It’s always a fun time for me when I’m planning the new garden. By this time of year I’ve had a bit of time to rest up from last year’s efforts, and a fresh new garden year is waiting before me. It’s still hard for me to believe I have been gardening for over 40 years now. It seems like only yesterday I was renting a tiller and tilling up the whole back yard of my first home. As I recall, it was a front tine tiller too and gave me quite a workout while I tilled the hard clay soil.
first garden spot
The last few years I have been scaling back the size of the garden, and experimenting with growing methods that make things easier for me. I’ve had great success using the no-dig, no-till method the last couple of years, and I have transitioned to using this way of growing for all my crops except the sweet potatoes. There are many advocates of this method that was championed by Ruth Stout in the U.S. and by British gardening guru Charles Dowding.
no-dig bed with radishes and turnips planted
I’ve also been using woven weed barrier fabric the last three years with great results. The material I’m using is four feet wide, and listed as “professional grade 3.2 oz” material. While it costs a bit more upfront – about $15 per bed, I save money by not having to buy straw every year. Around here, a bale has been costing $7, and it takes about two bales per bed to mulch. Since I can re-use the weed barrier fabric for several years, it pays for itself pretty quickly. The woven material is porous and allows water to penetrate quite easily, and does a great job of keeping weeds down and preserving soil moisture. I rotate my crops every year, and I take up the weed barrier before amending the soil for the next crop to be planted.
weed barrier fabric in garden
I mentioned earlier I have been scaling back the garden in recent years. One of my seven beds is already idled, and this year I plan to idle a second bed, which should reduce the growing space by about 15%. This change isn’t permanent, and if I find I need more room I can always plant more. That said, I will be turning 71 years old this year and cutting back the size of the garden makes sense.
vegetable garden
I also want to mention a few of the new things I plan to grow in 2024. I’m always on the lookout for new varieties of tomatoes to trial, and this year Johnny’s Selected Seeds has a trio that look promising. Harvest Moon is a golden colored slicer with red blushes inside. Strawberry Fields is a pink slicer, while Marmalade Skies is a medium sized orange slicer. And who could resist a Beatles reference like that!
Harvest Moon tomato
Strawberry Fields tomato
Marmalade Skies tomato
I also like trying new pepper varieties, and this year I plan to add Black Magic Jalapeno (from High Mowing Seeds) to my grow list, and bring back 2017 AAS Winner Mad Hatter which has done well for me in the past.
Mad Hatter peppers
I’m also looking forward to growing Teagan lettuce, which is a new introduction from Row 7 Seeds. It is described as a cross between an Italian heirloom head lettuce with a red leaf lettuce, and should make an interesting addition to my lettuce lineup. Bauer is a green oakleaf lettuce and a 2022 AAS Winner that did quite well for me last year. I plan on growing more of it this year.
Bauer leaf lettuce
I’m sure there will be a few other new varieties to try as I finish ordering seeds and as seed companies make them available. I hope you have enjoyed hearing some of my gardening plans for 2024, and here’s hoping 2024 is a healthy and happy year for us all!
Photos of Harvest Moon, Strawberry Fields and Marmalade Skies tomatoes are courtesy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds.
Hi Dave: Thanks for sharing. I should have read each and every of your postings. I just wanted to share some information with you. Please check Twilley Seeds for quality hybrid seeds. You mentioned Johnny’s Selected Seeds. I like Johnny’s since they have high quality seeds but their price is kind of high. Twilley has a much competitive price compared to Johnny’s and many others for the most common hybrid varieties.
Hi Dirk, I get seeds from many sources including Totally Tomatoes, High Mowing Seeds, Renee’s Garden Seeds and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. The tomatoes I mentioned were bred by Johnny’s and only available by them at this point. I linked to their website since I asked for permission to use their photos with attribution and they agreed. I will be sure and check out Twilleys!
Those tomatoes look great , especially during this winter weather.
I guess we’re getting to the age when we will have to start thinking of scaling back.
Hi Dave, I just found your blog a few days ago as I have started reading up on gardening now that i’m finally in a house of my own…. I’m planning out a small garden to start, all from seeds. Thanks for sharing so much of your knowledge, I am looking forward to trying some of your ideas like the salad boxes & peppers in containers to fill my raised bed with other things that need more space.
One question for you – you mentioned you have more hard clay soil… I am finding that my yard is full of clay and holds quite a bit of moisture / puddles a lot after rain. Would you recommend I look at tilling and mixing in other soil or possibly just fill a few raised beds with quality soil for growing as a beginner? Any advice is appreciated!
My first garden was full of clay too, and I worked in plenty of composted leaves and peat moss to lighten it up. I used raised beds too, which sound like a good idea for you too. I’ve successfully grown quite a few things in containers over the years, including eggplant, things like lettuce and Asian greens. You can do a mix of beds and containers and see what works best for you.
Compost is magic stuff too. My first composter was nothing more than a circle of fencing I wired together. I threw in leaves, grass clippings and kitchen scraps and like magic – made compost. I wish you good luck in your gardening!
hello! I use this woven fabric as well. do you worry that plastic will leech into the vegetables? it keeps the garden nice & weed free. I wish it came in white though. the temps in July & Aug are too hot for the black to be ideal. ok
I am not that concerned about leaching into the soil and the vegetables. It does get hot in summer though.