In the Garden Year 2 - May - Sungrown Kitchen

It's our second year in our Raised Bed Vegetable Garden and we are starting to plant in May! We are sowing seeds, planting veggies, getting the kids to help, and excited to watch them grow!

A raised garden bed full of starter plants on planting day with a kid climbing in.

Planting Day in the Garden

May 22, 2020

We had a very successful first year in the garden last summer and are doing a lot of things the same and a few things different and new. Aside from a few things we planted in April and early May (radish, kale, peas, lettuce, carrots) we planted the majority of our garden today--May 22, 2020.

Raised bed veggie garden boxes planted with tiny plants.

As this is a garden journal for me, note that this year I shopped for my plants while wearing a mask as our coronavirus-stay-at-home order was recently lifted a few days ago. Here is what we planted this year:

A piece of paper with the garden plan on a bench next to a pot of herbs and garden tools.

Veggies We Bought Starter Plants

These have been the easiest vegetables to grow in raised beds so we are sticking with what worked well last year and adding a few extras.

Tomatoes (5), Peppers (4), Eggplant, Broccoli (2 - 4packs), Cauliflower, Zucchini, Yellow Crook Neck Summer Squash, Cabbage-reddish purple, Winter Squash-Buttercup, Kohlrabi, Basil, Rosemary, Flowers- Zinnia

A tiny purple cabbage plant in the garden.

Veggies Transplanted from Seeds We Started Inside

Tomatoes (4), Peppers (1), Cantaloupe (7), Butternut Squash (4)

A child planting a squash plant in the garden.

Seeds Started in the Ground

These were the easiest vegetables to grow from seed, and seeds are cheap allowing us to experiment with lots of variety.

Green Beans-green-yellow-purple, Cucumber, Winter Squash and Pumpkins, Watermelon, Swiss Chard, Potatoes, Kale (late April), Peas (late April), Carrots (late April), Radish (April), Lettuce, Onion, Cabbage, Parsley, Sunflowers, in window boxes-Spinach, Lettuce, Basil

Veggies Back from Last Year

Strawberries, Spring Onions (split from neighbor), Chives, Oregano

Kids playing next to a large raised bed vegetable garden.

Garden Lessons and What's New

This is what I wrote in September of last year of what I had learned and what I would do differently:

A few lessons and plans for next year:

less kale, less green beans
give the tomatoes more room, 6 plants to a bed instead of 8
more carrots
try asparagus, onions, brussel sprouts
when cauliflower looks ready, cut it, it goes bad fast

Kid's building a fairy garden next to a garden bench.

Kale and Green Beans

A few notes on this. Yes, less kale, I still have a bag in my freezer from last year that we put in our Smoothies and I throw into Bolognese pasta sauce.

But, not less green beans. Last year when we had so many green beans, I blanched some and froze them in pint size canning jars. I didn't think it would amount to much, but all winter I cherished these green beans as an easy side dish that tasted almost garden fresh. So this year, I'm planting a bunch to enjoy all summer in Green Bean Salads with plenty extra to stock the freezer for winter.

Planting day in a raised bed vegetable garden with small plants in the soil.

Tomatoes

Last year we did 8 tomatoes in 1 bed. They didn't seem to get enough air circulation and while we did get a ton of tomatoes, by the end of the season they got some black slime disease and many rotted instead of ripened.

This year we are going to kind of space them out over several beds instead of all in one bed. Hopefully we'll get plenty to make freezer marinara sauce!

A child watering the veggie garden with a garden hose.

Carrots

More carrots, yes! Because there is nothing like being 6 years old and pulling a carrot out of the ground and eating it with the dirt still on it so you don't have to stop playing for a snack!

We added some variety, one called dragon carrots, which are kind of a crazy purplish color. Extra carrots can go into my favorite Carrot Hummus and Carrot Ginger Coconut Soup when fall comes around.

Raised bed vegetable gardens on planting day with empty containers, seed packets and the hose in a mess.

Asparagus, Brussel Sprouts and Onions

Asparagus, not this year. I'd like to get this going but didn't find it to buy this year. Brussel sprouts, the garden store was out. Onions, yes. I bought a "scoop" of tiny onions for $2.99 and I'm guessing they just grow into regular sized onions, 3 varieties, we'll see.

A handful of tiny onion bulbs to plant in the garden.

I love the beautiful weather and despite the weirdness of staying home, social distancing, distance learning and grocery pickups, the garden remains my happiest place with my little helpers.