Two of the first things we planted when we moved in were asparagus and rhubarb. Both are perennials and you need to wait a couple of years before you start harvesting so we got those going right away. Other than needing to plant them deeply and with a lot of organic material, they were easy to plant.
We knew we wanted a vegetable garden too. We had one at our old house and enjoyed being able to harvest fresh vegetables. We started with four 4’x8′ raised beds behind the shed, thinking that would make maintenance easier. It did not. So after a few years we removed the raised beds and now we rototill the entire area. I don’t know if weeding is any easier, but tilling is. We also decided we’d like to have vegetables closer to the house, so we built a raised bed with retaining blocks just behind the house.
We grow tomatoes and sweet peppers every year. I like a combination of grape, early, and roma tomatoes, because we like to freeze some for over the winter. I gravitate toward the long skinny peppers rather than bell peppers. I prefer to start them from seed because I have a wider variety to choose from and better control over the number of plants but sometimes I’m stuck with whatever they have at the garden center. We’ve also grown summer and winter squash, cucumbers, green beans, peas, broccoli, kale, mixed greens, lettuce, potatoes, bok choy, hot peppers, carrots, and green onions. The selection varies from year to year. We don’t grow sweet corn because it’s too much work for too little yield. We tried growing soy beans one year but shelling them was so much work we didn’t do that again!
Vegetables are easy. Fruits require more planning and commitment. Beside the rhubarb, we have blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and apples.
- We’ve tried blueberries in three different locations. They appear to have found their forever home. (I don’t actually like store-bought blueberries; I find them bland and tasteless. I do like the ones we grow.)
- We started the raspberries early but haven’t kept up on maintenance so we’ve harvested no more than a handful over the years. Maybe this year …
- The blackberries were a gift from the local birds (we think). They didn’t plant them where I would have — they’re in an ornamental bed in the front yard — but we like the berries so we’ve adapted.
- Our two apple trees — honey crisp and granny smith — are relatively new additions. We get apples, but they’re small and deformed. We need to figure out how to grow them properly.