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Pittsburgh, Nashville, Kentucky, AtlantaAnnual bed field notes
Every year I write down what I planted and where. It started on graph paper. Here’s how my notes have changed, with the plans from my first three years.
How I keep track
From graph paper to one plant list.
- 2022Graph paperMy first plan, drawn by hand with a symbol for each plant.
- 2023Paper againA hand-drawn plan of the first planting.
- 2024Paper and a spreadsheetA planning sheet, plus every variety and plant count in my garden notes.
- 2025Plan and listsA hand-drawn plan with numbered tomatoes and peppers.
- 2026Pencil and one plant listA pencil plan on graph paper, plus every plant in one list.
2026, still in pencil
I have a plant list now. I drew it anyway.
My 2026 plan: one letter for each plant, and the tomato varieties written right along the bed edge.
2024
From my garden notes: 43 varieties and 62 plants. Every pepper is listed by name.
What grew
- CucumbersQuirk ×3, MiniMe F1 ×3, Alibi ×2, Straight Eight ×2, Marketmore ×2, Parisian Gherkin, Boston Pickling, Lemon, Poinsett, Suyo Long
- MelonsPetit Gris de Rennes, Lemon Drop, cucamelon ×2
- WatermelonsDesert King, Moon & Stars, Wilson’s Sweet
- BeansScarlet Runner, Calima, Tongues of Fire, Dragon Tongue, edamame
- SquashLemon, luffa gourd
- TomatillosSuper Verde ×2
- Peppers18 varieties, 30 plants
Peppers in 2024
- Anaheim
- Banana Pepper ×2
- Bastan F1
- Candy Cane Chocolate Cherry
- Fish ×2
- Fresno
- Habanada ×2
- Jaloro Jalapeño
- Just Sweet ×2
- La Bomba
- Padrón
- Park's Whopper Jalapeño
- Pepperoncini ×3
- Purple Cayenne ×2
- Santa Fe Grande
- Scotch Bonnet Red
- Shishito ×6
- White Habanero
2023
For reference: my hand-drawn plan from 2023.
Reading the sheet
The 4×20 bed is today’s bed 2. The 3×8 bed is the open end of today’s bed 1, past the strawberries, blackberries, and lupines.
First planting
- Watermelons and melons7
- Cucumbers7
- Peppers18
- Tomatoes2
- Tomatillos4
- Nasturtiums6
- Beans and peasCalima, Dragon Tongue, Borlotti, edamame, Super Sugar Snap, Cascadia
2022
Before I had the tech to build maps like these, I drew my plan by hand. Here’s 2022.
Reading the sheet
The bed numbers here are flipped from today. Its bed 1 (20×4) is today’s bed 2, and its bed 2, with the blackberries at one end, is today’s bed 1. Beds 3 to 6 are the small 3×4 beds.
Every crop, year to year
The vegetables, herbs, and nasturtiums from 2022 to 2026, besides the tomatoes and peppers. Each crop’s row counts the plants that year.
| Crop and variety | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cucumbers | ×20 | ×7 | ×17 | · | ×5 |
| Alibi | · | · | ×2 | · | · |
| Boston Pickling | · | · | · | · | |
| Bush Pickle | · | · | · | · | ×2 |
| Kirby | · | · | · | · | ×3 |
| Lemon | · | · | · | · | |
| Marketmore | · | · | ×2 | · | · |
| MiniMe F1 | · | · | ×3 | · | · |
| Parisian Gherkin | · | · | · | · | |
| Poinsett | · | · | · | · | |
| Quirk | · | · | ×3 | · | · |
| Straight Eight | · | · | ×2 | · | · |
| Suyo Long | · | · | · | · | |
| Melons and watermelons | ×10 | ×7 | ×7 | · | ×5 |
| Canary Tweety melon | · | · | · | · | ×3 |
| Cucamelon | ×2 | · | ×2 | · | · |
| Desert King watermelon | · | · | · | · | |
| Lemon Drop melon | · | · | · | · | |
| Moon & Stars watermelon | · | · | · | · | |
| Petit Gris de Rennes melon | · | · | · | · | |
| Wilson’s Sweet watermelon | · | · | · | · | |
| Yellow Doll watermelon | · | · | · | · | ×2 |
| Squash and zucchini | ×6 | · | ×2 | · | ×8 |
| Lemon squash | · | · | · | · | |
| Luffa gourd | · | · | · | · | |
| Spineless Beauty zucchini | · | · | · | · | ×4 |
| Sundance squash | · | · | · | · | ×4 |
| Crop and variety | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomatillos | ×6 | ×4 | ×2 | · | ×3 |
| Pancho | · | · | · | · | ×2 |
| Salsarific | · | · | · | · | |
| Super Verde | · | · | ×2 | · | · |
| Eggplant | · | · | · | · | ×2 |
| Baby Jack | · | · | · | · | |
| Barbarella | · | · | · | · | |
| Beans | ×5 | · | · | ||
| Borlotti | · | · | · | · | |
| Calima | · | · | · | ||
| Dragon Tongue | · | · | · | ||
| Edamame | · | · | · | ||
| Scarlet Runner | · | · | · | · | |
| Tongues of Fire | · | · | · | · | |
| Peas | · | · | · | ||
| Cascadia | · | · | · | · | |
| Honey Snap | · | · | · | · | |
| Sugar Ann | · | · | · | · | |
| Super Sugar Snap | · | · | · | ||
| Lettuce | ×8 | · | · | · | · |
| Spinach | ×4 | · | · | · | · |
| Carrots | ×4 | · | · | · | · |
| Herbs | ×22 | · | · | · | |
| Basil | ×10 | · | · | · | |
| Coriander | ×2 | · | · | · | · |
| Dill | ×8 | · | · | · | · |
| Italian parsley | · | · | · | · | |
| Rosemary | ×2 | · | · | · | · |
| Nasturtiums | ×6 | · | · | ×3 |