What do you grow in your Wisconsin garden?

[jerichoholicninja]

Last year my wife and I had just moved into our house when we started our garden so there wasn't much thought put into it. This year I'd actually like to have a plan of attack. What have you guys had good experiences with growing? So far we'd like to have peas, green beans, carrots, tomatoes, onions, and some herbs. Anything else that does well in Wisconsin or any specific variety of those plants that you like?

[BrewersSuperCollector]

Tomatoes, green beans, carrots, and pumpkins.

[Bikeage77]

My wife does tomatoes, peppers, various root veggies.

 

I try to just keep up with the herb garden consisting of basil, rosemary, oregeno, thyme, and maybe some other random stuff.

[thebruce44]

We did a 8x4 raised planter bed for the first time. Planted 4 tomato plants, 4 zucchini, a couple cucumber, and some herbs. We ended up with basically only zucchini and tomatoes since everything else was choked out.

 

This season I am going to push for green beans and maybe carrots. Whats the best bang for the buck in terms of food per space take up?

[Storm]

We have eight 10' x 5' raised beds. Six are 10" deep, 2 are 12 inches deep. 5 feet wide is too wide by the way. I'm 6 feet tall and have a hard time reaching the center.

 

A great thing about raised beds is you don't need to weed as often and they warm up faster in the spring.

 

We rotate planting every year.

 

Two beds each year are converted to hoop houses to extend both ends of the season. In 2013 we were still harvesting greens in the middle of December. We will put the spring hoop houses up in probably two weeks. Especially, if we get the 50's they are promising next week.

 

Once I figure out how to post a photo I will.

 

Last fall we planted a whole bed of garlic.

 

This year we will have 10 pepper plants in one bed, a bed of cabbage, broccoli and Cauliflower, a bed of root crops (beets, carrots, radishes and the like.

 

Since we canned 40 quarts of tomato sauce, juice and soup last year we will only plant 6 tomato plants.

 

Also grow pickling cucumbers (another 40 quarts last year) zucs squash, onions and leeks.

 

We freeze, dry and can most of the veggies we consume all year.

 

We retired early but still managed a garden that size while working 80 hours and more a week.

[MrTPlush]

Depending on space Tomatoes, Potatoes, Onions, and Corn are some of my favorites. You can grow a plot of tomatos in a small space and you can make so many great things with them. If you like Jalapenos those have grown very well for me too.

[RobertR]

I have limited space, but a south view, and I tend to concentrate on stuff that grows vertically, like cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and a brussel sprout or two, saving herbs for containers. In between, I tend to go with spinach, radish, and lettuce that like cooler conditions.

 

If you're going to be there a while, I recommend setting aside space for asparagus. Especially at the price per pound it is. Rhubarb always seems to thrive. Horseradish grows like a weed.

 

I haven't had good luck with carrots, I suspect that the clay soils in the area aren't as conducive as sandy soils. Beets I haven't had a problem with though.

[trwi7]

Never had a garden but I had some neighbors when I was a kid who had them and green beans, peas and tomatoes grew really well for them.

[BrewersSuperCollector]

We also have a couple of rhubarb plants

[Point Beer Is Best]

On our farm as a kid, my grandpa would toy with a small plat of land (maybe 1/2 an acre, which is probably a monster garden to everyone else). Sweet corn, pumpkins, cantelope & watermelons are what I remember the most.

 

I also had a friend who was neighbors with a family that had a nice little greenhouse to grow things year-round. But what they were growing isn't something you'd probably want to grow in your garden out in the open like that.

[CheezWizHed]

Don't grow zucchini! Just ask your friends if they have extra. You will have more than you EVER need.