Momma wants a garden

[Ruderunner]

So, for reasons, we didn't do a real garden last year. I had mulched it well with chopped leaves and more or less left it alone. More or less...

Momma insisted that we at least do banana peppers, tomatoes and pickles, so we did a few of each. They did well with no preparation.

I was again planning on letting it go this summer as reasons still exist. But, Momma is again insisting on growing things. I had mulched again with chopped leaves in the fall.

So, to keep the peace, I'll be tilling, mounding and setting up the water system in the spring. Now, what to plant and where.

We have 2 plots, one raised and good sun, the other ground level and fairy shady. Thinking the following

Plot 1, tomatoes, peppers, pickles and cabbage, tomatoes and pickles around the perimeter so they can climb the fence.

Plot 2 , spinach, potatoes, beans and peas. Climbers around the fence again.

Looking for lower maintenance as I'll be too busy so this is mommas deal.

Also, companion flower recommendation? Particularly for the cabbage as slugs and worms are an issue.

 

[Meadowlark]

I'm with "Momma"...if you are too busy to grow some veggies, you are too busy

The nutritional benefits alone justify making time to grow veggies.

Some thoughts...
1) consider beans in plot where cabbage grows if full sun...pole beans good for a little shade for the cabbage and can enrich soil with nitrogen

2) I plant sweet peas as companion with potatoes...and have for many years... as peas also gives nitrogen boost. Very minimum maintenance

3) Dill helps attract beneficial insects like ladybugs and parasitic wasps, which prey on cabbage pests like aphids and caterpillars....and you can use it to make pickles

4) Onions, garlic, and other alliums can repel pests like cabbage worms, aphids, and cabbage loopers...and provide nutritional food.

5) As for flowers, a lot of folks swear by Marigolds for repelling pests...I like them but not for insect repellant but more for attracting pollinators and appearance.

6) I always companion plant tomatoes with Basil...works for me.

 

[Ruderunner]

Hee hee, we're no strangers to the garden but I'm the one with the green thumb so simple and easy for momma is the way to go. There's home projects planned that are going to burn up every hour of good weather this season and I'm the one to do them.

And we do enjoy our fresh veggies.

So, to break this down, maybe I'm having misunderstanding about some of these plants

I thought beans prefer slightly cooler temperatures, I know that their production slows when it's hot. We've grown them in plot 2 before and still got more than we could use.

Does cabbage prefer less sun? We've planted in both plots and it seems to do better in plot 1.

Peas and potatoes? Again I thought potatoes prefer low nitrogen. Though it would be easy to plant them together.

Dill has typically been a struggle for us. Poor germination and timing it to peak with the pickles. Usually end up buying it for pickling. Will still do it, seed is cheap enough.

Allium, other than green onions or chives have been a disaster for us. In 15 years we've only ever gotten a couple garlic bulbs and maybe a peck of onions. However, I'm down with green onions with the cabbage.

Basil is a standard for us. Though I'm the only one who eats it. Ours goes free range and turns into a shrub by season end.

Momma likes her flowers and marigolds are on her list. I'm thinking flowers would help encourage her to venture into the garden more often. Sunflowers are another favorite, will probably do some of them too. Any issues with them and other plot 1 items?

 

[Meadowlark]

Sunflowers are excellent trap plants for stink bugs...but they are also allelopathic. I use them as border plants around the outside edge of the garden.

 

[Ruderunner]

Stink bugs you say, excellent. They're problematic around here so sunflowers it is. Perhaps just a single row to keep them separated from the others.

 

[GFTL]

With the amount of mulch you use I wouldn't think you'd need to till. If the ground is a little compacted the sunflowers with root deeply and break that up.