I won't change much. After all these years we have things down to a science.

Yes it is a good thing to rotate your garden crops. Especially never plant tomatoes where you had potatoes the year before. They are of the same family and diseases can pass from one to the other.

I have a book where I write down my orders and who I order from. I do make notes throughout the summer under the order on which things I like and which I don't. In the back I write things I definately won't order again. I also have a few pages dedicated to things I tried and liked. I try to keep them alphabetized for easy look up. In 3 or 4 years something may appeal to me again and I have a ready reference on whatto buy and what not to buy.

My planning doesn't really start until I get my seed catalogues. By the time I'm ready to order they are well dog eared from reading and planning.

We gardeners will never get things absolutely perfect but that doesn't keep us from trying, and that's half the fun of it.

Isn't that the truth!
Yesterday, we harvested squash from the garden. Found some striped acorn squash, zucs, a crookneck, spaghetti squash and about 6 pumpkins so far.
I am still finding flowers I like, I was really happy with my multi coloured morning glories this year, they were blue, pink red, purple and white.
I also have a baby butterfly bush I grew from seed, it's still blooming.
The Eygptian walking onion is also a new treat for me. I have eaten it yet, but it is so unusual looking I just love it.

When I started the garden here, I planted some spreaders and reseeders to fill in fast. They did and now its time to for them to leave. There are still a few flowers I want (til the catalogues come out) and others that will stay in my garden forever. As for the vegie garden, I planted a lot of tomatos and peppers along with various squash. The variety of ones I plant next year will decrease because I think I got carried away this year. I tried new things, lima beans, and we really didn't like them. I also tried celeriac for the first time and it will stay. The best new one I tried this year was cantalope. They were great, loads better than store bought varieties. Now after saying all that, I will await the new catalogues. Marg

Yet again I planted the tomatoes too closely-- next year I am going to NOT start so many plants so I actually have room for them all. I'm going to keep the tomato trellis up so I don't have to unscrew the 2x4s and decrease the life of the joints.
I'm going to plan my cucurbits better, so the pumpkin and Delicata squash don't cross. I've been creating a nice squash bed behind the greenhouse so the vines aren't so much of a nuisance.
Definitely going to do parsnip and Hamburg parsley again-- they were excellent.
I let the blue larkspur and orange cosmos seed itself around again-- this year my veggie garden was so beautiful with blue and orange flowers. But--- no such luck for the Nicotianas which will reined in next year.
No zucchinis EVER again. Ditto for cucumber. I don't like 'em and the DH won't pick 'em, and I am just sick of trying to use them up and give them away.
Next year I need a dedicated large open bed for the dry beans. This year I just tucked them here and there, and they suffered for lack of air circulation.

Nice thread, Nes.

Bev, it seems I never plant tomato plants far enough apart. They always grow into eachother.
But you are right I have to deicated beds to certain plants, interplanting isn't as easy if you can't get to the plants.
Marg, you and I garden the same way, I had over 80 tomato plants this year, next year 40, if I can control myself. The problem is I like to start a lot of seedlings just incase of seedling disastors, and then I have a need to plant them all.

Nes

cut back on the tomatoes also! :) Not enough room and they are too close together--the groundhog got some of the best looking ones just as they were ready to pick. I hope he moves on by next year.

Nes--what tomatoes did you find did the best for you? What tomatoes are you keeping for next year?

I gave up on cucumbers a few years back but tried them again this year--didn't do well again!!-what is it with me and cucumber?? :) Not sure I will waste space on them again :(

I did plant and have success with some long asparagus beans--I only had a few seeds and something dug up about three of the vines, but did have about six vines produce and they were nice. I am saving seeds to plant more next year.

a definite keeper--pepper fish that I got at the swap-one of the two seedlings I got survived and was so pretty in the garden--they have variegated leaves, and some of the peppers are variegated also--small--about two inches and very hot.

trying to cut back on trying to have a huge variety of plants--will plant just a few tomatoes of a couple of varieties--and as far as perennials go--divide what is really doing well and spread it all over. fill in the blanks with some of my favourite annuals that have done really well this year and have saved a ton of seeds from--four varieties of marigolds, tall orange cosmos, malva-zebrina (planted mauritania and it grew big but no flowers so far!), melampodium (which I FINALLY got to grow and look beautiful :))-thanks Bev! :)
probably other things but you know--I will change my mind at least once of twice before next year! LOL

The thing about being a seed saver, which I am,, is the longer you save a variety of seed the better they adapt to growing in your area.
The year before last, was a terrible year for tomato blight, so I didn't save any seeds from that and started with new seed that had grown well for others the year before. so this year, no tomato blight.
So all my seeds is good and worth saving. I had aotomato, it is a salty tomato with great flavour. and I will grow a couple yellow pear and sweet million cherry tomatos I think.
Then there is this romeo roma that is a huge plum tomato that I had one plant of that I meant try again. That should be it.
I feel like Steve Martin here" I am just going to take this and I'll take that.
Just to make more work for myself, I have this little private tea/herb garden, that I know want to add bulbs too for spring beauty.
I also, have to put a stake behind a baby tree I have in my side lane so my nasty neighbour won't kill it with his snow plow. He is mostly to do it since it's in his nature.
I will be able to get this all done before I have . this winter and still be able to start seedlings in the spring.

So planning is important for me this year.

I am hoping