Spring flew by here in zone 6 Massachusetts. June has arrived and my garden has exploded with growth. Everything has pretty much been planted but I am still popping in seeds and flowers here and there. I have big goals this year with my garden and I am hoping for the best.
Let’s talk about Garden Goals:
Gardening can be so unpredictable. Weather, pests, seed germination, time available for gardening etc. can all greatly effect the outcome of each gardening season. But when you are growing food for your family you have to treat it like a job. It is a hobby that provides for my family. I try to grow as much as I can fit in my space and each year I always end up expanding in some way. That being said, I always try to set up some goals for myself.
This year I have set out with 3 main crops that would greatly impact my family’s food supply. Tomatoes, Beans, and Corn. These three crops are something that I buy weekly from the grocery store all year long.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes for fresh eating during season but also including all of the tomato products as well. Canned tomatoes, jarred sauce, ketchup, bbq sauce, and salsa. This equates to a lot of tomatoes. I grow tomatoes every year and can tomatoes every year but this year I have set out to can a year supply of tomatoes. If I can figure this out, I won’t have to buy tomato products from the store. I currently buy jarred sauce 2-3 times a month, jar of salsa weekly, bbq and taco sauce about 1 time a month. Since this is a new goal for me I haven’t quite figured out how many jars of each tomato product I will need. I plan to sit down and write a list of each product so when those tomatoes start turning red, I can develop a plan and tackle them.
Beans
Beans are very healthy for most people. They are a whole food with protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Combined with rice or in a vegetable soup makes for a hearty meal. We love beans in our family. The types of beans I am growing this year are green beans of course but also edamame and several types of dried beans. For the dried beans, I am trying out black beans(turtle), pinto and kidney. I tried growing a small patch of beans about 5 years ago but the rabbits demolished them. This year I have added several 20 gallon containers to grow the black beans and several in-ground growing spaces for the pinto and kidney beans. Green beans are grown on a cattle panel trellis in my raised beds. I plan to can, and freeze the green beans. The dried beans will be pressure canned up for making quick and easy meals but also I will plan to store some dried. Crossing my fingers I have a good crop this year.
Corn
This is one that I am not sure I will end up with enough for a year supply. Corn can be challenging to grow. It is wind pollinated and susceptible to pests. I planted a 4 x 12 foot in-ground section of sweet corn. Unfortunately, a small section was already flattened either by heavy rain we had the other night or my dog sniffing out a critter. Not sure what happened, but I tried my best to straighten it back up and twine a barrier around it to protect it from future damage.
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