The Plan

Since the Seed Savers Exchange catalog arrived in early January, my husband and I have been thinking about what to grow this year. But there's been one problem: How big is our new, larger community garden plot? Snow or no snow, it was time this week to pay a visit and measure. The plot is about 15' 6" x 30'. The snow, about 18".

Questions answered and only a little dismayed at the snow pack, I used this online garden planner to create my plan (I also touched it up in photoshop):
http://www.smallblueprinter.com/garden/planner.html

Tomatoes:

• 1 Black Krim
• 1 Black Prince
• 2 Brandywine
• 1 Garden Peach
• 2 Jaune Flamme
• 1 Matt’s Wild Cherry
• 2 Prudens Purple
• 1 Purple Russian (a.k.a. Ukranian Purple)
• 1 Roma II
• 1 San Marzano
• 3 Striped German
• 1 Yellow Pear

Herbs:

• Basil (we usually plant this between the tomato plants)
• Lavender
• Chives
• Cilantro/Coriander
• Bouquet Dill
• Florence Fennel
• Sweet Marjoram
• Italian Oregano
• Parsley
• Rosemary
• Broadleaf Sage
• Tarragon
• Thyme
• Savory, Summer

New items to plant this year:

• Broccoli
• Belgian Endive (We fell in love with endive last year -- see recipe below)
• Raspberries
• Sugar Baby Melon
• Asparagus (takes about 3 years to harvest)

Other Items:

• Peppers (we have not decided on varieties)
• Carrots
• Beets
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Cucumbers
• Little Leaf Pickling
• Marketmore
• Pumpkin
• Waltham Butternut
• Patty Pan Squash
• Flowers for cutting

Grilled Endive Recipe

• 4 heads of Belgian endive, halved lengthwise
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Shaved parmesan
• 1 lemon
• Salt and pepper

1. Heat grill until hot. Lightly brush the grill grate with olive oil to prevent sticking.
2. Cut the heads of endive lengthwise into two individual sides each.
3. Drizzle the cut side of endive with about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
4. Put the endive cut side down on the grill, grill until the edges are well browned and curled, about 5 minutes.
5. Remove and drizzle with a little more fresh olive oil. Top with shaved parmesan, squeezed lemon juice, salt and pepper.

The last butternut

It has been an unusually snowy winter. I have been spending my baby's nap time sitting on the couch and looking at the 8 feet off snow piled up on our yard. During this time, my 4 year-old usually plays quietly with his trains or watches a movie. Usually the latter, as he's not as quiet as I would like. So as I look at the snow that I feel will take until late April to melt, I start planning our garden.

This year we have been upgraded from a 15x15 to a 15x30 plot at our community garden. My husband and I both plan separate layouts and we come to a compromise that incorporates both plans. This will be our third year at the community garden. My husband is really the gardener, as he does all the hard work as I watch the kids. I tell him, "you grow it and I'll cook it." I think this a very even trade -- he loves to garden and I love to cook.

When we first got the garden, I thought I would be more involved with the sowing and harvesting. However, the first day out, I discovered that this might not be for me. My husband and I turned over a few forkfuls of soil, and I swear the ground looked like it was breathing. As I looked closer at the soil, it was filled with life -- bug life. I saw bugs that I didn't know existed. This freaked me out. Don't get me wrong, I love going to the garden, looking at all the plants we've grown and I even pick flowers and vegetables -- I just don't look too closely.

Tonight I plan on cooking the last butternut from our garden. As I work on the layout for our garden, I must remember to leave more room for butternut.

Up next: The Plan