I got the yard all cleaned up and most of the garden planted this past weekend, 4/18 - 4/20. I want to increase my herbs this year, do better with the zucchini, carrots, and red peppers, and continue the massive broccoli operation I've run in recent years. The broccoli I got last year -- Pacman hybrid transplants from Home Depot -- produced so much, starting in June and going into the Fall. I wanted to replicate that exactly as I did it last year ... but Home Depot did not have the Pacman hybrid broccoli plants this year. They didn't have any brocolli at all! Son of a bitch! I can probably find it elsewhere, though...
Last year I had a nice zucchini plant, which yielded some really large vegetables -- too large. I kept letting them grow when I should've harvested each one at the appropriate size. Easy enough to fix. I expect to get a nice yield and I might put in another zucchini plant as well. That seems like a sell-able product.
I had one tomato plant last year, which I used a lot in the Fall to make sauce. This year I got two cherry tomato varieties to use in my mason jar salads. They should grow well with minimal care.
I did a row of carrot seeds, same as last year, and tried to make sure I softened the soil underneath a little better this time. I had some decent ones last year, but I want a little more consistency -- and length -- this time around.
Last year I had a green pepper plant that produced a decent number of small vegetables. I used them with hot sausage or pierogies and put them in sauce in the Fall. I really like sweet Italian red peppers so I decided to give them a try this year. We'll see how it goes.
As far as the herbs go, I want to increase my yield so I can use more, but also to try and sell them. I'd also like to start using herbs to make my own fragrances, etc. I've grown cilantro, oregano, mint, and basil very successfully, and this year I added lavender and rosemary.
I planted two stevia plants, same as last year, and will probably add a couple more if space allows. Last year I harvested a lot of stevia and ground it into a very fine powder, which I use as an alternative sweetener. I want to make a syrup out of this year and use it as a sweetener in mouth wash.
