SUMMER GARDEN PLANNING - Varieties and Timing (PART 2)

In this blog post, I will tell you step-by-step how I chose varieties and figured out the timing for my summer garden, and I have provided a PRINTABLE WORKSHEET if you want to do it too. As a beginner, I really hope I get a bountiful harvest using the Square Foot Method, fingers crossed!

This is the next step in the SUMMER GARDEN PLANNING using square foot method. If you haven't read the first blog post, please read it and fill in the worksheets before moving onto this post.

Choosing Varieties:

I have already chosen my main crop and companion plants in thee last planning session (see this post). BUT there are like a million different varieties of tomatoes or peas or beans….and they have different planting timings. SOOOOO when it comes to choosing varieties for your summer garden, consider the climate, sunlight, and soil conditions in your area. The easiest way to do this is get seeds off of a gardener in your area that they have been saving for many years, this will ensure the plant is optimized for your local conditions. Here in Canberra we have hot dry summers. I need to opt for heat-tolerant varieties that thrive in the summer heat. BUT I have found that the local nursery will sell stuff that does not do good in the heat! They just put out stuff that people think looks pretty. If you cant find a gardener or you are planning on starting BIG GARDEN (I wouldn't recommend that!) then you can always buy seeds. Things to think about are:

1) If you want to save the seeds that these plants produce you need Heirloom varieties with “Open Pollenated” seeds.

2) They need to be good for your local conditions, so buying from a local seed company is better than a global company. Also then you can use the hashtag #SHOPLOCAL.

3) Don't go crazy! I know its very tempting but you don’t need 16 types of tomatoes seeds in your fist year. This will be too much work and also if you get open pollinating seeds you will cross pollinate your tomatoes and nothing will grow true! So I am planting eating tomatoes in my front yard and cherry tomatoes in the back yard, so I hope this is enough space that they don't cross pollinate but you can look that up to make sure your fruits stay true (google says its about 20ft so I should be ok).

Also seed catalogs or seed packets use a lot of lingo, GROW JOURNEY has a good guide to understanding that language. You might want to print this out or have it up on your phone if you are buying seeds in person or use it while looking at the online seed catalogue.

Timing for Crops:

To ensure a successful summer garden, it's crucial to sow your seeds at the right time. Start by checking the recommended planting dates for each variety on the seed packet or consult a local gardening guide to make sure you are in the ballpark. EG. don't plant broccoli in summer or peas in summer like I had on my original plan. Apparently they are a cool season crop so I have switched them out for pole beans which is a summer crop. Luckily this square foot gardening method makes swapping easy. Also good thing I'm planning ahead!

New Bed Plan with Pole Beans
Original Bed Plan with Peas

Timing for Environment Conditions:

Then find out your approximate first and last frost date. Then find out your predicted plant burn dates, which is any days that are forecast to be over 90F/32C. Then find out which days are predicted rain and how much. Australia is in El Niño in 2023, so that means hot, dry conditions and the threat of drought. So I have written this in the top right hand square on my FREE PRINTABLE worksheet for each of my crops, there is both png or pdf to download. We will use this info as we go through the planning process.

FREE PRINTABLE TEMPLATE - A4 png

Timing for Seeds:

Now is time to read your seed packets. See what it says for when to plant. Tomatoes for example say “after frost" which is Early Nov in Canberra. Then look at “Days to Maturity” which for Tomatoes is 70-80, so count forward 80 days from the after frost date to see when you will harvest. This date needs to be before you “first frost date” otherwise your plant will die before giving you any fruit/veggie/harvest. That would be a bummer. So my Toms for examples are being planted Early Nov and Harvested Late Feb/early March which is before the predicted first frost of Late March. Yay!! This variety works for my summer garden!! Then I went and did that same process for my companion plants. I think because Canberra has pretty mild winters then I can hopefully overwinter a bunch of these plants...but that’s something for my Winter Garden Planning Blog post, so stay tuned!

FREE PRINTABLE TEMPLATE - A4 Pdf

Again look at your seed packet, if is says “direct sow” then you are going to be putting these seeds directly into the soil in your bed. If this is the case you will want to wait until the soil is warm enough. Even if the packet says “After frost” you might have to wait a bit longer if you live somewhere really cold, as the soil wont be warm enough yet. That's not really an issue here especially as I am using raised beds. So if you are putting the seeds straight into your beds, just fill out the “PLANT SEED” “GERMINATIE” “HARVET” section of the PRINTABLE and then count the days and mark them on the calendar. I have colour coded mine for the main crop and just put a little picture for the companion plants as they are much simpler, my filled out sheet is below. Feel free to do it however works for you.

Seedling Transplant:

If you are making your seeds into seedlings, then the process is a bit more complicated. So Fill out all the boxes “PLANT SEED” “GERMINATIE” “HARDEN OFF” “TRANSPLANT” “HARVET” based on the info on your seed packet. I have chosen things that direct sow because it is easier for the beginner. But if you want to do seedlings from seed, then mark these dates on your calendar. OK, don’t know what these gardening terms are? Me neither so here is the 101, but the advantage of planning this all out before hand gives you the opportunity to look this stuff up! I keep a running glossary in the back of my gardening journal with a google explanation and my own explanation and examples of terms.

PLANT SEED the term "seed" means anything that can be sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. So whatever comes in your "seed packet" gets put in your soil.

GERMINATIE generally means when you can see it coming out of the ground. It's a very exciting step in the process.

HARDEN OFF Hardening, or "hardening off," is the process of allowing a plant to transition from a protected indoor or greenhouse environment to the harsh outdoor conditions of fluctuating temperatures, wind, and full sun exposure. This can be really tricky so have a plan and set timers so you don't forget the fragile plants that are out in the big bad world for the first time! Look up a "hardening" schedule online so you know how to do it properly. I have killed my seedlings every single time I have tired to do this! :)

TRANSPLANT to move the little seedlings from the soil block or seed medium into the growing bed with real soil. Generally done once "true" leaves have formed.

TRUE LEAVES leaves that will look and function like the leaves the plant will have on the mature plant. You can google this to see what they will look like.

Maintenance:

Ok, so plants are not set and forget. You have to be there everyday checking on things and watering and fertilizing. So look at what the recommended water and fertilizer is for your plants and write that into the PRINTABLE and mark it on your calendar. This is where the rain prediction comes in, cultivated veggie like steady predictable water. So even if it is going to rain heaps this summer, you might want to still water your plants so that they get water how they like it or cover up your crops during a big rain storm (more is not always better!).Also mulching is vital to keep moisture in the soil, and reduce weeds, so I am going to mulch heavily this year as it will be so dry (at lease 3 inches of mulch). I have added “F” for fertilizing once a week on my calendar and “PH” every couple of months to check the PH of the soil as Tomatoes like the soil to be slightly acidic, and this is easy to correct if you are watching! I have not added Watering to the calendar as that will be on a auto timer every day. Your area might not be as dry so I would recommend putting it on the calendar so you don’t forget! I also like to have a game plan for some of the common problems that pop up. For Tomatoes in the hot dry climate of Canberra this is Blossom End Rot and Sunscald, so I have put some preventative measures into my plan. Your pests/disease/ issues will be different based on your location, environmental conditions and variety chosen so do a bit of googling or talk to your gardening friends and make a plan to prevent them before they occur. The other year I had a very big grey kangaroo in my front yard, so that probably wont be a pest problem that
everyone encounters! I like to google the issues using the search terms “permaculture” or “organic gardening” to see if there are some natural solutions before turning to pesticides etc. Don’t forget to write in on your PRINTABLE, my filled out printable is below.

Harvesting:

This is the best part! As your summer garden thrives, keep an eye on each variety's specific harvesting time. Harvesting at the right moment ensures the best flavor and texture. So write it on your PRINTABLE, it will most likely be a period of a few weeks rather than one day of harvesting. This is good as you won’t be able to eat 30 tomatoes in one day. Which also brings me to thoughts on preserving.

Preserving:

If you have planted a lot of one type of plant and expect it all to be harvested at about the same time, then you sill need a plan for what to do with all that food. This is a great problem to have and I have not experienced it yet, but this might be my year!?!?! I will tackle this in my next post as it is a big subject!
With all this planning, I hope my garden and yours will be a thriving oasis of fresh produce! Embrace the joy of gardening, experiment with different varieties, and enjoy the bountiful harvest that awaits you.
Happy gardening!
Please comment below any improvements to the PRINTABLE and I will make some different templates so you can use them to have your best garden yet!

My finished PRINTABLE for my garden beds
that have Toms as the main crop.

ALSO SHOW ME YOUR FINISHED PRINTABLE!!!

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