Kitchen Garden Plans, Summer 2022

Every winter, I plan my summer vegetable garden. I sketch it many, many times in pencil, trying to rotate crops so every plant gets what it needs. Then, I ink it and sketch it in watercolor. I can't change it after that.
I have a classic kitchen garden I use to produce about 70% of the vegetables and fruit my family eats. This year I hope to up my game because I got a new freeze dryer for Christmas!

Kitchen Garden Plans in Leuchtturm1917 Dot Grid Notebook, Latitude Pens Fountain Pen (my family's company) and Noodler's Black ink. I use one notebook for about 2 years, then reorganize when I start a new one.

In Summer 2022's kitchen garden I'm growing about the same plants I plant every year, minus a flower cutting garden. My boys are growing fast and eating a lot!

I use raised beds because they're easy. Most of my raised beds are 4' x 8'. I have 5 2' x 8' beds. I also add grow bags and 2' x 2' temporary beds at the edge of my driveway since I get the most sun on it.

My kitchen garden is a north facing, terraced (with raised beds) slope in North Georgia zone 7b. I have most beds full all year around in my climate.

I have a few simple rules I follow when I plan my garden.

1. Try not to repeat the same plant family in the same bed the next year. That's not always possible, but I try.



2. Beans and Onion Family (Alliums) don't mix.



3. Tall / climbing plants in trellised beds.



4. Always have plants ready to fill in gaps.
   A full garden is a productive garden



5. Most difficult rule for a kitchen garden:
   Only grow things you know you and your family like to eat! Interesting varieties are allowed...
   Try interesting things first at the grocery store, then in the garden.


In my garden:

6. The upper bed I have cabbage in this year is shady.



7. Georgia Candy Roaster takes over the roof of the greenhouse every year. It's the one repeat since it's huge, but I change the raised bed's soil.

The last two are specific for my garden, but most garden's sun exposure varies throughout a garden. I take notes throughout the year so I remember what works - and what doesn't! Your garden will have areas that are shady, wet or dry. What grows where is a process of discovery.

Plant List for Summer 2022

Not including early spring and overwintered crops like Asian greens, turnip greens, peas, etc. They die here by May, but grow all winter long.

Tomatoes
Cherokee Purple
Golden Jubilee
Black Cherry
Martino's Roma (new)
Amish Paste

Yellow Crookneck Squash

Black Beauty Zucchini

Waltham Butternut Winter Squash

Georgia Candy Roaster Winter Squash

Golden Acre Cabbage

Hilton Chinese Cabbage

Cucumber (I'm still looking for my favorite on this, so I'm trying several.)

Clemson Spineless Okra

Buhl Corn (new)

Sunflower

Elena's Rojo Amaranth

Potatoes
Yukon Gold (early determinate)
Red Pontiac (mid season determinate)
Kennebec White(mid season determinate)

Sweet Potatoes

Malabar Spinach

Waltham Broccoli

Grano Onions (Vidalia type)

Tango Celery

Cylindra Beets

Blue Lake (pole) Beans

Several types of Crowder Peas.

Carrots, many varieties

Strawberries (perennial)

Asparagus (perennial)

Garlic Chives (perennial) (Used in Asian stir fry)

Potato Onions (perennial)

This is definitely not everything I plant, but all the basics I can think of!

Every year I change things a little, improve the process and the results. After the initial getting ready for the new season, I spend 15-30 minutes about 5 days a week in my garden, both the front flowers and the back kitchen garden. My garden is never perfect but always productive. It is pure joy to me.

I hope this inspires you to sketch some plans and plant your kitchen garden!