Winter season (plant in October)
Our Must-haves!
- Rita's Tomatoes!!! Simply the best. Our neighbor Rita has grown tomatoes that are the sweetest, most delicious, well-acclimated tomatoes. We can try some season-extension to up the microclimate warmth in the winter, and see if we can harvest all winter. Grow basil with the tomatoes
- [All the basils, citrus basil, Thai Basil, Sweet Basil] grow that under the warm tarp
- tons of Lettuce (kids loved it)
- Dinosaur Kale (Lacinto Kale)
- Try other kales (siberian blue, curly kale. NOT red russian [aphid magnet])
- Try Ken's Chard!
- HERBS: oregano, lemon balm, thai basil, basils, mints, peppermint, to make teas and cook with
To try again
- Cilantro (ours was a little bitter, try again)
- Cucumbers, maybe they'll live past 3" sprouts this time....
- Sweet peas (kids liked it, but it didn't get very big. Tiny. Grew slowly. Not sure why, maybe planted it too late???)
- Bell Peppers [with season extension]
- Dill---kids didn't eat it much, BUT it made tasty seeds, and the ladybugs loved it
Flowers
- Hollyhocks!!!
- Roses
- Snapdragons from Home Depot
Probably Not again
- Nasturtium--Jenny allergic
- Red Russian Kale---APHIDS LOVE this kale more than any other. Never again.
- Carrots---took up a lot of space, and were bitter. Just buy 5 lbs of baby carrots a week from the grocery store.
Summer Season
Keep these guys going from the winter!!! Use Shade Cloth, etc.
- Keep the chard going!
- Keep the bell peppers going!
- Keep the Tomatoes going as long as you can....
Winter sow in the split milk jugs in February. REMEMBER TO WATER THEM. plant out in March)
- Bell Peppers [with season extension]
- All the Basils [wintersow]
Chit and direct Plant in March!! (these need the heat to grow, do best with direct sow, keep them in cups for less than 3 weeks)
- Armenian Cucumber
- Cantelope (kids get a real kick out of it)
- Zuchini!!!!
- Okra! (along the back and east walls)
- Yardlong beans!!
Good Companion Plant Pairings (for beds)
Zuchini, Beans, Tomatoes, Basil
Kale with ALLIUMS (green onion, garlic), and HERBS and Marigolds, Spinach, Lettuce! Put these in the front beds, keep a tight eye on aphids, and in the summer, keep the Lacinto Kale going with ZUCHINI [less susceptible to aphids]
To fight aphids:Heat stress = weaker plants = more aphids Overcrowding = less airflow = faster infestations Wrong season = everything gets worse
And here is a picture of Daddy being awesome
