Garden Planning for 2026

 

When I think of the next year and what to plant, I think of everything that did well in previous years and what we actually ate. As it turns out - I only need about 3 VERY SPICY pepper plants, 3 - 4 jalepenos, and more like 5 - 6 sweet peppers. I don't have enough space for all the pepper plants that I want, unfortunately - but since I added the two beds in the front, I'm planning on using one for peppers next year. 

And I LOVE the look of beets but I'm the only person in my house that eats them so I will probably just do a couple in the spring for lunches and a couple in the fall for more lunches. 

Carrots can be notoriously hard to grow - my problem is that I have a hard time thinning them out so next year I'm going to have to cross that bridge and just THIN THEM OUT. I think that too many carrots result in taking nutrients from each other in the soil and there's just enough nutrients in the concentrated spots where carrots grow (this is my theory, maybe I'll test it out next year and do a few over crowded rows and a few properly spaced rows).

These Armenian cucumbers were DELICIOUS. Will be growing these again.

I love having cut flowers and I will do them again. Especially any and all types of zinnias.

Miniature pumpkins were fabulous growers and producers, I will definitely grow these again. They made for great fall and Halloween decor. I think each vine produced 10+ mini pumpkins.

The Jack O'Lanterns were not as large this year but I also didn't plant them in quite the right spots. I left them to defend themselves from bunnies in the front yard. I think next year I'll buy some type of cages to shield the pumpkins from the bunnies. And set up proper irrigation.

AAAHHHHH. One of my favorite soups is Potato Leek Soup. I desperately tried to keep 5 leeks growing and they just didn't get enough sunshine because my green beans grew enormous. I've already made a plan to grow more leeks and in a different, more sandy location for better drainage and more hours of sunlight.

Strawflowers surprised me this year. I thought I bought lighter shades of them but I bought a deep crimson instead. I was pleasantly surprised at how easily they grew and how TALL they ended up. Will definitely grow them again!

Perfect amount of zucchini this year - two plants and only one plant produced. I'll do the same next year. And for once in my life the bunnies didn't get to the snap pease because I fenced off my bed. THEY WERE SO GOOD. I will repeat the experiment next year!

Dahlias. Gorgeous. I treat these like annuals and just buy new ones every year. Yes, you can dig them up - I would save them in saw dust or sand to dry them out completely so they will return when you plant them again in the spring. I love a variety though and it gets kinda old seeing the same colors year after year so I'm excited to get some new colors and varieties next year. VERY EASY to grow!

Tuscan kale - the bunnies did not eat this when I had it in an un-fenced location. It's delicious and easy to grow. I ordered from Johnny's Seeds.

Self-seeding Snapdragons. Yes, please! Look at how cute they are!

Jalepenos. I loved a really good bacon-wrapped jalepeno popper and if I have enough jalepenos I will make them in batches to pull them out a few at a time to eat for snacks.

Lastly, green beans. I plant bush beans instead of vining beans. Vining beans drive me nuts because I can never find the right plants that have enough room and don't steal sunshine to grow at the bases of the bean plants. Instead I like the bush beans - they produce so much and you definitely get enough beans for 4 people for a meal instead of just supplementing store bought food. I like the stringless French beans because, like their description, they're not string-y and my kids will eat these!

As I get more into planning for next year, I'll share my varieties that I already have and where I like to purchase seeds. I'm not a seed snob, I happily buy what I can afford and at local box stores too. Sometimes you can only find the varieties that you eat in certain locations anyway.

Anyone else starting to think about their gardens next year??