As my garden hits full production, I can't help but think towards next year. I've got a few new ideas to implement. I'm definitely planting fewer tomatoes but adding some different veggies and herbs. I'm open to ideas for specific varieties that will work in zone 5 (I'm right near Omaha Nebraska if anyone wants to look at weather specifics, but Nebraska weather is predictably unpredictable). If anyone has great ideas for any of these categories, feel free to share. I'd like to research now and buy seeds as I can.

1. Tomatoes: I'm likely sticking to just black krim. Maybe a dark roma if they exist/I can find any.

2. Peppers: definitely doing mini bells again, and snack peppers. I'd like to try a new variety or two of sweet/ no heat peppers that ripen faster than regular bells.

3. Beans: probably Bush but maybe pole. Typical green of course, but might try a different color or two (especially if they taste better). I will have an arch for them to grow on.

4. Peas: not sure what type but want the kind that need shelled, not snap peas.

5. Lettuce: I want something I can keep cutting leaves from. Probably starting inside since I never have good luck direct seeding it.

6. Carrots: I want short season types, different colors are great. Still trying to replicate the flavor of the ones we grew growing up.

7. Onions: something simple and basic since I won't need many

8. Herbs: definitely a few types of basil (good suggestions?), chocolate mint, garlic chives, chives, oregano and lemon balm. I'd like to try some other things too. Some might go in the ground, others in pots in the garden or on my front porch.

9. Flowers: want to attract pollinators, other benefits are great too. Some will go in the garden, others in various spots around the yard. I know I'll have milkweed and snapdragons and bee balm and roses.

10. Berries: need a better tasting June bearing strawberry. Would like something more interesting for a smaller bed/pot such as pineberry. Need at least 1 more dwarf blueberry, I've been looking at the cascade types (currently have a top hat). Might have to get blueberries local since I don't have good luck otherwise. No blackberries. Already have raspberries.

Still debating about zucchini, summer squash, and cucumbers (could only do 1 and needs to be able to grow vertically).

Might go for unique fruit if it can grow in a pot and isn't expensive.

Lots of fun to plan for nest year. I always plan ahead!!

Newyorkrita said:Lots of fun to plan for nest year. I always plan ahead!!

I'm hoping to get some good ideas from people for varieties of some stuff, especially lettuce and carrots and flowers. I'm hoping to get some drawings done this weekend to post my general layout in case it helps with ideas.

I'm very much a planner and enjoy making lists and designs. It's just nice to take a break from the craziness of teaching, especially this year.

I don't grow lettuce and carrots and my flowers are roses and perennials. So I am no help.

I did love to grow zinnias when I had annuals years ago. So easy from seed and so many different colors, sizes and shapes.

I really like Green Ice for a leaf lettuce. Grown many years.
Celosia is a very easy summer annual that bees loved here, will self sow as well.
Onions are not easy IMHO

I remember once growing up, I accidentally grew onions. Mom would buy the little onion bulbs to plant. She gave me a few that looked really bad and she didn't think would grow. I put some random dirt in a small metal pan we played with outside (probably under 2 inches deep), and planted my onions. Then promptly forgot I'd placed them in a spot inside the barn near a door. They must have gotten enough sun and rain because those things grew big.

I'm planting to grow lots of melons next year, for flowers, I've already order lots of peonies, herbaceous, tree, and itoh. I'm waiting for onion sets to go on sale, will not start from seeds.
Anyway love to add a few new things, but I will stick with the usual because I know they work.

Here's pictures of all my spaces (not counting the back deck that I can put pots on but it gets really really hot, no shade, sun all day, and most things don't do well in that in pots, at least not what I've tried).

Garden, plus the dog. :)



Strawberry/ raspberry patch. Shade cover for transplanted strawberries. Bee balm on the left.



Future strawberry bed, I hope. Just need to create a better, nicer looking shade cover.



Strawberries and blueberry in the pots on the left. They seem to be doing really well here where they get under 6 hours sun. I'm debating just planting the blueberry somewhere up here in the front.



Front porch, faces north. Milkweed and roses mostly. Thinking about putting herbs in pots on the porch or maybe in the flower beds. Might have some hanging pots as well.



East side of the house, gets morning sun. Right now it's basically all snapdragons. Going to add in a variety of other pollinator friendly things next year.

Ceckery said:Here's pictures of all my spaces (not counting the back deck that I can put pots on but it gets really really hot, no shade, sun all day, and most things don't do well in that in pots, at least not what I've tried).

Garden, plus the dog. :)



Strawberry/ raspberry patch. Shade cover for transplanted strawberries. Bee balm on the left.



Future strawberry bed, I hope. Just need to create a better, nicer looking shade cover.



Strawberries and blueberry in the pots on the left. They seem to be doing really well here where they get under 6 hours sun. I'm debating just planting the blueberry somewhere up here in the front.



Front porch, faces north. Milkweed and roses mostly. Thinking about putting herbs in pots on the porch or maybe in the flower beds. Might have some hanging pots as well.



East side of the house, gets morning sun. Right now it's basically all snapdragons. Going to add in a variety of other pollinator friendly things next year.

Hey, hey, hey. Love how the dog got into the garden picture!!

I still think you have room there to expand the veggie area and have room for the dog.

I got skunked on salsify and parsnips. My goal is to regroup and get those rolling next year.

I also want to convert some mushroom test plots (about 3 sqft each) to rhubarb beds as I love rhubarb. Now to research cultivars to extend season as long as possible.

I also want to ramp up the production side of things. I really want to be able to put up more and give away more but have limited space.

I want to find out how not to have most of my cuke vines die right as they start to flower and fruit. I suspect squash vine borers.

I didn't try squash again this year because the last three years we had THOUSANDS of squash bugs and wilt set in right as flowering really started going. I gotta figure out how to deal with them but I don't use any chemicals so still looking at options.

I wish Tractor Supply would deliver cattle panels and T-posts. Are you there, Tractor Supply?

I'd like to create a few tunnels and one large one to try and grow squash and/or gourds on.

A lot has been on hold as I've been waiting to hear if I get selected for a cost match. If so, I have major digging and re-digging to do to get something into place (more later if successful).

I have 2 IBC totes. I want to connect them to each other, put in the system that bypasses first flush, and create the bypass when full. That should give me around 530 gallons of water collection potential. I got sidetracked waiting to see if I was going to build a different structure and in the meantime just have under tarps). I'll probably have to have some sort of brick foundation or something similar given the weight of each one full will be about 2,300 pounds! So that rules out up next to the structure that I had planned,

I've recently been told I can have the two rain barrels out at my folks' house. That will give me another 110 gallons.

I'll be evaluating various rock dusts to see if I think any might be needed in the deep beds I've been creating compost for. Not much in them on the inorganic side yet and it looks like it will be a few more years before the soil really develops.

If it were me I would get rid of the grass and have more room for vegetables, in fact I don't have any grass at all. I have a very tiny yard.

SoCalGardenNut said:If it were me I would get rid of the grass and have more room for vegetables, in fact I don't have any grass at all. I have a very tiny yard.

Not much grass here either. But lots of vegetables and flowers.

SoCalGardenNut said:If it were me I would get rid of the grass and have more room for vegetables, in fact I don't have any grass at all. I have a very tiny yard.

Already doing that. Lawn is an endangered species here. Just enough for the dog.

I've got 7 nephews so having enough grass for them to play games is needed. Plus my dog loves racing around the yard (not dog friendly so no dog parks). Plus we practice for a lot of competitions in my backyard.
With as much as I'm getting from my small garden, I don't really have need for anything bigger. Someday I'd live to live in the country, have a massive garden, tons of fruit trees and berry bushes, chickens, goats, mini cows (I really want a mini Scottish highland cow). My little garden has inspired several neighbors to build their own so that's a good thing.