Planning Out The Herb Garden For 2020

Last week I really started planning out some ideas for my 2020 garden here on the homestead; and as I watch snow continue to fall outside my office area window, I started going through some emails I have been saving in my inbox when I came across one from Morning Chores with an article about planning an herb garden.

Since we live on a small 1/3 acre piece of land, I have to be very specific with my planning of what to plant, what I need to have versus what I'd like to have, and where to put everything.

And I'll be honest, I've contemplated more than a few times about turning our lawns into garden areas; whether in raised beds or in the ground itself. Not sure how long it would take for the dirt that grows grass right now to turn into a good soil for gardening. But for this year, I will once again stick to my gardening beds, 55-gallon barrels cut down and my 5-gallon buckets for larger plants (ie. tomato, pepper).

Determining what to plant seems to be overwhelming every spring for me. I have to see what I have left in my dehydrated herbs, know how much I will need to plant to replenish those supplies and then determine which vegetable plants I want to add to the buckets for preserving, fermenting and canning.

Our first year at this residence I planted way too many tomatoes and peppers in the ground; but not before I realized I ran out of prime garden soil for my flowers and herbs. So the second year I had to adjust the plans a little.

I discovered a local farmer who, every August and September, has an abundance of canning tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers they sell at a roadside stand for a very reasonable price. So I cut WAY back on my own growing of these vegetables and just buy them from this farmer. Keeping the sales and business local is a great way to help others.

Picking my gardening battles here.

So when it comes time to make marinara sauce, bread and butter pickles and fermented peppers, I just drive down the road a couple of miles, load up the back of my SUV and head on home with my goodies.

Although I still do plant a couple of tomato, cucumber and pepper plants in the limited garden space I have because having fresh produce for salads and snacks is like heaven on Earth. Just walk out the back door, check the garden and snatch up some plumb (ripe) tomatoes and cucumbers for lunch is such a wonderful moment.

Herbs Galore

I will have the usual perennial herbs coming back (as well as adding a little more to each of their grow space as I don't want to run them into the ground- no pun intended- and to make sure they produce what I'll need for the next year.