The Kitchen Garden - It's On Now

It's happening! The backyard garden overhaul is underway for real. The wood (salvaged white oak from a local source) is ordered and I am digging up the zillions of little scilla bulbs that have been spreading over my slope for who knows how long. I'm passing them on to a friend who got one as a stowaway in a previous floral gift and who fell in love with it this spring as they are up so early and don't mind the extra snow.

Once the ground is cleared and the wood is in place I will finally make use of the compost that has been rotting for years in the bin and dig that nutrient-rich stuff down into the clay-dominant parts of my new beds. After that comes the very fun part of deciding just what to buy and plant. Calvin seems very into the whole idea and keeps saying, "You eat the carrots and I'll eat the beans and Daddy will eat the tomatoes."

Besides those three must-haves, I'm thinking that I will certainly have spinach, lettuce, onions, garlic, rhubarb, and cucumbers. I'd also like to try acorn squash and I'd love to do potatoes, though I think I need a bit looser soil to make those work. My husband recently requested eggplant.

What else should I consider? What can you not do without when it comes to your vegetable garden? All sage advice, tips, and tricks warmly accepted!