Connecticut newbie!!!

Well hello folks... Here's my story:

My son turned 2 this past fall and eats fruits and vegetables in an amount that would normally feed 3 people. I decided to try to become more organic, and in my research bought the book by Mel... From there I built myself a 4x8 bed, and am already planning on building another one before the summer planting... My first bed, well, I may not have planned accordingly...

I planted March 22st as the temps that week had climbed to the 60s and 70s... Then a week later, boom hard freeze. Somehow, between my row covers and a sheet, all my plants survived... Here's what I have

Going north to south, I have 4 boxes of 9 snap peas each, 8 broccoli plants, 6 lettuce plants, 4 boxes of 9 sweet onions, and 4 boxes of 16 carrots each. I planted too many broccoli, but I'm hoping for an early harvest and will plant something in its place... the peas and onions have started to sprout, and like I said, everything survived the cold so far!!!

Onto what should I plant in my 2nd box. Unfortunatly the north side of my boxes will be the 4 foot end, not the 8 foot, so at best I have 8 spots for vines... I'm thinking peas to beans in one and tomatos in the other... Other than that, I'm thinking peppers, eggplant, kale, and more lettuce, staggering the lettuce and kale... How's that sound?

Philct!

Glad to have you here! Be sure to check out your regional forum from the homepage for ideas on what to plant and how. You've got some great experienced members in the New England area!

That's fantastic about your son!! I had the craziest kid...ate every pureed vegetable there was...but the minute we went to something solid, it came back out and he wouldn't eat anything green (unless I hid it in something) his entire childhood. He's 19 now and I have seen a pretty girl get him to take a bite of salad and he will east some salsa now (if it's not TOO chunky...) so we are progressing...

Please keep us posted on your progress! We love pictures!

philct.....Welcome to the forum from another New Englander, though a bit further north. Don't despair about the broccoli. Once you harvest that center head, leave the plant. Small nibs (probably short for nibbles) will grow on the stalks all around the head area. They are small florets and perfect for eating. Just keep harvesting and you'll get many of them.



Above: Boccoli nibs on June 23rd.

As for your plan, sounds good. You can also grow vining plants on the outer west corner of your bed. I've staked a few tomatoes successfully when I had some I couldn't put anywhere else and they didn't interfere with an adjoining box.

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Here's the early look of the first box. On the left side I have my pea seeds, which are starting to sprout. the right side I have onions, also sprouting from sets, and carrots (everyone tells me I'm crazy for planting carrots). I plan on building another one in 2 weeks when I can hide the charges from my wife lol!!! Thanks for the kind words with my son, he is a machine when it comes to eating... Tonight he inhaled 2 tacos, rice and beans, and a nectarine. Yeah, he is 2...

Outer west eh? Is that because the late day sun won't be missed by the other plants?

and might appreciate a little cooling shade.

Kay