My 2014 Vegetable Garden Plan

home vegetable gardens


Spring is here and I’m making plans for my 2014 vegetable garden.  This is a picture of a few of my sunflowers from last year’s garden.  It was quite productive.  
I’m planning to put more flowers into my garden and cut back on the peppers this year since I have a nice supply stored.  My pepper focus will be belles this year for vegetable trays and the freezer.  

I started my seeds this week and have several that have germinated already.  I use my laundry room to start my seeds since they don’t need light to germinate.  I like to grow everything from seed, because it’s cheaper than purchasing plants from a garden center and because it gives me a jump start on the growing season.  Direct sowing everything can be quite challenging.

I purchase my peat pots on clearance each year from Big Lots or the Dollar Store and save them for the next season.  Each pot is filled with a seed starting mix, I use Miracle Gro, watered from the bottom by placing them in a tray filled with water, and covering them with Saran Wrap, which helps keep the pot moist and assists with germination.  Once the seeds have germinated, I immediately move them under this grow light to keep them warm and assist with growth.  My grow light is 4 foot long, so I’m able to get quite a few pots under it, and I raise the light as they get taller.

Here’s my list of seed starts for 2014.  I only plant vegetables that I will eat, can or freeze:


Fruit:



2 Sugar Baby Watermelons
1 Yellow Watermelon
2 Hales Cantaloupe

Misc.

2 Crookneck Squash
2 Zucchini


Tomatoes:



1 Mortgage Lifter 
1 Paul Robeson
1 Tiffen Mennonite
1 Oxheart
1 Early Girl
1 Delicious
1 Cherokee Purple
1 Red Brandywine
1 Sweet 100

Herbs:


2 Spicy Globe Basil
2 Genovese Basil
1 Oregano
2 Dill (Use to make dill and spicy hot pickles)
2 Cilantro (Use to make salsa)


Peppers:


1 White Belle
1 Golden Wonder
1 Mixed (It will be a surprise)
1 Jalapeno

I will be direct sowing the following:

Greens:



Blue Lake Greenbeans (Pole)
Jade Greenbeans (Bush)
Butter Crunch Lettuce
Noble Spinach

Cucumbers:


Boston Pickling
Marketmore
Lemon

Salt and Pepper

Garlic  (Already growing)
Red Onions

Carrots

Not sure I will get 100% germination, but I’m hoping for at least 80%.  I currently have 1 1/2 flats on the heating pads to germinate and about 6 starts that have already sprouted under the grow lights.  I’m hoping to have the 1/2 flat germinated by next week.  Stay tuned.