What Should I Plant?

Courtesy of Free-Extras.com

So, I'm thinking about WHAT to plant in my garden this year.  Since I'm thinking about this in January and have a goal to "ramp up" my efforts to improve my gardening skills and garden more frequently, I've decided to try and garden in every season.  Now, if you're just starting out---it's not too early to be thinking about the Summer months!  I don't want to overwhelm you with my personal goals, but I do want to testify to my experiences, so don't bite off more than you can chew!

About two years ago, I planted Green Peas toward the end of February.  Since that was the only thing I was planting, I planted my entire garden in Green Peas!  Crazy idea but I was hoping to freeze some!  Having never grown Green Peas before, little did I realize the need for support for these plants.  As they grew taller and taller, and I did my research as I went, I realized I needed to create some kind of support for these babies.  After trellising 5 or 6 rows of these peas, I was tired of it and just let the rest go.  Needless to say, this poor planning on my part created quite a mess for me in the end with a small harvest after all my hard work.

What did I learn from this experience?

1)  Research and plan first!  I will save myself a huge amount of grief and extra work!  Can you imagine 

     how hard it is to trellis something that has already trellised itself on whatever is around it?

2)  Don't plant more than you can care for.  Since I had never planted Green Peas before, it would 

     have been better for me to research this plant and its needs BEFORE planting my whole garden in 

     them!

It didn't help that tornadoes blasted through our area and laid them all over with their high winds.  The entire crop wasn't lost, but it sure compounded my problem.

Having shared all of this, I have decided I'm going to give Green Peas another try!

This time, though, I'm smarter and I've done my homework ahead of time.  I think Green Peas are an easy veggie to try during these Winter months and I'm only going to grow what I can manage, which is about a 5'x5' space.  

So, back on topic--what to plant?  My goal is by the end of January to sow Green Pea seeds directly into the soil along my trellis.  I'll update this and keep you posted on how it goes for me.  This Summer my standard garden includes:  

Yellow Squash

Zucchini Squash

Roma Tomatoes

Regular Tomatoes

Green Beans

All 4 colors of Bell Pepper

In the Fall, I want to attempt onions and garlic along with a few salad greens.

What about you?  What do you think you'll be planting this Summer?  Or maybe you've got some goals to expand in other seasons, like me.  I'd love to hear what folks are doing out there!