Well, it’s just about spring again and I need to plan out what I’m doing garden-wise this year.  Mind you, I’m a terrible gardener, but my experiment with Square Foot Gardening late last summer looked promising.  If I had started it in the spring, instead of in late summer, I might have had a good crop.

Instead, I have a bunch of compost that I need to clean out.  However, I have to admit that the Black-Seeded Simpson and Oak Leaf lettuces that I planted grew very well right up until the snow started flying.  The onions and such are already coming back, but I’ve heard that second-year onions aren’t very good so I will probably pull those up.

Here is my layout from last year:

Notice that it contains Kale. I’ve decided that I don’t like Kale and since no one in my household likes Kale, I’m going to skip it. That leave me with four boxes that I need to plant with something else.

I’m considering going with corn, specifically the Golden Bantam variety that was developed here in Greenfield, MA back in the early 20th Century.  My understanding is that it grows small, flavorful ears in a very short season.  The problem is the the “soil” in Square Foot Gardens is very loose, meaning that corn has to be staked.  I’m not sure I want to put in stakes to hold up my corn.

Another concern is that I want to do a bit of rotation.  Growing the same crop in the same place is a good way to increase the chance of infections and infestations.  I know it’s the same soil all throughout, but I’ll feel better if I move things around.

Here’s the map I’m considering right now:

If you notice, I’ve swapped a number of things around and made room in the back for corn.  The numbers, by the way, are the number of planting locations in each square- so potatoes are planted one to a square, while carrots get a 4×4 grid.

Let’s see if I change my mind.