What We're Growing This Year
Both Caleb and I grew up with families who gardened. But, let me say, it's totally different when you have your own! I remember being so excited to start my first garden. I bought up every packet of seeds I could get my hands on. I wanted to try it all! Fast forward a few years and I've learned that growing too much, quickly becomes overwhelming. By planting such a wide variety of seeds, I wasn't able to manage any of them well and got mediocre results. I've since learned that it's better to grow a few things and focus on mastering them before moving on to the next challenge.
That being said, I have given up on growing spinach this year. We like spinach, but I just cannot figure the silly stuff out. I follow directions and advice to the letter; And still only end up with a few measly plants. So it's on to other garden adventures. But don't worry, one day I'll be back to square up with the spinach!
Anyway, Today I thought I would share with you what we're planning to grow this year and how we plan to store, use, or preserve the produce.
Beans - Caleb's favorite crop! Unfortunately, last year, I made the mistake of growing string beans... Needless to say, it was not pleasant picking the missed strings out of our teeth. Soooo, this year I made sure order string-less green beans. We ordered Jade, Greencrop, and Cantare green beans. I am also trying Black Turtle shell beans. This will be my first time growing shell beans and I am excited to learn about them!
In addition to fresh eating, we freeze or pressure can most of our green beans to eat throughout the winter.
Squash - If you don't grow winter squash, go get yourself some seeds right now! They are the easiest crop to store for winter! All you have to do is wipe them down with vinegar and let them cure for a few days. They'll last for months! We still have several leftover in our basement from this past fall.
We like butternut and spaghetti squash as well as pumpkins. Sadly, I lost the name and didn't write down the varieties of butternut or spaghetti squash we grow... Sorry guys! But, I did write down the names of the pumpkins! We're planning to grow a few Jarrahdale and Flat White Boer pumpkins this year (although probably in a different location from the rest of the veggie garden since they take over so aggressively).
We typically eat our squash roasted or in soups and chilis. I will also freeze some pureed pumpkin for baking pies or muffins. For a crunchy treat we like to roast the seeds with olive oil and some seasoning. And yes, you can eat the squash seeds just like pumpkin seeds. Mind blowing, I know!
Peppers - California Wonder, a sweet bell pepper, was the winner for our 2021 choice. We also plan to get a chili pepper and jalapeno pepper plant from a local greenhouse. It's crazy how many peppers those little plants can make!!! We usually eat our peppers fresh, or frozen in a marinade. Last year I dehydrated chili peppers and made them into red pepper flakes. It worked well and I'm planning to try it again.
Tomatoes - I think tomatoes are the poster children of home gardening. We use most of our tomatoes for sauce, salsa, or eating fresh in omelets and pasta. Yum! We decided to grow Amish Paste this year. I will probably add a few other varieties, but the Amish Paste will be the majority of our tomato crop.
Garlic - This might be cheating (because I planted them in the fall) but, if all goes to plan, we will be harvesting garlic this summer. Garlic takes a looooong time to grow. So you actually have to start it the year before your harvest. Once they're tucked into the ground, they're easy keepers. You really don't have to do much until harvest. We cure, our garlic and eat it throughout the year. We also enjoy cooking with fresh garlic scapes in the spring. They're delicious! If you haven't grown garlic, plan to try some this fall!
Cabbage - We are trying a storage variety called Glory of Enkhuizen. Previously I have not been overly successful with cabbages. They usually end up with small heads or split. But, cabbage is one of our favorite vegetables so I am determined to keep trying. If I am completely honest, I haven't gotten enough cabbage to store for winter. We usually eat our small amount by the time fall is over...
Turnips - Puprle Top White Globe will be joining our garden this season. Turnips are easy to grow and generally sprout up quickly. I love turnip and potato soup with cheddar cheese! I will often cook a batch and freeze it for an easy winter meal.
Greens - I like to grow small amounts of lettuce, kale, and chard, then reseed them throughout the season. Otherwise we get inundated with greens and we can't use them all (que cleaning out the fridge and happy hens eating wilted greens). Parris Island Romaine Lettuce, Rouge D'Hiver Lettuce, Buttercrunch Lettuce, Russian Red Kale, Dazzling Blue Kale, and Bright Lights Swiss Chard are the varieties we went with. We eat most of our greens fresh, but I would like to look into freezing some of the kale.
Carrots - This may just be the crop that I am most excited about. We're planning to grow St. Valery, Scarlet Nantes, and Kuttiger (a white carrot variety grown in rural Switzerland for over 300 years!!! If that doesn't thrill your gardener's heart, I don't know what will!). We pressure can our carrots and store some for fresh eating. I would also like to try my hand at fermenting carrots.
Onions - We're planning to grow Red Baron, Snowball, and Stuttgarter onions this year. I typically order onion sets (immature onion bulbs). I find them easier to work with and less fussy than onion seeds. Onions are one of our favorites, so we're shooting to grow about 40 lbs. to cure and store for the winter. Hopefully we'll be able to do a spring and fall planting -fingers crossed.
So there you have it - our list of main crops for the 2021 garden. We will probably be adding a few extra plants such as zucchini, beets, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and possibly potatoes. We'll see how the season leads.
If you're a first time gardener, go for it! You can do it! You'll win some and lose some. But it's all about the process. Find joy in learning.
To the seasoned gardener, share your knowledge with those of us coming behind. You're skills and stories are fascinating and need to be shared!
Leave a comment and let us know what you're planning to grow this year! Or, share some of your tips for success in the garden. We'd love to hear from you!
Thanks for reading,
Abby
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