My garden plan is coming apart

[Smiles Jr.]

Oh yeah, a hodge-podge of garden crops is the only way to go. Or at least that's how it turns out anyway. But I have to admit there is a certain charm or attraction of a well manicured veggie garden with Norman Rockwell rows and beautifully spaced plants all in bloom. Never gonna happen here!

 

[Jared77]

Yep mine starts out fairly organized sometimes with good reason. Last year I planted a half row of banana peppers and a half row of Hungarian hots. They look pretty similar when they color up around here so I planted one 1/2 row on the north end of the row and filled the rest of the row with jalapenos and the other 1/2 row was on the south end row of Hungarian hots and the north part was jalapenos. Only way I could keep them straight.

First time I ever planted sweet peppers I had this ingenious idea where I'd start with reds at the end of the row and as I worked my way down the row I'd have orange, then yellow and finally green. Thought how cool would that look? Over 1/2 of them were mowed to the ground by woodchucks and rabbits so I had to replace them sometimes replace 2x. By the end of summer I had no idea what I had planted but I ended up with all green peppers because so many of them got a late start with the replanting.

I've learned adapt and overcome with my planting strategy.

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Garden chaos. I like hodge podge. Neat orderly rows, perfectly straight won't be found here. Jumbled, crowded, mixed up, absolute chaos. In this picture is 3 bell peppers, 3 riesentraube tomatoes, a couple of volunteer tomatoes, gobs of dandelions-which are actually shading the bell peppers and preventing sun scald. In this same bed, on the other end is 4 yellow squash and 2 zuchinni, several volunteer tomatoes and a scattering of radishes. Utter chaos.

http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/uploads/7949_dandelion_bed_1.jpg

I like who's picture is reflecting in your door! I call your style "natural". That's how I like my flower garden to look. The farmer calls it a mess!

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

hoodat, your idea of nice straight rows sounds appealing, but in reality, I would rather do what you do and fill in the gaps to get more produce. That is just being smart.

I went to see a friends garden last year. He has been gardening for close to 60 years. His plants were all crowded together. No neat rows. I said, "wow, you don't go by the rules do you?" (He went to school for agriculture many, many years ago) He said, "toss out everything you have learned in the books and do what works for you!"