Hello January.
My garden goal for 2016 is to grow 500 pounds of fruits and vegetables in my suburban backyard. An easy peasy task if you ask me. I’ll keep track at the bottom of my weekly garden tour post so you can follow along.
Fact: I live on 1/3 acre in a typical suburban neighborhood with a fierce HOA that has plenty of rules and regulations. Things like ripping up my lawn to grow corn in the front yard and taking advantage of every square inch of our property isn’t going to fly here.
Plus, there’s that whole part about wanting to re-sell our home in the near future and wanting the yard to appeal to the masses as an easy to maintain property.
Lastly, as I mentioned in my new goals for 2016 list, the only things I plan on spending money on in my garden this year are 2 arborvitae trees, and 2 espalier trees. That’s it.
I think this year in the garden will be interesting, that’s for sure.
So let’s get started, shall we?
It might be hard to see, but in this sleepy little area off the dining room I have garlic, rosemary and chives growing. I’ll add some onion starts later this spring. I will also be planting an espalier apple tree along the fence when my favorite nursery gets them in stock {usually February}.
Last spring I planted a purple wisteria plant alongside the arbor and it really hasn’t grown much. Which is totally normal for the first year. My plan is to haul in a bunch of free Tagro and add it to the area to get the wisteria growing like mad.
Pinky and her friends maintain watch over the thyme and lavender plantings. 
The raised garden boxes. I have some seedlings started under grow lights and plan to add them to the space and add a row cover once they get a little bigger.
The raspberry trellis and future zucchini patch.
The area along the garden boxes and up the hillside is a bit of a mess. We had some pretty good windstorms in December and I need to get out and clean up the area a bit. In this area I have potatoes growing, about a dozen lavender plants, shasta daisies, and oodles of poppies.
Naked container gardens and a patio that needs to be pressure washed.
I can’t wait for the back of the house to come alive. It’s my favorite view in late summer. 
Side shade garden. All cleaned up and ready to plant.
The moss patch. I tried last summer to rid this area of moss and wasn’t too successful. Any suggestions? I’d plant rows of veggies in this spot but there is SO MUCH SHADE it just isn’t worth the effort.
My future lasagna garden. I’m working on building this area up.
So there you have it. It doesn’t look like much right now, but then again, it’s January and I’m only getting started. How about you? Do you have any garden goals for 2016?
~Mavis
If you are new to gardening or just want to learn more about organic gardening, my #1 favorite garden book is The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food
Total Food Harvested in 2016:
Potatoes 1 pound 2 ounces
Total Money Spent on Seeds and Supplies in 2016 $0
Marcia says
Maybe actually plant some tomatoes in my pots. I didn’t grow anything last year.
Bonnie says
What grows well for you in pots?
Mavis Butterfield says
Tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, peas and beans are what I mostly grow in pots Bonnie.
Amy says
I’m building a 4×10 lasagna style vegetable bed that will be ready to plant by spring. currently have a 4×8 lasagna style herb bed that has been breaking down since fall. I got a grow light for xmas and I’m so excited to be starting everything from seed this year!!!
Cheryl @ Living Design says
I’m so jealous of year round gardening! I miss doing that. Our yard is currently covered in a few inches of snow.
My big plans for this year: build a chicken coop and get chickens, replace the broken raised bed with an herb spiral, and plant a combo apple and a combo pear tree.
I’m also going to try a new location for my tomatoes this year. Last year they were near the fence, and while they grew well the squirrels stole so many! This year I’m going to put the tomatoes by the house where it will be harder for the squirrels.
Deason Hunt says
How about doing a shade spot test on what veggies that will grow there despite the conditions?
Marie says
I have battled moss for over 30 years! I’ve tried moss killer, both granules & spray. Neither worked. I’ve tried baking soda followed by vinegar. Came right back after leaving huge brown spots ( I knew it would but we are talkin moss here…). Then I paid my kids $5 a black plastic bag full to rake the moss by hand. They turned on their music & went to town. Just grew right back. Removed trees, shrubs and finally just dug up the lawn area foot by foot covered the ground with newspapers for 3 months and let her bake. Reseeded, organic top coat & we have thick grass with just a little bit of moss! I know, the moss & I came to a truce. A little for me; a little for the moss. Perhaps in another life, I will prevail!
Kristy says
I’ve heard that moss likes shade and a low PH level. I haven’t had to deal with it yet (thank goodness), but my mother in law puts lime on her lawn every year. If she doesn’t she ends up with the moss taking over. Where I grew up we didn’t have to worry about moss (technically a desert), and I didn’t realize that some areas had a moss problem until my in laws had my husband help spread the lime. I guess it took them a few years to get the moss under control, and the lime has to be spread every year or the moss will come back.
Karin Homyer says
Why not a moss garden? Moss is so many different colors and textures. I purposely planted some moss in a moist shadey spot in my yard. It was such a pretty green carpet. Even add some rocks and boulders for it to grow on.