Garden planning can be fun or it's war

2012 Blake garden

My husband Ken, the garden boss, has drawn up the garden map. It's a good thing we like mostly the same vegetables, or this could easily become a war garden. Gardening is supposed to be peaceful and relaxing, so let's keep it that way. I don't like green peppers and asparagus as much as he does, but he doesn't like kale or celery so much. However, he cut some plastic pipe to protect the celery bunches as they grew last year. That worked pretty well. And to my credit, I froze the surplus green peppers and asparagus and have been using them in cooking.
We have a 10 x 20 foot fenced-in garden, north to south being the long side so we plant short east to west rows, which is ideal. We vary that on the north side of the garden where we plant peas along the fence, (and then replant 2 times every year, because something eats the seeds).  Last year, we planted short rows of Brussels sprouts, beans, egg plant and broccoli going north to south. We don't plant corn, because neither of us like it that much. We don't grow potatoes, because they get attacked by cut worms in our garden.
Ken's asparagus patch is on the north end of the garden, next to the rhubarb patch outside of the fence.
I have given up on spinach, it bolts really fast. Swiss chard, as I've mentioned before, is much more productive and lasts all season.
I will plant herbs and greens in my little raised bed garden: Romaine and leaf lettuce, broccoli raab, green onions, basil, parsley, sage, Rosemary, but not Thyme. Dill and cilantro grow so fast, then bolt, its hard to time it right to have it for making pickles and salsa. I waited too late last year. I will try to plant them after July 4 this year.