Creating a Grow List

Creating your grow list: let’s talk veggies first. What do you eat? Like actually eat? Don’t grow squash if you’re not going to end up eating the squash. Now, if you don’t like tomatoes but plan to make pasta sauce, then do it! But don’t take up the space if you don’t have some kind of plan of what youwant to grow. Now check out the season. You’re not going to start broccoli at the same time you plant corn. So decide from what you want to grow, what gets planted in hot weather and what can grow before a frost - divide your list. For more planting seasons, click here.

So you want herbs for cooking, teas, medicine, etc. Make the list of what herbs you want. My must haves you can check out here. Once you make your list, there are a few factors here you’ll want to consider. First, is it an annual or perennial? Annuals, like basil, have to be planted each year, where perennials, like rosemary, will become established and probably grow more each year, so you’ll want to consider this when planning where to plant what.

Any fruits? Strawberries maybe? Watermelon? Check out my guide to planting fruit here. Be mindful that some fruits, like strawberries, will come back and branch out more with each year, but watermelons are annuals. They do require a bit of space, so definitely worth looking into before you plant.

And now for my favorites to talk about - flowers! There are so many varieties it can be completely overwhelming. As with all the above start with your zone. We’re fortunate in zone 7 we can grow that we can grow most things, but be sure you check otherwise or it’ll be more disappointing when you’re trying to grow it but conditions outside of your control say you aren’t going to grow successfully. Now find out what you really like from this bunch. If this is your first year gardening, you’ll want to stick with some of the simpler varieties: zinnias, cosmos, bachelor buttons. View my list of favorite easy growing flowers from

If you want to grow more unique varieties from seeds, I recommend 2-5 new varieties per season so you can give them the attention they need and learn.