the vines, but no zucchini yet. I really like the way your garden is a feast for the eyes as well as a feast for the tummy!
What you have set up there is exactly what I want to do in my own backyard! We have only a small patch of the yard that gets enough sunlight to support veggies so trellis growing is the way to go. Awesome job! I’m saving the link to this post so I can reference it again in the future as I work towards my goal. 🙂
I’m so glad you find this post helpful!
Manuela
Ha ha, I see my sister in law, Karen, is reading you too! Too funny becasue if your zucchini grows I was going to suggest the recipe she left you the link for, it really is wonderful!
We haven’t even started our garden yet, although I got some heirloom tomato plants at the farmers mkt. Saturday. Bloody butcher (sounds appetizing doesn’t it?) and Hillbilly tomatoes, now if it ever warms up and stops raining we can plant them!
I can’t believe you have beans already, it makes me just long to plant ours. I don’t can much anymore, too many long, hot hours doing that as a kid for me to enjoy it, but I do love fresh veggies.
Hi Manuela, I know they say you shouldn’t grow potatoes from the ones you buy at the store but that is just what I did and I ‘ve had 2 really good crops and they tasted amazing.
Good to know!
You’ve got a great looking veggie garden. Love raised beds!
Your garden is looking wonderful! You are so far ahead of us seasonally…
My husband built 4 new raised beds this year and we are going to do corn and potatoes as well. It is fun to try new things, but we are also looking to preserve our food that we don’t eat and to perhaps have extra to sell at a little farmer’s market nearby.
Its so beautiful
Hi Manuela,
Your garden looks fabulous!!! I am jealous, we can’t even put anything into the garden until our May long weekend, which is next weekend, I think. And yours is almost ready for harvest! Not fair at all!
Oh well, maybe I need to move to Georgia, haha! Thanks for a look at your very sweet garden.
Hugs, Cindy
Okay I am trying to be happy for you and not depressed. Look how everything is growing. I cannot even plant green beans yet. Enjoy my dear xoxo Clarice
Wow now that is truly a victory Garden. Good for you.
Viola
Everything looks so good. Awesome job.
what a precious garden. Loving it!
I’m with Karen! This looks amazing! I am still waiting to get most of my garden out due to our late frost date. I did loose some cucumbers because of it this year. I have a few zucchini out and I have got lettuce, spinach, radishes, and green onions. But my tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers will have to wait, now because of the constant rain!
I am so impressed with how much you’re growing in those beds! I never imagined everything working so well in such close proximity.
We still haven’t hit our possible last frost date, but I’ve thrown everything but the peppers into the ground, anyhow – forever optimistic. 🙂
what a beautiful garden !!! Living in Northern Ohio..near Michigan..we have a frost date til May 15th..which means..we cant even begin to plant til then (zone 5) ..but look how big YOUR garden is already!