This week I’m…

Planning out my garden. I sit here with my seed packets, an online planner and an old fashioned pen and pad.

Since I am one of those people that believe you garden in NJ to grow tomatoes. Because vine ripened tomatoes are worth it. But tomatoes go into the ground no earlier than 5/15 - I normally wait until 5/30. That leaves the bed open for planting from March onwards.

Starting with peas and lettuce that can tolerate temps in the 40s go in a some point in March. By the time the peas fade, the tomatoes will be throwing shade on them. The lettuce, and other leafy greens can tolerate the shade and the heat of the summer, appreciate the tomato shade.

In April, carrots, beets, chard, spinach broccoli rabe, cilantro, and kale get direct sown. The carrots and beets get sown along the long sides of the beds and then a 2nd sowing under the tomatoes. I will also be moving the walking onions to have them interspersed with the carrots and beets since they repel carrot pests.

Around May, I start the downy mildew resistant basil inside.

When I get the tomatoes - I keep an eye on the weather and make sure we don’t have a cold snap like last year - a hard frost on 5/13!

Below is April - this will change in May and then in Aug/Sept.

Not final - but a starting point.

What I need to do now:

Order supplies - floating row covers, potting soil, maybe seed starting flats?

Stop ordering seeds. (Ha!)

Keep an eye out for cool large containers.

Next week - clean my gardening gear.