What I’m Planting in Our Garden This Year
There’s something about this time of year that feels full of possibility. This is the time of year I start deciding what to plant in our garden and how I want this growing season to look.
While the garden is still at rest under a blanket of snow, my plans for this year are beginning to take shape. There is something special about this time of year on the homestead. With little to do outside until the snow clears, I use my time planning my garden and dreaming about what I want to harvest this year. I grow our family’s staples, then always like to add on something fun. This year I am tackling cut flowers! Seeing a beautiful bouquet on my table always brings so much joy to my day.
We have a major but also exciting project on tap for this year’s garden. We are planning on planting more than we ever have and we have run out of space… so we’re expanding it and almost doubling it!
Expanding the Garden
As of now, our garden is made up of five 50-foot by 3-foot beds, along with two cattle panel trellises that have become some of the most productive spaces in the garden. With the amount of food I plan to grow this year we are lacking the space to plant everything. So this year we are planning on adding
• four more 50-foot beds
• two additional cattle panel trellises
This feels like such a big step in our gardening journey, it is one that also feels right for the season of life we are in. We’re growing more of our own food each year, cooking more from scratch, and slowly building a garden that better supports our home and our growing family.
Now on to the exciting part! Here is what we are planning on growing in our garden this year!
What We’re Growing This Year
Most of the time my mind goes hog wild when deciding what I want to grow each year. My ambitions far outweigh the feasibility of my plans. Every year I try to focus on the simple, reliable crops that are most often used in our kitchen and loved by our family.
If you’re wondering what to plant in your garden, this is what we’re focusing on this year based on what our family actually eats.
Tomatoes
Carrots
Lettuce
Peas
Garlic
Asapargus
Corn
Peppers
Butternut squash
Pumpkins
Beets
Brocoli
Cauliflower
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage
Cucumbers
Green beans
Zucchini
Onions
Potatoes
Rhubarb
Horseradish
And a variety of herbs
These are the crops that make up the heart of our garden.
For fruit we have an orchard that we planted almost 3 years ago. This includes:
Apple trees (22 trees that are a combination of eating apples and cider varieties)
Plum trees (6 trees)
Peach trees (4 trees)
Cherry Trees (2 trees)
Blueberries
Strawberries
Wild black Raspberries
We are planning on adding to the berry bushes this year as well.
Adding Flowers to the Garden
This is the first year I’m intentionally adding flowers into our garden, and I’m really looking forward to it.
We’ll be planting:
• zinnias
• cosmos
• calendula
• yarrow
• echinacea
• marigolds
• amaranth
It feels like a small shift, but one that will bring so much beauty (and pollinators) into the garden. But I think the part I’m most excited for is being able to walk out into the garden and bring fresh cut flower bouquets into my home.
Keeping It Simple (Even as We Grow)
Even with the added beds this year, I have to keep reminding myself to keep things simple and that a garden doesn’t have to be perfect or overflowing to be worthwhile. As we expand our garden we are also expanding our family this year. I am currently pregnant with our 4th and due in early June. With that being said, I will also be adding cover crops (buckwheat) to help cut down on weeding this year and I am working on finding other ways to make our garden easier to manage during this time of growth.
A Garden That Grows With Us
Each year our garden looks a little different.
It grows and changes right alongside our family, our routines, and the way we’re learning to live more intentionally.
And this year our garden and family is growing just a bit bigger.
I’m looking forward to all that will come from it.
Whether you’re figuring out what to grow in a vegetable garden or expanding what you already have, a thoughtful plan makes all the difference. I have created a simple Beginner’s Garden Planning Guide to help you get started. You can download below:
From our garden to yours,
Mercedes
Our Well Nourished Home
