When you are out working in the garden do you ever feel like you are doing stuff no one will ever notice? Like pulling weeds for example. We have this 20 foot long section of prickly, evil blackberry bushes that creeps up into our yard about every 2 years or so and it looks just awful.
Or at least it did, until yesterday.
Yes we cleaned it up, but so what. The wee patch of land is still insignificant and anything but magical. I don’t know about you, but I despise spending my time on projects like that.
Rearranging my garden however is a totally different story. Now that, brings me joy. Even if it’s just as much work {or more} than removing blackberry bushes.
I spent so much time trying to expand my garden last summer that by the end of the season I was so tired of gardening and I ended up taking full two months off from gardening.
Yes, I love to garden, but with so much on my plate this year I need to prioritize. Slow down. Enjoy the process. Because really, what’s the point of gardening if it stresses me out. Right?
So this year instead of making myself crazy all over again with a boatload of crazy ideas and projects, I’ve decided to rein my garden in a bit instead.
This year I am going to concentrate on growing the foods that my family loves {good riddance kale!}.
Grow what you love is my motto for this year.
How about you? What are your garden plans for 2014
Mavis wants to know.
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Jessica says
This is a never-ending battle for me. We have a lot of property and in theory could grow just about anything we want, but I also have 2 preschoolers and a life. hahah! I also have a problem with wanting to grow ALL the unusual things (you know, all those new weird veggies from the seed catalogue) I too need to focus on what we actually eat, and what will be of the biggest benefit to us over the winter… even if it is boring. 🙁 This year I curbed my creativity by limiting my new ideas to tomatoes. We gorge on tomatoes during the summer and use them all winter long, so I’m testing a bunch of new heirloom varieties in hopes of finding new favourites I can save year to year.
Vicki says
I always grew radishes, which I do not like. at. all. BUT my dear friend and her family loved radishes and accepted all I gave them with gratitude and joy. And after a long, cold Indiana winter, I really needed something that I could grow and harvest quickly. Radishes were always the first crop I could harvest in the cool spring weather.
I grew Swiss chard as an experiment one year because I love greens. But chard? Not so much. It was pretty in the garden, though.
Other than that, everything I grew was something I loved to eat. I really miss gardening, but hope to pick it back up this spring with my grandsons.
Kristine says
I have come to terms that I like the idea of swiss chard rather than actually eating it. It has to go. I am going to put in a new potato tower and compost bin. As far as new things, I don’t know yet. More green beans and winter squash, I suppose.
Ashley says
I’m trying to go as simple as possible this year and also start ALL my seeds indoors so that I don’t have to replant ones that don’t germinate. I’m having baby #3 in early May (plus I have a 2 year old and a 4 year old), so my expectations for this summer’s garden are very low. I’m hoping to get as much done as early as I can and cross my fingers we don’t get a snowstorm in May like we did last year! My garden is tiny, so I think I’ll be able to manage (hopefully).
Amanda says
All I’ve ever wanted out of my garden was a pumpkin for each boy to call his own for Halloween. Between battling squirrels and my own errors, I have yet to succeed. Maybe that will be my one focus this year.
Denise says
Keep trying! I had two years of failure before my pumpkin success. I grew some Cinderella pumpkins. Try them!
Preppy Pink Crocodile says
I grew exactly ONE pumpkin this year. And that was a HUGE success for me. Also a huge waste-o-space for the two plants that took over my garden. But guess what? It brought me so much joy that I will absolutely repeat next year. My goal…TWO! Loafty…I know!
KK @ Preppy Pink Crocodile
Wynne says
A friend passed me this anti-squirrel tip this year: sprinkle pumpkins in black pepper. It worked very well for our jack-o-lanterns, even without being rain-proof.
Patty P says
Last year was my first year growing Swiss Chard and Kale. I planted way too much of it! I do love both of them, but need to cut WAY back on both of these. I want to grow more peas and beans…because I never seem to have enough. I tried Lima beans this year and they took eons to grow…so I might pass on those. I need to focus on tomatoes this year…we had a pretty bad tomato year and I have some canned supplies from the year before that are running low that require LOTS of tomatoes to make…and I just didn’t get what I needed this year. Broccoli will be on my list, as well as beets. We never seem to have enough beets. I tried celery…it grew but not well, I’m not diligent enough in my watering I guess. We did eat some of the little stalks and they were good, the never got to a good size though. My sweet potatoes grew, but not well, so I’m going to give them another shot this year…I was harvesting them after our first hard frost when all of the plants died, and still they hadn’t grown to a substantial size. We tried to grow giant pumpkins this year (we have a 5 year old…so he really liked this) and our biggest one developed a bad spot and rotted right at the end of the growing period! We’ll definitely do these again!
I agree with you though, grow what you love and what you will use…now to avoid buying the “weird” stuff when I go to buy seeds (aka stuff that I have no idea what it is or how it is used, it just seems it would be cool to grow it)!
Sydney says
We love kale in soups. I have a great recipe for curried lentil soup and it is the one green that holds up in it. We also make kale chips that my picky eating 6 year old will actually eat, so we always grow the cavallo negro variety. Aka dinosaur or Italian kale. What we don’t eat our chickens do. And I hear you 100% about slowing down. The last few years since my daughter got in school have been crazy. No time to even blog last year, and for the most part, the blogging was what helped me to formulate plans and execute them. I also find it cathartic, which keeps the crazy low. I love gardening, but there have been days where it is overwhelming. This year we will be focusing on ways to also simplify. Time to pull up some plants and possibly have a plant sale… like you said. No more wasting time with plants that don’t serve a good purpose! still working on my garden plan, but unfortunately for my husband, it involves building a few more garden beds. Some to keep the chickens from digging into my neighbor’s yard, and some because I would like to be able to plant a few more things not in my chicken yard.
Randy says
This year. (I am sitting in minus 4 weather minus 30 with chill factor.) This year i am going to do more early gardens with row covers. Things like spinach, early greens…. I want to plant lettuce over time so I have it longer… even more peas… I never grow enough carrots…
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Bible Babe says
I just want SOMETHING to grow this year. I’ve decided to try pallet gardening, because I think if we end up moving 40 miles away–I should be able to take the garden with me in the truck–just cover it carefully with a tarp when we transport it to the new house. I want to grow kale, since i love it beyond words, along with a few herbs. I also want to try tomatoes and peppers in bucket on the porch. Not a lot of projects, but ones that I should be able to enjoy and keep up with.
Denise says
Grow some dahlias!!
Mary Ann says
My thoughts, exactly! I expanded my small garden last year and started it earlier than I ever have which resulted in three different plantings. I grew things we don’t eat just for the “fun of it”, but this year I decided to concentrate ONLY on what we love to eat (which is mostly cukes and tomatoes). I’ll throw in some bell peppers and green beans, but that may be about it for this year! Extras will have a home with my nephews that work for us, so there will be no waste. 🙂
Heather says
Good point -with limited space I really want to be successfull with the crops my family likes and/or I can can/freeze well. Tomatoes, herbs, and onions are a must – anything else is a bonus.
2014 goals goals: 1: amend the soil, check. 2: buy grow lights to start seeds (NE spring sunshine is just not strong enough), check. 3: rotate crops, pay attention to companion planting, and plan garden accordingly… still learning. 4: control the bleeping-bleeping chipmunks by encircling all tomatoes with a rediculous amount of marigolds.
Susan says
I always grow what we like, and a few things our youngest GD likes! She is our gardening buddy.
She likes some flowers, pumpkins and rainbow carrots.
Our 2013 garden was actually AWESOME! The only thing we had no success with was the rainbow carrots and rhutabagas.
We planted way too much corn, but I have to say it worked out beautifully! The corn I didn’t keep up with ( a little overripe) was hung on a string by clothespins in the garage (pull husks back) and dried for the chickens! NO waste at all!! 🙂
Marands says
That sounds like an excellent plan. You can’t let the enjoy seep out of your gardening! It’s already enough work, but it’s only worth it if you love the end result. I am sitting here, while it is snowing, and mentally plotting out my garden this year. I love it, and I hope you have a very happy gardening year!
Cecily says
After growing 920 lbs. of produce in my garden this year, I am going to focus more on growing quality, color and variety than quantity this year. I LOVE trying new varieties of veggies and I say the weirder the better. I also plan to continue to work on my project of developing a new variety of tomato (this will be my third year on this project).
Mavis Butterfield says
I think my weakness is tomatoes. 🙂
Cecily says
Mine too! If I’m successful with developing a new tomato variety I’ll send you some seeds to try if you’d like.
Naomi says
We have several raised beds, and I always overdo the plantings, so this year, I have a plan and am going to stick to it (fingers crossed)!! Definitely tomatoes and cukes as well as doing a couple of potato towers. We have four raised beds strategically placed in front of our neighbors ugly fence so two are going to have raspberries and the other two will have bottle gourds growing vertically in one and loofah sponge gourds in the other. I’m also going to devote one bed to herbs and have zucchini. My husband bought me a small greenhouse (6′ x 8′) for my birthday last year and we’ve finally figured out how to keep it heated so I’ve been able to winter over a few herbs, including a large rosemary plant and even some lavender plants. Of course, it’s going to be about minus 10 here tonight and tomorrow night, so we’ll see how well it works!! Oh, I’m also going to give beekeeping a try this year, so I’ll be harvesting not only from the garden, but from the hives (hopefully)!!!
Sydney says
Naomi, and or anyone else who knows, I have read the potatoes should not be planted by tomatoes or raspberries, and raspberries and tomatoes not together because of blight. Have any of you had troubles with any of this? I was so worried about my berries and tomatoes that I sent our potatoes to live at my parents’ house last year…
Dawn says
I know that once you plant tomatoes in a spot you should wait 3 years before planting potatoes in the same spot. I am not sure about raspberries. I have not had any problems growing tomatoes and potatoes in the same area though.
Jess says
Carrots, potatoes, onions, tomatoes and more greens…I’m expecting our first baby in 5 weeks, not sure how ambitious I want to be…. 🙂
Ellen in Clackama says
My neighbor gave me 2 of the “topsy-turvey” grow bags last year and I pretty much fried the plants in them (you cannot have them in the afternoon sun!!!) so I want to try them again. And more beets, carrots and tomatoes. A friend of mine was bemoaing the fact that her husband had planted 3 tomato plants..2 too many she thought. I told her I had had 15 and she thought I was nuts!! You never can have too many tomatoes!!!
Cynthia Platon says
Bite the bullet and have your blackberries sprayed to kill them! I reclaimed a large garden area by doing that and I’m working on another. They spray, wait about three months and all the canes die off, then rip them out!
Jude says
I just placed my seed order and did something similar. I reduced some variety and grew more of what we like, but I also came to terms with the fact that it is so hot. So many things had to be grown through the winter or super early spring, that I never got a break. I’m going to stick to plants that grow in extreme heat, sometimes torrential rain, sometimes drought, and high humidity. My biggest goal is to work on keeping out critters, even if I have to learn how to put up a fence myself. It might be all ugly, but if it works, I’ll be a happy camper. Oh, and this year I learned no animals eat my parsnips, but my family won’t either. 🙂
Preppy Pink Crocodile says
I’m concentrating on growing what I love this year too. Last year I joked that my garden was the Noah’s Ark of the produce department. But for example, after growing FOUR types of radishes and trying many of every variety, I realized I don’t at all like radishes. Not. At. All. They taste like very spicy dirt to me. Mmmm- ha. So no radishes this year. Parsnips barely grew. So they are out too. But ground cherries…holy moly I fell instantly in love with them (and pineapple tomatillos…which are technically different but taste the same). So I will double up at least next summer. My space in my tiny tiny community garden allotment is very limited so I am going to be very specific to grow only what I love to eat most!
KK @ Preppy Pink Crocodile
Preppy Pink Crocodile says
Hey Mavis-
Do you have a list of other garden blogs that you like to read? I’d love to find some more to inspire me as I sit here looking out at a foot of snow in NY. What bloggers inspire you that way you inspire us?
KK @ Preppy Pink Crocodile
Paula says
Last year was my first go with a garden. It was a success, so this year I’m expanding quite a bit. My seed orders just came in from Botanical Interest and My Patriot Supply and have corn, pumpkins, squash, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots and more. Here’s to a great growing season.
Angie says
Don’t destroy the blackberries!! Those “evil” little thorny things produce wonderful berries. I have found them the best for jams bc they aren’t as sweet as the domesticated ones. Is that a thing with the NW? Here where I live in NY these are a treasure. Cut them back and they can be reigned in but dont kill them! A little pruning goes a long way with those guys 😉
Cecily says
Yes they produce wonderful berries but here in Washington state they are a class C noxious weed. Here blackberries grow in every ally, vacant lot and roadside ditch. One small piece of plant can completely take over a small yard in a couple years. They choke out native plants and are nearly impossible to eradicate. Getting rid of them requires three steps. Digging out the crowns, burning the entire area and applying herbicide when new growth appears. Even this sometimes doesn’t work. Unless you can afford to rent goats every year or have the ability to keep one to keep the blackberries under control it can be a never ending battle keeping the brambles from taking over your yard.
Jezibels says
I just posted my garden plan on the blog, I draw mine out every year, and low and behold I forgot to draw where the peppers will go, Ill have to squeeze them in by the eggplant! Today we are expecting another 12″ of snow and -50 wind chills on Monday so Ill place my seed order and my potato order. This year I also chose to grow only what we like to eat and I am not growing kale either but I added potatoes! Heck with the carbs you cannot deny a potato cooked on the campfire with butter, onions and cheddar cheese!
Julie says
I stumbled on your blog searching Pinterest for bean teepees. I read you January chore list and thought it was fine but not sure it would apply depending upon where you’re located. Happy surprise because we’re in the Tacoma area (Puyallup) and plan to get a greenhouse next month! Looking forward to following along with you!
Mavis Butterfield says
Yay! Thanks Julie!
Angela Sanders says
I think that planting the weird stuff is just a gardeners weakness! We all want to try and grow something we haven’t before or try something in our climate that isn’t supposed to be able to grow there. I know I’m guilty! I go through a lot of Jalapenos because I make jelly and mustard with them, I had 24 plants this past season I think I may double that next season (I never have enough) Going to stick with the herbs, I grow 7 different basils and dry them together for an amazing basil blend. Probably stick with peas, green beans, carrots, cucumbers & tomatoes. We eat all of those and they grow very well for me.