Victory gardens, 2026 version: what are your plans?

At the moment, the bunnies and deer have won.

Luckily, a friend's husband built me a 10x4 ft slightly raised bed in the back yard of the house they bought for her parents to move into. No Bunnies. No deer. And it's a bit of a heat trap. I planted 8 tomato plants, 5 sweet peppers and a bunch of lettuce on the shady side which probably will bolt soon. I just added a small squash plant, but my pumpkin seeds didn't germinate so I need to try again. Last year, that one bed, with no danger from herbivores, out produced everything I attempted on my land except my garlic patch. I should raise a few beans to add - I tried to direct seed, but I don't think any of them made it.

This year I have tried to reinforce one area, but it is only suitable for tree pots and 1/2 barrels. For the same square footage of growing space, I would need 5 pots and 5 half barrels. However, so far they have given me some lovely strawberries every couple of days, and I have a bunch of beans planted, and have a few more seeds on my window ledge that will have space.  I wish I could be sure these planters will be safe, but with the drought starting early, I suspect the animals will get desperate enough that they'll find a way in.

Agustin Podesta wrote:I would probably focus less on maximizing calories and more on building the habit of growing something every day..

That's the goal for us, and for whoever follows us in this place. We can already find something to eat in our yard just about year round, and can pick at least one fresh meal a day from spring to first frost. We're looking to build a place that provides groceries for us and the wild things through all four seasons.

I'm checking in!!
My winter garden is at full steam. I'm getting heroic quantities of snow peas, I've picked a good bunch of cabbage, tatsoi and already daikon radish (we had a hot snap and the small daikon started jumping out of the ground, there's not much to do when they start doing that except eat them and plant more, in my experience). We are DEFINITELY getting our leafy greens in!

And if anyone is keeping track: my brussels sprouts are anemic and unhappy. Other brassicas are very happy, maybe I started them at the wrong time. I seem to recall they take forever, we have about another month and a half of cool weather for them to get their act together.

As for my winter beans, the carnival favas: they have flowered exuberantly but not one flower has set a bean! I think the weird weather extremes have confused them, since there's definitely no shortage of pollinators and my pigeon peas are setting peas like no tomorrow. I'll give them more time.

My new kitchen garden hasn't gone too well. I was fooled by the dark colour of the soil to think it was better than it was, but it is obvioulsy extremely low on nutrients and I ought to have added some high nutrient compost or manure to the whole area. The potatoes, which I did add manure to, are looking great though and flowering at the moment. my fava broad beans are setting, but the plants are tiny and tatty, so I don't know how many beans I'll actually get! It is too early to tell whether the runner beans and peas will come to anything. The runners have started flowering, and they ought to set their own Nitrogen, so may be OK.
edit - added potato image