Like I said in my first blog I found this amazing website called SmartGardener.com. It allowed me to lay out my square foot garden in square feet, choose plants, and recommended which plants would be best planted next to each other by laying them out on the grid using pictures of the veggie or fruit. It also allowed me to choose containers in the shape and sizes I planned on using. As you know, I plan on decorating the raised bed by placing containers of spinach and what ever else germinates from a seed around it along with the strawberry topsy turvy.
Choosing the veggies...
So I did all of the steps and choose all my veggies. Then I changed the veggies from radishes, carrots, spinach, peppers, and sweet potatoes to all of those minus the radishes add the eggplant. The site recommended varieties that would grow well in my region (Arlington, VA). So I choose shooting star eggplants, Danver 126 carrots, Porto Rico sweet potatoes (no i didn't spell it wrong) bloomsdale longstanding spinach and jalapeno peppers. After sticking with that plan for about a day I decided that the eggplant variety would be hard to find in seedling form and took up too much space for something that I wasn't really that into. Then I decided that I wanted to try cherries to be specific I wanted to try the Cossack Pineapple. That ended up needing 4x4 sq. ft. so I dropped that really quick. I looked through all the recommends for my region and space and realized that 1) a lot of the seedlings for the recommended veggies were not available 2) I didn't like a lot of them and 3) that the ones that I did like were root veggies. I wanted 50/50. Meaning that I could pick 50% of the "reward" off of a plant and pull 50% out of the ground like the carrots.
I'm really discouraged at the moment. I ended up plotting my garden from (left to right) as follows;
00- Easter Egg Radishes
Good part- they look pretty because they are 3 different colors
Bad part- I don't really eat radishes. Never have! My mom does though so I'll give them to her. Also they are a root. At 25%. OH! And they are a seed start... read below for why this is a bad thing.
01- Jalapeno Peppers
Good Part- pickable and love them in salsa
Bad Part- I cannot eat that many because I have severe acid re-flux.
02- Danver 126 & Red Core Carrots
Good Part- since carrots only need 1x1 sq. foot to grow about 16 plants I can grow 2 different types and Mike loves carrots and blue cheese dressing
Bad Part- I am growing them from seeds because all the books and sites say its easy and cheap but I don't know that for sure. I may get nothing out of them. Also, a root. At 50%.
03- Bush Porto Rico Sweet Pots.
Good Part- I grew them last year and love sweet pots.
Bad Part- At 75% for roots.
04- Bloomsdale Longstanding Spinach (container)
Good Part- My mom loves spinach, I can start this right away from seeds in a 1x1 container and grow 4 plants.
Bad Part- same thing as carrots; books and sites say use seeds I never have so don't know if i'll get one green leaf especially since they are a cool/warm crop in a global warming VA spring season.
005- Ozark & Allstar Strawberries
Good Part- One is a june-bearer and one an ever-bearer. I'll have strawberries all summer/spring long.
Bad Part- I killed my strawberry last year and don't want these to die too. Along with the carrots, spinach, and radishes.
If all goes well I'll have an amazing crop... if all goes poorly I may have a pepper and a sweet pot. if the bunnies don't get them first. This fun hobby has become more stressful by the moment.
