Thus far, I have started the following seeds:
Walla Walla onions (sowed 3/10) -- sprouting like crazy
Corno de Toro Giallo sweet pepper (sowed 3/10) -- just starting to sprout
Snowball Y Improved cauliflower (sowed 3/18) -- just starting to sprout
Hot pepperoncini (sowed 3/18)
Hot poblano/ancho pepper (sowed 3/18)
Wild Galapagos tomatoes (sowed 3/18)
Nutribud broccoli (sowed 3/18)
Emerald Beauty Hybrid squash (sowed 3/22)
Golden Zucchini squash (sowed 3/22)
Catskill Brussels sprout (sowed 3/22)
Garlic chives (sowed 3/22)
Parade onion (sowed 3/22)
Green Salad Bowl lettuce (sowed 3/22)
Buttercrunch lettuce (sowed 3/22)
Petite French Dwarf Mix marigolds (sowed 3/22)
Empress of India nasturtium (sowed 3/22)
Jewel Mix nasturtium (sowed 3/22)
National Pickling cucumber (sowed 3/22)
To go, I still have the following veggies:
I also have the following beneficial flowers:
Clarke's Heavenly Blue morning glory (American Seed)
Giant Cactus Mixed Colors zinnia (American Seed)
And I have not yet begun the following herbs:
Mediterranean oregano (Burpee)
On a morning when I couldn't sit still waiting to build my raised beds and measure my yard, I measured, then created a schematic (to scale) graph of the yard. It's roughly 40 x 40', but there are sporadic trees, a debris area in the back where yard waste is kept (used to be a shed there, the ground is depressed and icky), the brick patio off the back of the house, and a shaded area from the decrepit 6-foot fence belonging to my neighbor (assuming that's coming down when the house is sold). Plus, I stuck a pole with a bird feeder on top, buried it 2 feet into the earth, and it seems to be the happy home to many earwigs and not a single bird. That may have to go.
In this schematic, each box in the graph is 10".
If I make my raised beds 4 x 8' (debating whether to go with cheap pine for non-permanent structures or cedar for more permanent beds), there should be room for 6 in the areas of the yard that receive all-day sun. I haven't completely decided upon which grouping will go in what box, but this is an estimate.
Group 1: Tomatoes, rosemary, chives, onions, garlic, peppers, basil, marigolds, nasturtiums
Group 2: Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, onions, cauliflower, garlic, dill, rosemary, marigolds, nasturtiums
Group 3: Lettuce, cucumbers, onions, dill, sunflowers, garlic, marigolds, nasturtiums
Group 4 (Not pictured, on a hill along the chain-link fence lining the depth of the house): Zucchini, pumpkins, nasturtium
The cukes could and probably should go with the gourds along the fence, which would give me three beds for each of Group 1 and 2, and that would probably be the best situation. We shall see.
I practically need to be an architect, in addition to a carpenter, just to maintain this garden. My skills are expanding.
On the lower right of the grid, to the right of the patio, in the semi-shaded area, I grew zucchinis last year and they did okay. I'd rather put a lilac bush there, and am seriously considering lining that entire side of the fence area in lilacs or something pretty and fragrant, possibly wisteria. It's the perennials I struggle with because it's such a commitment. I can commit for the season, but it's hard to commit beyond that. This is so universally true of me. I'll give things my all for the very near future, put more effort into them than a normal person might, but beyond that I get scared and reserve the right to change my mind. How I bought a house, I'll never know.
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