2026 Garden Adventures
My people have set me up right for our first gardening season - raised beds, trellis up for cucumbers, fencing is up to keep the deer from treating everything like an all-you-can-eat salad bar, and there’s even a beautiful archway marking the entrance into the space. It already feels like its own little world out there.
We jumped right in, planting a mix of seeds and young plants over the last two weeks, and I’m genuinely excited to see how everything unfolds over the coming weeks and months. Lots of things are sprouting!
There’s something deeply satisfying about starting from this early stage - when everything is still full of potential and nothing quite knows what it’s becoming yet. We kept things simple this year, sticking to foods we already know we’ll eat.
We eat a lot of leafy greens in our home, yet they don’t seem to be a common crop among local farmers here. So this year, greens became one of the main focuses in the garden, taking up a generous portion of the beds.
I’ll be sharing updates as things grow and change, but for now, here’s a little preview of the players in the garden this season:
Arugula
Bok choy
Chard
Collards
Kale (4 varieties)
Mizuna
Bunching onions
Carrots
Radishes (4 varieties)
Cucumbers (two varieties)
Bush green beans
Eggplant (two varieties)
Peppers (one sweet, two hot varieties)
Tomatoes
Marigolds and Nasturtiums (for beauty and pest support)
Herbs (tucked into the beds and also growing in their own dedicated spaces)
I’m fairly certain I’ve still forgotten something - there’s always that one plant that reveals itself later like, oh yes, you too are here.
In addition to the main garden beds, we’ve also got a few things growing in containers and personal pots:
Everbearing strawberries are “hanging” out
The bay laurel is looking strong and steady.
Cuban oregano is absolutely thriving - borderline unstoppable.
And the fig tree is still holding my hopes for fruit this year. After several years of growth, I’m cautiously optimistic, especially after a late pruning that may (or may not) have been perfectly timed. I’ve also tucked away a few cuttings in hopes that they root.
There are still a variety ornamental plants waiting to be potted for the deck, and perennials to be planted in the front yard, so the garden is very much still in motion.
I’ll be returning to this space often as things develop, share what’s working, what’s surprising me, and how we’re turning this abundance into meals as the season unfolds.
For now, this is just the beginning!
~Barb