Garden Plan East Side

Here is the plan for the East Main Garden Beds –

The two southern beds with the wire arch will not be used this year - I plan to put Yellow Blossom Sweetclover there. I ordered it from Seeds of Change. This is their description: "Melilotus officinalis 4-7' Hardy Biennial. Fast growing legume with deep taproot aerates both top- and subsoil, releases phosphorus and potassium, and attracts beneficials. More biomass than other legumes. Drought tolerant once established. Sow mid-spring, incorporate about 14 months later. Works well on marginal ground. (1/4-1/2 lb./1,000 sq. ft.)"

The central beds I have labelled. . . my idea was to grow pole beans in the middle, as an annual, and grapes on the outside, as perennials. Then as a ground cover (to hold in a little cool and moisture) Medium Red Clover (also a "Cover Crop" from Seeds of Change - suppresses weeds, loosens subsoil, releases phosphorus and potassium, hosts beneficials, and is a good forage). This does grow 1-2' tall, but hopefully that will not be a problem. We shall see. Also here I thought of planting Giant Yellow Hyssop. Hyssop is said to stimulate grape growth, and Giant Yellow is actually native to Kansas. However, it is a perennial and grows quite tall (4-7'), so perhaps I will plant it on the ground near the clothes line or something. It attracts bees as well.

Then I would plant strawberries, which are friendly to beans, onions (which are companions to strawberries), and actually borage would be good here, as it increases the resistance of strawberries to insects and disease. Also I think I would intermix chives, leeks, and mint. Leeks are good for onions; chives are good for tomatoes (which will be on the East Side of this bed); mint - actually, take out the mint. This guide says, "Be careful where you plant mint as it is an incredibly invasive perennial." However, it is good because you can "use [its] cuttings as mulch around members of the brassica family".

So skip the mint in the West Side of that bed - I'll have to think of somewhere more contained to put it - maybe a pot.

The East Side of this central bed will have clover as well (or whatever ground cover I decide on, to keep in coolness and moisture). Then lettuce and tomatoes as the main plants, with oregano, bee balm, and marigolds, and geraniums as companions. Oregano can benefit grapes; bee balm, marigolds, and geraniums profit tomatoes. That should be good for that bed. I may plant chives on both sides.

In the asparagus beds, (the south one is the 2-year-old; the north one is 3) we will have Parsley, Comfrey, Basil, Asters, and Marigold - all of which are companionable to asparagus. I may place calendula in this bed as well. When planting I will need to remember to keep asparagus away from onions - so the onions need to go on the far side of the central bed; and also to keep mint and parsley separate.

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