Vegetable Garden 2016 - Layout & Varieties Used

It's June in Michigan.  Things are finally starting to really grow. Including my vegetable garden, which is now completely planted.

Vegetable garden early June 2016 - view from the East looking towards the West

I have a relatively small garden in a relatively small (typical) lake lot (long and narrow).  My vegetable garden is approximately 18' x 20' in size and is located in the sunniest portion of my back yard (the North side of the house, facing the lake.)   Because the plot is small, I do not plant in traditional rows.  Instead I divided the area into 4 sections that I can access by narrow paths. I planted each of these areas with a variety of vegetables.  Some are grown in blocks like a patchwork.  Others, like the tomatoes and peppers, are interspersed as single plants here and there.  I have planted this way to make the most of my space.  I have also planted a few things, such as squash, in the bed near the lake where there is more room for them, and in containers on my driveway where there is more sun and warmth.

 Here is the basic layout of my garden (not to scale):

 If you want to see what each row looks like individually in a photograph, please scroll to the bottom of this blog entry.

I have grown a variety of vegetables in the garden.  Everything was grown from seed except for the parsley.  I started many of the vegetables indoors (in the windows with supplemental light from grow lights)  between February and March.  Other plants were seeded directly into the garden between mid-March and June.  Those planted in March were protected by cloches. The garlic was planted in late October 2015.

Here is a list of what I planted in the main vegetable bed & when:

Garlic Scapes

• Dwarf Mulberry - planted fall 2014
• Paw Paw sapling - planted spring 2015 
• Garlic: 'Elephant', 'Music', 'German Mountain', 'Northern Jewel' and 'Purple Italian' - planted outside October 2015
• Scallions - planted outside October 2015
• Chives - planted outside early September 2015
• Wild Leeks - planted outside September 2015 (still have not germinated, but the packet instructions said to wait 2 seasons before giving up on them.)
• Leeks: 'American Flag' - started indoors January 2016, planted out late March 2016 (under cover)
• Onions: 'Golden Grande', 'Sweet Spanish', 'Red Burgundy' - started indoors January 2016, planted out early April  2016 (under cover)
• Peppers: Anaheim, Scotch, Cayenne, Jalapeno, 'California Bell' - started indoors February

  

  Chives

  2016, planted out late May 2016
• Tomatoes: 'Great White', 'Beefsteak,' 'Boxcar Willie', 'Ace 55', 'Yellow Plum', and 'Roma' - started indoors February 2016 (a bit too early- should have started early-mid March), planted out late May 2016.
• Basil: cinnamon, sweet, lemon - started indoors March 2016, planted out late May 2016
• Victoria rhubarb - started from seed indoors February 2016, planted out early May 2016
• Eggplant: 'Black Beauty,' 'Pumpkin-on-a-Stick', and a variety pack by Burpee - started indoors March 2016, planted out late May 2016
• Chinese & Leaf Celery - started indoors February 2016, planted out April 2016
•  Celeric: 'Giant Prague' - started indoors February 2016, planted out March 2016 (under cover)
• Broccoli: 'Waltham 29' - started indoors March 2016, planted out April 2016
• Cauliflower: 'Early Snowball' - started indoors March 2016, planted out April 2016 
• Cabbage: 'Crisp Cool Hybrid', 'Taipai Red', 'Red Acre' - started indoors March 2016, planted out April 2016

  

  Radish Flowers

• Carrots: 'Kaleidoscope Mix,' and 'Danvers 126' - planted outside late March 2016 (under cover)
• Rutabaga - planted outside late March 2016 (under cover)
• Radish 'Early Scarlet Globe'- planted outside late March 2016 (under cover)
• Turnip Rooted Parsley - planted outside late March 2016 (under cover)
• Calendula - planted outside late March 2016 (under cover)
• Swiss Chard 'Bright Lights' - planted outside late March 2016 (under cover)
• Peas - planted outside late March 2016 
• Nasturtiums - planted outside early April 2016
• Crimson Clover - planted outside early April 2016
• Cucumber: 'Lemon' - started indoors late April 2016, planted out late May 2016
• Watermelon: 'Crimson Sweet' and 'Sugar Baby' - started indoors late April 2016, planted out late May 2016.  I am keeping this in the vented cold frame all summer. 
• Beans: 'Blue Lake' - planted outside early May 2016
• Potato: 'Russet' - planted outside early May 2016
•  Okra 'Burgundy'- started indoors May 2016, planted out late May 2016
• Dill - planted outside mid-May 2016
• Florence Fennel - planted outside mid-May 2016
• Lettuce: 'Great Lakes' and 'Giant Cesar' - planted outside late May 2016
• Luffa - planted outside late May 2016 
• Zucchini 'Black Beauty' - planted outside early June 2016

I have another bed where I had planted strawberries, rhubarb, asparagus and lavender in spring 2015. There was some extra space in that bed so in early June, I direct sowed one mound each of:

• Winter Squash: Butternut & Spaghetti
• Summer Squash: 'Elite Hybrid' Zucchini, 'Black Beauty' Zucchini, Cocozelle, and Yellow squash

I also planted in pots in my driveway because it is a sunny and warm area that gives me a bit of extra growing space.  Here is what I planted in pots:

• Potatoes: 'Red Northland,' 'Purple Majesty', 'Yukon Gold' and 'Russet' - started early May in half-whiskey barrels & protected by covering with an old window until late May
• Jersusalem Artichokes - started early May in a half-whiskey barrel and protected by covering with an old window until late May
• Nasturtiums - 'Empress of India' - started in early May in the same barrel as the Jerusalem Artichokes.
• Tomato: 'Small Red Cherry', & 'Ace 55' (See main bed list above for seed starting & plant out dates)
• Peppers: Anaheim, Scotch & Jalapeno (See main bed list above for seed starting & plant out dates)
• Eggplant: 'Black Beauty', 'Pumpkin-on-a-Stick', and Burpee Variety Pack (See main bed listabove for seed starting & plant out dates)
• Lettuce: 'Giant Caesar' & 'Buttercrunch' - started outside early June
• Herbs: Fenugreek & Parsley - started outside early June; Lemon Basil & Sweet Basil (See main bed list above for seed starting & plant out dates)

Other garden edibles:
I started an herb garden last spring.  For more about that, click this link: Herb Garden.
I planted 2 'urban' columnar apples last summer, 2 pears in fall 2014, 1 gooseberry in fall 2014, 4 dwarf blueberry bushes last fall 2015,  2 paw paws spring 2015, 1 Saskatoon this spring and 3 elderberries this spring.  These are scattered throughout the garden.  I use them as landscape plants.  I hope to get fruit from them soon.  They are still fairly young.  So far, only the gooseberries have produced. However, it does look like I have fruit set on the apples, at least one of the pears, and on the blueberry bushes.  I just hope that I can get to the fruit before the squirrels, chipmunks and birds! (I may need to net the bushes.)

Hopefully, the vegetables will all grow in well.  I will post pictures of the garden's progress on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook throughout the season.

Find me on Facebook by liking: MI Lake Home Garden
On Twitter: @AlhramAndrea
On Instagram: MiLakeHomeGarden 

I will blog about my harvest sometime in the fall, I think. :)

Happy Gardening, dear reader!  Have a great summer!

Pictures of the Vegetable garden rows 1-4 as corresponding with the drawing at the start of this post:

Row 1 - View looking from the South looking North

Row 2 - View from the East looking West

Row 3: View from the East looking West

Row 4: View from the East looking West