How Does Your Garden Grow? - June 1st

I thought it would be fun to do a little photo journal of my garden this year. This is the first year I have really had it set up how I want.  We've been slowly tilling up new land, running hogs in it for fertilization, and battling the joys of starting a new garden. (Weeds, grass, soil quality, etc.) There's a little more work that needs to be done - putting a border and rock down at the hydrant, tilling up the berry/grape end (not shown in the drawing) and fencing it in. (We will be using field fence and will be including the orchard in the fence, which is directly behind the garden - this is as much to keep our livestock out!)

I have decided to garden with quadrant gardening.  I will be rotating the 4 sections of my vegetable garden each year (moving 1 section to the right) to help control disease and nutrient loss.  I used some resources to piece together my quadrants.  It isn't exactly what was recommend, but it is what works for the types and amounts of plants I grow.  I also have some permanent and semi-permanent beds.  On the back, north side of the garden, is my asparagus.  In the front I have a strawberry patch and cut flower patch.  I will rotate the strawberries and flowers every 3 years for the benefit of the strawberries.  And then directly behind the strawberries and cut flowers is a permanent border with rhubarb.

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I realize that it is a little hard to read the words on my drawing.  Here's what's in each quadrant.

Quadrant 1: Peas, cucumber, dill, green beans, yellow wax beans, cauliflower, broccoli, cantaloupe, herbs

Quadrant 2: Sweet peppers, green bell peppers, banana peppers, zucchini, summer squash, acorn squash, carrots, onions, lettuce, spinach, slicing and cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, San Marzano tomatoes, onions and carrots, basil

Quadrant 3: Corn with beans, pumpkins, gourds

Quadrant 4: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, watermelon.

I have almost all of the above planted. I got things in a little later than hoped, but it's much earlier than I have been able to other years. I'm also excited that this year I was able to start all of my plants from seed, either inside or in the garden, except my hot peppers.  I only wanted 1 or 2 of each variety so it just worked better to buy those.

So with all of that said . . . here's how my garden grows in June. :)

Full View: Enjoyed a few strawberries from new transplants. Excited to see experimental direct seeded asparagus up and joining asparagus transplants started indoor from seed.

Quadrant 1: needing to plant herbs, lettuce behind peas, and eventually fall broccoli and cauliflower

Quadrant 2 : harvesting lettuce and baby carrots - needing to plant acorn squash and basil

Quadrant 3 - needing to plant 3 rows of late sweet corn, sunflowers, pumpkins, and gourds

Quadrant 4 - needing to plant 3rd row of sweet potato slips, watermelon and beans

Blueberries and Vines: nibbled on some unripe, but nicely tart, blueberries - needing lots of work and planting yet!