[derdsgirl]

Our garden is really kicking off! It is going to be a big one. I'm really, really excited.

DH just finished making me my first permanent raised bed today. I had put in some "well these will do for now" beds several years ago, and then a tree fell on the whole garden two years ago and I gave up gardening. I'm back at it now and bigger, better than ever.

The permanent beds are 4'x12' cedar, 22 inches tall so it is easier to work with, and a wide top edge to sit on. We are planning on making 5 this year, and 2 more next year, plus there is room for one more 4x4 too, we will see if we get that one built this year or next or put something else there. And I'm so excited for proper trellises for everything. Woohoo!

I have 3 of my old "good for now" beds full of veggies. Already planted: bush beans, tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, spinach, lettuce, mustard greens, arugula, basil, cilantro, cucumbers, peppers, and a few new perennial herbs in my herb beds right outside the front of the garden. Oh, and I have a few zucchini and one pumpkin planted just straight in the ground - hopefully the voles don't get them! Plus our wild blackberries all over the unusable parts of the yard (hillside, under redwood trees) are growing quite a bit this year.

I have two asparagus and one rhubarb starts to get in still. I'm trying to decide where I want them permanently since they are perennial. I am pretty sure I want to plant them with strawberries as well. So maybe one bed will be a perennial bed. Maybe that 4x4?

As soon as we finish filling this new bed with dirt I have a lot of new seeds to get going. The next rounds of leafy greens, some pole beans (I KY blue pole beans), more tomatoes, and a few annual herbs are all definitely going in. I'm going to try a bit of root veggies, but I'm worried it might be too hot. I do have some shade cloth, I might try it over the greens and root crops. But I do know once we get to August/September I can plant a bunch of those root crops and get a good bumper to put in the cellar. We can grow through November here, it frosts in early December. Zone 9, so a very big growing season. We will be able to grow a bunch of the things I missed out on in the early spring later this year. In many ways, if we make a hot house over one bed we can grow year round.

Wishlist: Some more medicinal herbs are on my list and as I see them I'll get them for my cottage garden nearer the house. I also am looking at getting avocado trees and blueberry bushes. I'm not sure I'm ready for them yet - labor wise, plus I'm not 100% on where to put them yet - our lot is so weird. But it takes several years to get them established well enough to get good fruit so I'm antsy to get started. I'm also trying to figure out garlic, turmeric, and ginger planting. I am not sure how/where I want to do it, or if I've missed the window already - I need to research. I live 20 minutes away from the garlic capitol of the world. I should be able to grow garlic!

I'm hoping to move towards having all our fruits/veggies except apples grown here. Maybe eventually I can get apple trees, but I think it is too shady in the flat spots I have left. I've also thought about a kiwi or grape arbor. I love kiwis but I'm the only one. Grapes however are a fave in season.