Garden Planning Thoughts

Although I have refused to do any outside work until March (I want to actually have winter!), I have been in the books and seed catalogs. I truly love vegetables and herbs, and flowers too. I like to look through catalogs. I take those from past years so that I don't have to return them when someone else wants to order. I can just look whenever I want to! Some of them are getting rather worn.

#1 In January I rotated my crops. My personal garden has several annual beds. Each bed contains herbs, flowers, and vegetables that do well together. So, I made a little map for this year's garden so I will know at a glance which things go in which bed this year. I've since lost the map. Surely it will turn up!

#2 I tried to grow eggplant last year. Using some old seed we had, I did get two plants, but eggplant is very vulnerable to bugs and I'm afraid they ate them up. I needed to be better prepared and more vigilant. I had decided to try again this year, but then . . . . I really want eggplant and I don't want to go by chance. I have requested that this be a regular garden crop grown by the whole family. Perhaps with newer seed we will get more plants ( I should hope so!), and if we use row covers they may avoid a bug attack.

#3 I've also requested fennel. Actually, that was dear Grandmother's request. I have never tasted fennel, although I would like to. She has tried it and likes it very much. This is the bulb fennel, not the herb.