Garden Plan

Planning the garden felt really weird. Maybe because the daily highs hovered around the mid-30 to low-40s all month? It just seems too early to be thinking about anything growing. Here's what we're working with:

Pretty spectacular, right? I know you're jealous of my 4x8 dirt patch. ;) I need to finish cleaning it out and add some compost, but that won't take long.

I'm hoping to add a second bed this year for perennials (strawberries and asparagus, most likely) with a little space left over for something that won't run amok (I'm leaning towards carrots). 

BUT, since I only have one bed right now, and that's all I can count on having for sure, I'm just planning for the one bed at this moment. I planned my garden here. 

This year, I'm planting: 

• carrots (so-so in years past) 
• regular and cherry tomatoes (last year was my first try - great success)
• beans (they always give me trouble, but I'll try again)
• cucumbers (they usually do awesome and we have plenty to share)
• radishes (new this year)
• lettuce (more of a snack for rabbits than people)
• bell peppers (new this year)
• marigolds (one of my favorites!)

I'm leaving plenty of space for those cucumbers - not sure why the planner thinks one plant is only going to use a single square foot. My cukes always need about twice that. I like to plant them along the edge, too, so they'll grow up the trellis rather than sprawling out. In previous years, I've tried cantaloupe (and found it too finicky), pumpkin (takes up wayyy too much space), and cabbage (always destroyed by bugs before we could harvest). I'm excited to see how this year pans out :)

Do you have a garden? What are you planting this year?