2016 Master Plan: The Swingset Quadrant

Continuing with the garden plans for the spring, here is the swingset quadrant diagram:


The full left side is the perennial asparagus bed, so no changes there. Ditto for the top, which is still grapes in the back and perennial herbs in the front. I may end up moving around some of the herbs once they come up in the spring and I see what's there.

Anyway, the upper portion of the right side is mostly head lettuce, which will be shaded by a trellis of pickling cucumbers (on the long side) and slicing cucumbers (on the short side). The shade should help keep the lettuces from bolting in the summer heat, especially since the trellises are oriented to block out afternoon sun. The lower half has pole beans along the right side, which will vine their way up poles that arch over the center path. We did this in the past closer to the house, and it worked well to form a shady arbor to support all the beans — like the bean house, but over the path instead. The rest of the bed is filled with butternut squash. 

The bottom row is filled with corn. That's a big planting area, but we should be able to freeze a good portion of it if the squirrels and raccoons don't beat us to it. 

The center C is filled with heat-loving veggies, since it's one of the most consistently sunny spots in our garden. Here we'll plant hot peppers, bell peppers, eggplant, okra, and green beans. We'll also give Brussels sprouts yet another chance, though we have yet to succeed with these. Maybe the fifth time's a charm?

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