My 2013 garden wish list

We're hoping to greatly expand the orchard and add fruit bushes next year, which had had me drooling over the Fedco trees catalog.  Mike is thrilled that I'm ready for the expansion, as it will require the rental of a tractor for the weekend, so he's encouragin me to dream big in terms of varieties and quantities.  Since my memory has been pathetically reduced (the sleep deprivation ends at some point, right???), I'm using this post as a landing place for my ideas for next year's orchard expansion and garden.

Orchard

Four apple trees

Raspberry bushes (early, mid and late varieties)

Blackberry bushes

Garden

Pole beans: 
282FO Fortex Pole Bean OG (60 days)

and possibly 322RN Red Noodle Yard Long Bean (90 days)

Bush beans:
249MO Maxibel Bush Haricots Verts OG (61 days)

Lettuce:
To share space with the beans and with the garlic/onions and with the leeks
2981 Organic Lettuce Mix
2986SM Summer lettuce mix

Edamame:  Giant Midori, 1/4 of a bed to share space with peas.

Peas: To share a bed with the edamame
744PR Progress

Cucumbers:  Poona Kheera OG (same as last year).  These were so crispy fresh and in pickles, and had great flavor.  This year, will share a bed with peppers.

Peppers:  I'll buy seedlings at the farmer's market, hopefully a mix of poblanos, jalapenos, and a couple of sweet bell peppers.  I should have space for a block of 9 plants.

Tomatoes:  I'm also going to break down and just buy tomato seedlings this year instead of starting my own. I'm planning on a mix of paste tomatoes and cherry tomatoes for oven drying, and hoping that this year we don't get hit with blight.  My garden planner says I can fit 21 plants between one and a half beds, but I think that's overly optimistic.

Radishes:  To fill in the tomato bed in the spring.  2224EE Easter Egg multi-colored blend.

Eggplant:  Like the tomatoes and peppers, I'll be buying seedlings.  I'm planning on rooming them with the tomatoes and radishes, and should have space for 8-9 plants.  Like the past two years, I'll focus mostly on the smaller Asian varieties.  They seem to be happy in my garden, and I love the taste and look more than the bigger Italian eggplant.

Fennel:  I love fennel (so much more than celery), and although I've heard that it's an unpleasant roommate for other garden crops, I'm going to give it a shot.

4556ZF Zefa Fino.  According to FedCo, I can direct seed in April/May for a summer crop, and then again in July to have fennel through October.  I have a dismal track record when it comes to fall crops, but I may give it a shot.  I'm tentatively planning on splitting a bed between fennel and rutabega, but that could change.

Rutabega:  To go in a bed with the fennel.  I like rutabega, but don't *love* it, so if the fennel does whatever nasty things fennel apparently does to neighboring crops, I won't be heartbroken.

2398 Laurentian Rutabega.

Shallots:  To share a bed with scallions and broccoli.  Last year my shallots did quite well, and have stored impressively (considering the fact that they are still on a table in the mudroom, never having made it further in the cleaning and storage process).

Picasso shallot, one pound.

Scallions:  To share a bed with the shallots.  I'm finally going to learn from the past two years, and just do 1/3 of a bed of scallions.  This will probably still be too many, but at least it's progress.

2439EV Evergreen Hardy white.

Broccoli:

I'll buy my broccoli seedlings at the farmer's market.  Just half a bed this year, 4-5 plants.  And I really, really, really am going to make an effort this year to put up floating row covers, because cabbage worms are so gross, and I lose a lot of the pleasure of growing and eating my own broccoli when I'm constantly looking for worms.

Patty pan squash:  Benning's green tint, to share a bed with leeks and lettuce.

Leeks:  I'll get seedlings.  And maybe this year, I'll actually harvest all of the plants before it snows.  Oops.

Cauliflower:  My attempt at a fall cauliflower crop last year was just terrible, but I really want to enjoy the more unusual colored varieties that the farmer's market seedling purveyors don't seem to sell.  So I'm buying a few varieties of seed, but will also get some seedlings, and see what happens.

3417GR Graffiti (purple) from FedCo.

FedCo only offers purple and white varieties, so I'll also hit up Johnny's for the 2954 Cheddar orange variety.

Brussels sprouts:  Will share a bed with the cauliflower, and I'll pick up the seedlings at the farmer's market.  Same note as with the broccoli - MUST DO ROW COVERS!  I've discovered that my favorite preparation of brussels sprouts is to shave them, saute for just a minute or two with some garlic and shaved fennel, and toss with a dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, and top with walnuts, parmesan and dried cranberries.  Because of the worm situation, I am not brave enough to try this with my own crop, which I realize is silly.

Winter squash:  Two beds again this year, and I really hope that 1) we don't have a bad year for bugs, and 2) that I don't leave the squash harvest in the barn well into December, ruining the crop.   I'm still sad about that.

1615SQ Squisito spaghetti squash.

1637ND Nutty delica.  This is one that I tried to grow two years ago, but lost all of the seedlings to cucumber beetles.

Potatoes:  Two beds again, and we'll do a mix of early, mid and late season varieties.  That seemed to work well this year.

Early:  Red gold
Mid:  Adirondack Blue
Late:  Elba white potatoes

Kale:  To share a bed with swiss chard.  In the past year, I've finally learned to love kale.  I'm going to do a mix of varieties, and also purposely plant a couple of Lacinato plants, because I know that I like that.

3467CP Nero di Tuscana or Lacinato
3469KM Kale mix

Swiss chard:  Half a bed this year, sticking with the bright lights mix.

3036BL Bright lights.

Root parsley:  To be in my bed of new experiments.  Never eaten it, but the description in the FedCo catalog won me over.

2301AR Arat.

Spinach:  I haven't grown it yet, so I think it's time.  It will share a bed with the root parsley, beets and kohlrabi.

2510SP Space.

Beets:  I hope this coming year is better for beets than last year.  I'm sticking with my combination of golden and chioggia beets, and hoping that they grow.

2137Chioggia Guardsmark OG and 2149TO Touchstone Gold OG.

Kohlrabi:  Another vegetable that I've never actually eaten, but have been convinced to plant.

3473WN Winner (because how can you not choose that variety?)

Parsnip:  Another vegetable that has recently won me over.  I have it in my head that parsnips are very time consuming to grow, but now I've also come to realize that I don't tend to get around to harvesting my spring/summer carrots until late fall, so maybe a parsnip planting will fit in just fine with my gardening timeframe.

2306DO Andover OG.

Carrots:  I think if I plant them on time, thin them, and harvest them at an appropriate time, I could have carrot success.  We'll see.

20944SS Sugarsnax and 2099OR Over the Rainbow mix

That's it!  Time to get ordering...