Vegetables get under way...

I'm trying to be more organized this year with the way I organize the vegetable beds.  I've decided to try square foot gardening for a couple different reasons.  Mainly because it makes the best use of space, and it should cut down on weeding if everything goes right.  I started staking out my square feet on Monday and it seems to be going well.  We have two raised beds.  The one right next to the house is about 3 feet by 15 feet and the other is 4 feet by 16 feet.  The bed next to the house gets a bit of shade on the east side in the afternoon, while the other bed is in full sun for the whole day.   I seeded peas (4 square feet) and some lettuce (4 square feet) in the house side bed on Monday.  The days and nights have been warm so I decided to try my luck with the lettuce.  The forecast is for the nights to stay above zero also so...fingers crossed.

Sabre Peas

The best performing pea in our trials this year. Sabre was bred especially as a fresh market pea and produces long pods with 8-10 delicious peas in each. Earlier than green arrow, but the pods are just as long. Ideal for market gardeners and home gardeners. 20-24 inches in height with resistance to fusarium wilt, root rot and powdery mildew. Matures in 68 days.

Super Sugar Snap

An improved variation of the famous edible pod Sugar Snap pea. Super Sugar Snap is a sweet snap pea with crunchy texture and sweet flavour. Its 4 inch pods are plump and double pods at each node improve the yield. Height is 5 to 6 feet. Maturity 63-65 days.

Oregon Sugar Pod II

Commonly known by pea lovers as "Snow Peas". Oregon Sugar Pod II will produce an excellent crop of 4 - 4½ inch flat tender pods. Dwarf, vigourous plant growth. The sweet pods are superb for freezing, so be sure to plant an extra row. Sow seed as early as the ground can be worked and pick pods when pea development is just beginning. Maturity 60 days.

Baby Leaf Blend

Developed by Veseys trial staff, our exclusive blend includes various leaf colours, textures and tastes for a truly gourmet appeal. Sow every week or two for a continuous supply of delicious salad greens all season long! Maturity 25-30 days. Approximately 1100 seeds/pkg.

Matina Sweet Lettuce

The perfect extra early baby butterhead! Exceptional quality and very attractive. Light green plants from small heads (4 inches across) of very mild, but sweet lettuce. This variety is great for a home gardener looking for a one meal sized lettuce, or for market gardeners looking for an extra early, premium type lettuce. Matures in 60 days.

Red Salad Bowl Lettuce

An appealing, slow bolting red oakleaf type. Rich deep-red finely divided leaves. Sweet flavoured and tender, a colourful delight for salads. Maturity of 50 days.

Little Gem Pearl Lettuce

An old time novelty romaine. Perfect size for 2 people. Early, compact heads are no more than 6-8 inches high with medium green, glossy semi savoy leaves. Excellent flavour with a good crunchy texture. Maturity is approximately 70 days.

The above descriptions are taken from http://www.veseys.com/ca/en/store/vegetables/ which is where I bought my seeds from.

Last Summer

Here is the side garden where we have two raised beds for vegetable gardening.













Summer 2009 Vegetable/Fruit List:

Tomatoes (2 Brandywine, 2 cherry, 1 arctic heirloom): The brandywine tomatoes were very successful producing many large fruits. We did have many green ones left on the vine at the end of the season.

Potatoes (White fleshed): Many small potatoes per plant with 1-2 fist sized potatoes per plant. Tender and very tasty. I planted some behind the Sand Cherry tree, they grew well but were difficult to mound and harvest. I'm thinking of trying potatoes in containers this year.

Bush Beans: Abundant harvest and easy to grow. Must keep on top of harvesting them if they are to produce more beans.

Peas: Did not have much luck with the peas. I think the spot I chose was too sunny and I didn't give them enough extra water. Will try again this year.

Zucchini (2 green, 1 yellow): Extremely copious output. I will probably plant only one of each color this year. We gave away a lot of zucchini. Our friends and neighbours didn't want any more by the end of the season.

Cucumber (3): The right number of plants for us, enough to eat and give a few away.

Cauliflower (2): Takes up a lot of room in the garden, will probably not plant again.

Broccoli (2): Tasted wonderful but also takes up too much space

Brussel Sprouts (3): Really impressive looking plants, but there was a little white butterfly that loved these and they got eaten to bits. Also takes up a lot of room.

Bell peppers: The peppers grew well but didn't seem to ripen. Tasted bitter compared to peppers you buy at the grocery store. Maybe not hot enough for them here?

Asparagus: I planted tiny little seedlings at the beginning of summer 2009.

They looked like this. Over the summer they grew about 2.5 feet high, very bushy at the top. From my research I will be waiting 2 more seasons before picking any asparagus.

Strawberries (2 or 3 ever-bearing): Each plant always had 4-5 fruits on it. Really juicy and sweet. Wonderful for a treat when walking by the garden. Didn't really produce enough at a time to make a dessert or whatnot.

Lettuce (Baby Leaf blend, Parris Island, Sangria): The baby leaf blend was great, always regrowing. It was tender and tasty, not bitter at all. The Parris Island Romaine was good. Sangria (butterhead) did not do as well. It was tough to go back to grocery store lettuce come the autumn. There's nothing quite like a perfectly fresh from the garden lettuce.

Carrots: Will definitely need to plant more...carrots are a slow growing crop, but so worth it. My carrots were so...carroty. I don't know how to explain it.

Herbs (Basil, Chives, Dill, Oregano, Thyme, Tarragon)