If you had an acre or so..

[Niijii]

What would you do?

I live in central MN, Brainerd Lakes area.

We have a pretty decent garden. We have 12 tomato plants for canning. Our peas are done now and we're just finishing up green beans. Other than that we have a few pumpkin plants, one acorn squash, 3 watermelon, and some kind of gourds. Oh and 2 rows of onions. We're all zucchini'd out from last year still, so we didnt plant more. No one really even wanted zucchini bread much.

One apple tree planted already and we're planting a cherry tree this fall.

We have a small rhubarb patch too.

I really want to can more though and have stuff we'll actually WANT to use lol

Theres 7 of us in the family, so we can use a lot.

Can I plant raspberries in a row? Like one part of the garden?
What about grapes? Are those worthwhile?

[zakity]

We have raspberries and grapes. Grapes grow on an arbor. Raspberries can totally grow in a row. They do need a "fence" to grow along though.

[Spirit Deer]

Boozhoo, Niijii!

I would focus on perennials like rhubarb, fruit trees and bushes, a bed or two of different kinds of onions, strawberries, asparagus, etc.

I would also plan to protect your garden from any critters that might be interested in eating it. Fencing will keep out bunnies and possibly deer, but not raccoons or bears.

[Niijii]

Boozhoo Spirit Deer!

We do have fence around the garden, you just cant see it well in that picture.

This is our second year here and rabbits were the only problem last year. We've had none this year. (We're right outside of town)

I thought about asparagus but I dont think anyone would eat it. lol

I would like to have a raspberry area, but with the price of plants, I wonder if they produce that much and are worthwhile? Would they take forever to start producing?

We put in a strawberry bed this year thats doing excellently.
I started with 12 plants and they've at least doubled.

How expensive would it be for me to start grapes?

Anyone know how good a pear tree would do?

Thanks for your responses!

[Contrary Housewife]

You have room for a big potato patch and sweet potatoes, too. Don't forget long storing root crops like turnips, carrots and beets.

[zakity]

Too bad you don't live closer... I have raspberry plants that are growing out of their area.

[Spirit Deer]

Some trees need pollinators. Apples are one, pears do also. So you need two of them if there isn't another compatible one in the neighborhood. Cherry trees don't need one, I don't think. There are pear trees for sale up here and people claim they do well, but I don't have any experience with them myself.

I see the fence now.

We have loads of wild raspberries here. I picked some today. I don't know if you can transplant those, but if you can, you may be able to get some wild plants if someone wants them cleared from their land. Try asking for them from Freecycle. How much they bear depends on the year. They're doing well this year. You may be able to find people who would let you harvest wild raspberries and gooseberries from their land, and then you wouldn't have to grow them yourself.

Choke cherries grow wild and make excellent wine, syrup, and jelly. There's a Peterson Field Guide for Edible Wild Plants that can help identify some of the wild foods out there. And of course there's wild blueberries, too.

If you're not sure if your family likes asparagus, buy some at the grocery store and see how you like it. It takes three years till the first harvest if you grow it from seed, so if you do like it, the sooner you can start it the better. It's really good grilled. Brush some dark sesame oil mixed with soy sauce over it.

You might try growing ground cherries, too. They grow on a bush and are annuals, but they re-seed themselves and come back year after year in some areas. My grandma had them every year in southern Minnesota and never did anything, they just grew. I'm growing some for the first year up here in the arrowhead this year. They're doing great so far but I don't know how they'll do if they have to start from seed in the spring outside instead of being started in the house. I got the seeds for ours from eBay. It's too late in the year for them this year, but you could start them next spring.

[sinopa27]

while you are doing all this, learn to save your own seed. I am sure you would have to grow heirloom seeds so that you will have viable seeds. Do some research on it. Having your own seeds will save $$

[Durgan]

What would you do?

I live in central MN, Brainerd Lakes area.

We have a pretty decent garden. We have 12 tomato plants for canning. Our peas are done now and we're just finishing up green beans. Other than that we have a few pumpkin plants, one acorn squash, 3 watermelon, and some kind of gourds. Oh and 2 rows of onions. We're all zucchini'd out from last year still, so we didnt plant more. No one really even wanted zucchini bread much.

One apple tree planted already and we're planting a cherry tree this fall.

We have a small rhubarb patch too.

I really want to can more though and have stuff we'll actually WANT to use lol

Theres 7 of us in the family, so we can use a lot.

Can I plant raspberries in a row? Like one part of the garden?
What about grapes? Are those worthwhile?

Study my Garden for ideas. I have built this up over about six years.
durgan.org | Garden Journal 2011

Some fruit and vegetables are better purchased, since they take much room and effort for a small home garden. I grow most things for the pleasure of freshness in season, but do make juice out of certain produce for long term storage.

[lparker]

If you have the room..work in a couple goats and some chickens. Almost free milk, eggs, and meat is good.

[Durgan]

6 June 2011 Vegetable and Fruit Garden 6 June 2011 Vegetable and Fruit Garden

4 July 2011 The Garden. Zone 5 4 July 2011 The Garden. Zone 5 The garden is doing well. Rain is required, but apparently there is rain in the forecast this week. The area is too large for hand watering except in exceptional circumstances. I do dispense the downspout rainwater when it is available.
Produce that is now available is carrots, parsnips, beets, strawberries (finished), asparagus (finished), broccoli (finished0, cauliflower (finished). basil, parsley, celery, lettuce, and the odd tomato.

I have about half an acre and there is room for almost anything. An acre is a large area for a home garden.

[Debbie-cat]

A neighbor of mine has a pear tree and it produces mass pears each year and they are delicious! She doesn't know what kind they are. (I live just east of you)

I too would plant raspberries, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, onions.