Help planning my garden

[doubleatraining]

This year I have moved to a place where I can have more of a garden than the past. I normally get tomatoes/cucumbers/squash and thats the extent of my garden.

This year I have my chickens and more garden room. The problem is going to be fencing in the garden from the pesky chickens.

What I KNOW I want to plant:
tomatoes
cucumbers(going to vine them up a tree or tomatoe cage)
yellow squash
red potatoes
Green beans
bell peppers

I would really like lettuce of some kind but I've never planted it.

Any other ideas? My garden area right now is about 10x20 or so. I can get a LITTLE bigger but nothing huge.

I plan on planting the tomatoes in corners and letting the chickens help clean up the extras that grow through the fence.

 

[JacksFlock]

I strongly recommend going to Mother Earth News' website and trying out their new garden planner. You can use it free for 30 days and get your garden planned right. It will give you ideas on what veggies you can/should plant, when to plant them, how far the space them and how much of everything you can plant.

 

[Denim Deb]

Big thing to consider is, where do you live. Also, how many people are in your family? Do you want to put anything up, or just for fresh produce? Do you want to plant a conventional type of garden, or are you into square foot gardening/companion planting? In the space that you have, you can actually grow quite a bit, you just need to know how to do it.

 

[HeronsNestFarm]

Lettuce is super easy. I think that greens are a must. I like to have AT LEAST Rainbow Lights Chard. It's a nice mix, needs little care, is nutritious and it will over winter most places.

 

[doubleatraining]

Jack, thanks for the tip I'll look at the website.

Deb, I'm sorry I forgot to include that information. I'm single, live in NC, and while I would mostly just like fresh produce I have a large chest freezer that I can store in. I have only had the traditional garden but would like to get the most out of my space. Any advice you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

I'm going to be getting some strawberry plants to add as ground cover to the flower garden. I have a herb garden out front too.

 

[hqueen13]

Don't have much to add, but thought I'd say and hello to another Carolinian! I'm a transplant to MD, but NC is home to me!!
I'll be watching this with interest because we've are hoping to put in a garden for the first time, and I'm a bit nervous about it with all the goofy challenges that we have...

 

[BarredBuff]

Lettuce is super easy, and I would be a little hesitant about putting tomatoes in bordering areas because chickens will take bites from them when they are at peak perfection.

 

[doubleatraining]

I'm glad to hear that lettuce is so easy. It looks like I should plant lettuce end of March when I plant the potatoes.

BarredBuff, the reason I want the tomatoes on the edge is last time I had tomatoes they TOOK OVER my garden. I was picking 50-70 ripe grape tomatoes off of 2 plants DAILY. Then it started running across the yard. I couldn't even GIVE them away as fast as they were growing. If that happens again then I'll want the chickens to help. LOL I plan on putting up livestock fencing around the garden so they will only get what runs out of the garden.

hqueen, thanks for the welcome. We always had a garden growing up and I love it. I can't wait until spring!

Herons, where do I get that mix?

In the past I've bought most of my started plants and seeds from Walmart or the local farmer's market. Is there another place I should be looking?

 

[BarredBuff]

Since you extras you should look into dehyrdating those grape ones for things like pizza

 

[doubleatraining]

See thats the stuff I really need to learn this winter.....storage.

I wouldn't have the slightest idea on how to even begin dehydrating something.

Can you freeze lettuce for storage? Whats the best way to store those plants for long term(4-5month) storage??