I started planning next years garden about July. The beds in the back are about done except for a couple small areas. I need to find something with white flowers, but the choices... Hopefully the decision will be made by spring. The front beds are next on the agenda but I think it will be more of an impulse planting bed, of course by spring I may have the whole thing plotted. LOL

This will be our second year on the farm. This year we put in a small veggie garden. Hopefully, next summer it will be bigger. I did grow 'Jade' Brussel Sprouts this summer. They're are still growing but some are large and some are small. I grew leeks and they did well, we still have 40 of them to pull, my squash did great but we don't grow acorn. We grew 'Thelma', 'Uchiki Kuri' and 'Amber Cup'. Most of the veggies I planted were winter sown, the cole crops, squash and even the lettuce (Sierra MI). I like my squash plants bigger when I plant them out and I always add a few handfuls of compost to the hole when planting in the ground since squash is a heavy feeder. Marg

I'm always planning on into the next season. :) The past few years, our veggies have been pretty basic, and we tend now to use the tried and true varieties. I used to try all kinds of different things, but i seem to have gotten over that stage. My heart is really in the flower beds, though.

The past couple of years i hoped to do more in the way of upkeep in the gardens rather than planting a lot of new things. There really isn't much room anymore and i have such a weed problem that it would be crazy to make more beds. Now i'm thinking of ways to arrange and rearrange what i have and to improve things like the edgings around the beds.

I also like looking at what other people have in their containers and getting ideas from that.:)

Now that I've been here for three summers, I had first started wth power saw in hand and went to work (gawd, what an undertaking!) on a thick stand of virgin forest with deadfall like I've never seen. The lawn is in and most all the beds have been deeply dug and prepared and beginning to be filled. I had intended to reduce the amount of plantings, though that has definitely gotten out of hand and there's beds everywhere I deemed to look good, crazy I know!

Since we have such a long off season, I'm planting many kinds of evergreens and shrubs of winter interest, several also to be added to the garden patch.

As for annuals, tons more rudbeckias, espeically 'Tiger Eye' and 'Cherokee Sunset' ... these are awesome varieties!

Hydrangeas, gonna add many more, even a few of the Endless Summer types that bloom on new wood. I don't mind doing some winter protecting to ensure things make it through.

'Margo' is a tomato I'll be sticking with! Good sized high quality tasty fruit upon productive and easy to prune plants ... flavor is better than 'Early Girl'.

Terry

twrosz:

If you like Rudbeckia, I have 2 varieties you just have to try if you can find the seeds.Both varieties are about 18 inches tall with large flowers.

One is called chocolate. It is a deep reddish brown with golden tips. Shows off very nice with anything in yellow. I wasn't able to find the seed this year, but the one below made up for it.

The other one is Cappuccino. This is a deep color too, but with undertones of red and burgandy. I ordered the seed from Veseys this year and it was absolutely gorgeous--a real keeper.

oilpainter ... I've grown Cappuccino for two years now, love it! Had also grown one called Chocolate Orange, that was also very nice. There's so many good rudbeckias out there!

Terry

Hey all, been a while!

I started thinking about next years garden June 5th when we got hit with frost! Guess I wasn't paying close enough attention as I lost a lot stuff I was going to plant up. Then the balance of summer was rained out - I don't think we had one week without it raining at least once. Never watered a thing in my yard all summer. Then, and the most important reason I've been absent from here and my garden, is we now have a new little grandson to admire!!! Very exciting stuff! But my poor yard did suffer for it! Made a promise to it today as I was out (finally!) doing some clean up that I would take better care next year! And so my plans begin!!

Need to extend a perennial bed to go in front of our new deck. Would like to put in some low scrubs (any suggestions?) Also cleared an area today at the back of the yard in the hopes of putting in a tree next spring! Would really like something that will give fall colour. Was reading the other thread about the Norway Maple "Prairie Splendor" - do you think it would be good here in Winnipeg? Other suggestions would be welcome. I love the fall and ours are so short - this years has been nonexistent! My Amur Maple is still green:( Trying to fill spaces with things that come to life when it starts to cool down.

So looking forward to reading and seeing all that you've been up to this year and your hopes for next season!

Cheers!

I've gone so garden-crazy that I'm thinking about the next three years worth of garden, all at once. I hope this wears off, my hubby thinks I've gone mad. But I'm having a lot of fun.

I tried to respond to this thread a while ago, but it didn't work, because my internet was acting up. I have one answer and one question.

The answer: I found that Simonet corn grew quite well, tasted fine, and matured very early. It might have tasted better than fine, but it matured way before I expected it to, so I didn't check it early enough, and it was all overripe. It still tasted ok, so I think it would have been very good if it had been perfectly ripe. It was developed by a guy from Edmonton (name of Simonet, oddly enough). I got it from Prairie Garden Seeds.

The question: What are the shortest season winter squashes? I got a couple from most of the varieties I planted, but a lot of them were unripe, and I didn't get a butternut at all. I had the best luck with Blue Ballet and Buttercup, my Acorns did all right, but my butternuts were pitiful. Anybody have suggestions for any kind of winter squash that matures very quickly and still keeps well?

Have fun dreaming!
Julie

one definite for sure absolutely write it down twice idea that I have for next year is to plant lots of containers. All herbs in containers. Pepper plants in containers. This way I can easily move them inside or into our hoophouse to extend the season - why should it end if it doesn't have to? I never have great luck with digging up mature plants and repotting them to take inside in the fall, it's too disruptive. I'm curious to see how long I can make a pepper or tomato live. Has anyone else tried this?

Pepper's season is until at least December.

Tomatoes will also fruit for quite a while.

Both plants are actually perennials. I had a productive cherry tomato plant for years and years in front of a south facing window.