Garden Plans > 2014: Big Garden

About this Garden Plan

Large country garden

Plan Type, Soil and Location

Garden Location: 8825 Trinkle Rd. Dexter MI 48130
Garden Size: 44' 11" x 89' 11"
Garden Type: Home garden
Garden Layout: Traditional layout - rows etc
Sun or Shade: Sunny
Garden Soil Type: Heavy / Clay soil

Plan Notes

Garden Plan

Plant List

 PlantNumberSpacingSpacing in RowsNotes
Asparagus 261' 5"1' 5" x 1' 5" 
Beans (Bush Snap)
 Derby
499"5" x 1' 1"Straight 6-inch pods are round, smooth, and mouth-watering! 57 days. A dependable, heavy-yielding snap bean of high eating quality. The plant continues to flower from spring right into summer, producing beans for nonstop picking week after week! A great mainstay of the family vegetable garden, this super performer is not only prolific but very tasty. The beans are straight, 6 inches long, with a round, smooth pod and succulent seeds. A terrific all-around bean! Easy and trouble-free, even for the new gardener, this snap bean is widely adapted across the U.S., and is compact in the garden. For best harvest, succession-plant every 3 weeks or so from early spring till late summer (avoiding the worst summer heat in warm areas). Hardier than pole beans, bush snaps can be direct-sown after all danger of frost. Pkt is 2 ounces (about 100 seeds).
Beans (Bush Snap)
 Capitano
499"5" x 1' 1"Plant is 20 inches high and covers itself with pods over a long season. Tender and succulent, these 6-inch pods are a gourmand's delight! 60 days from direct-sowing. A delicious, vibrantly colorful, gourmet-quality Romano bean, Capitano must be grown to be appreciated! Once you've tried these succulent golden pods, you won't consider planting the bean garden without them! The pods are flat, approximately 6 inches long, and very uniform on vigorous, heavy-bearing plants. They color up quite young, adding bright golden-yellow color to the garden, and boast a velvety texture that holds sauces and dressings beautifully. But the best part is the flavor. Tender and very tasty, these beans are fine enough for your fanciest occasions, and are so delectable you'll find yourself wanting a dish every day! That's okay -- these bush-habit plants are very heavy-bearing, standing just 20 inches high and covering themselves in straight, even pods all season! Capitano really sets itself apart from t
Beans (Dry)
 Navy Pea
459"7" x 1' 1"As the name suggests, Navy beans get their name from the role in the daily fare of the U. S. Navy; their high nutritional value, long storage life, and affordability made them a good choice. White beans such as navy beans can be found in such varied cuisine as traditional Boston Baked Beans, Hungarian bab leves, and Serbian pasulj. Vegetable Days to Maturity: 90 Vegetable Seeds Per Oz: 130 Vegetable Height: 18 to 24
Beans (Dry)
 Pinto
459"7" x 1' 1"The pinto bean has its roots in South America; some historians fix the date as far back as 8,000 BC to the Pre-Incan civilization in Peru. People from this time valued dry beans because of their long lasting freshness in storage. Pinto beans contain the highest amount of fiber of any bean, and are the top choice for Mexican dishes such as refried beans and chile con carne. Vegetable Days to Maturity: 90 Vegetable Seeds Per Oz: 100 Vegetable Height: 18 to 24
Beans (Dry)
 Cannellini
459"7" x 1' 1" 
Beans (Dry)
 Adzuki
459"7" x 1' 1"Adzuki Dry Bean: Extremely high in protein. Bushy, 2' tall plants produce high yields of long, narrow pods, each containing 7-10 small dark red beans. Excellent eaten as a snap bean at 60 days. Mature bean has distinct "nutty" taste. Widely used in Japanese dishes and delicious with rice and tomatoes
Beans (Pole)
 Asparagus Yard Long
249"5" x 1' 1"18-inch Baby Beans! They'll keep growing and growing and growing! 85 days from direct sowing. No thicker than a pencil but as long as a shoelace, these baby Yardlong Beans (also known as Chinese Long Beans, Asparagus Beans, or Dau Gok) are crisp, succulent, and absolutely delicious. Harvest them at "just" 15 to 18 inches long for indescribably tender flavor with a nice bite! Orient Wonder is the best name in yardlong beans, renowned for its adaptability to different climates and conditions as well as for its heavy yields and dependably delectable flavor. Super-vigorous vines will produce like crazy, and if you don't pick the beans young, the pods will grow to 30 inches long in no time -- sometimes adding an inch or more A DAY during the heat of the summer! (It's almost worth letting a few go just to watch the phenomenon!) These tender baby beans reach the peak of flavor when prepared in oil, either in slow sautes or quick stir-fries. They can also be steamed, of course. They're lots of fun to arrange on the plate, their 15- to 18-inch flexible size lending itself to twists, spirals, and more! These 9- to 12-foot vining bean frees up the horizontal rows in the vegetable garden for other varieties while bearing abundant harvests. They're easier than bush beans to harvest as well. Direct-sow after all danger of frost, and for best harvest, keep sowing at 3-week intervals until late spring. For fall crops, begin in late summer and continue until a month or so before first frost date. Support the vines on a trellis, tower, or poles spaced 3 feet apart. Sow seeds 1 inch deep and expect to see the shoots in just 8 to 15 days. Packet is 100 seeds, which will plant about 6 to 8 feet of row.
Broccoli
 Packman
101' 5"1' 5" x 1' 5"57 days from setting out transplants. Packman isn't playing around -- you'll get enormous yields of giant 8-inch heads from these vigorous plants, plus plenty of smaller heads from robust side-shoot production! The delicious medium-to-small beads are densely-set on these domed heads, which extend above the foliage on the plant -- the easiest ever to harvest! But the best thing about Packman Hybrid is its ability to withstand heat. If you live in a warm area -- or just run a little late getting out your spring crop -- Packman is the broccoli you need! The worst problem most gardeners have with broccoli is being able to eat it all! A dozen or so plants will feed your family for the season, so you might want to plan successive plantings (or buy a bigger freezer!) A cool-weather crop, it can be grown in spring and fall everywhere, and even in winter in mild-weather areas. Sow seeds directly or transplant into the garden when they have 4 true leaves (about 8 weeks from germinating). Before planting, prepare the soil well, adding nitrogen if necessary and neutralizing heavily alkaline or acid soils. If planting in spring, plan to harvest before the temperature reaches 80 degrees; the heads will bolt in high heat. If planting in fall, start 10 to 12 weeks before first frost date.
Cabbage (Spring)
 Tropic Giant Hybrid
42' 5"1' 11" x 2' 11" 
Cabbage (Summer)
 Gonzales Hybrid
51' 7"1' 5" x 1' 9" 
Cauliflower 41' 7"1' 5" x 1' 11" 
Corn
 Mirai 308bc Hybrid
1051' 1"11" x 1' 5"6 days. Its name means "the future is almost here," but once you taste your first bite of Mirai Bicolor Corn, you'll know that's wrong -- the future IS here, and its name is Mirai! This ultra-supersweet corn is so sugary and succulent that it gives new meaning to the term "caramel corn"! Plant 2 weeks after last of other corn or it will cross polinate and not be as sweet. ecause Mirai is low on starch content, work some amendments into the soil before planting these seeds, and be sure to wait until the soil has thoroughly warmed in spring before sowing seed. Sow it a bit more shallowly (about 1 1/4 inches) than you would other corn, and space the plants a bit farther apart. Keep the moisture level as constant as possible during the growth season. Let the ears mature fully, following the old rules about waiting 3 weeks after the silks appear, checking that the silks are brown and brittle before picking, and then squeezing a kernel from the tip of a sample ear to make sure that it's full of milky liquid. Mirai acquires its fabulous flavor during the final weeks of growth, so harvesting at full maturity is very important!
Corn
 Early Sunglow - hybrid
301' 1"11" x 1' 5"62 days. This classic variety is a favorite where the growing season is short or the springs especially cool. A yellow Regular Sweet type, Early Sunglow bears big 6- to 7-inch ears on short stalks just 4 to 4 1/2 feet tall! The ears are very uniform, neatly filled with about 12 rows of plump, tender kernels. Among the very quickest to mature, Early Sunglow doesn't sacrifice one whit of flavor for speed! Less fussy about warm soil and heavy feeding than Super Sweet hybrids, Regular Sweet corn should be planted at least 400 feet from Super Sweets (they tend to reduce the flavor of Super Sweets if cross-pollinated). If this is not possible, sow the two types at least a month apart. Sow after last spring frost, when the soil is warm. Corn is famously easy to direct-sow in any sunny spot. To extend your corn harvest, make successive plantings weekly up to mid-July, or plant varieties with differing maturity dates.
Cucumber
 Sweet Burpless Hybrid
11' 11"1' 11" x 1' 11" 
Cucumber
 National Pickling
21' 11"1' 11" x 1' 11" 
Cucumber
 Homemade Pickles
21' 11"1' 11" x 1' 11" 
Dill 97"5" x 9" 
Eggplant
 White Beauty
61' 3"1' 1" x 1' 5"This Asian type is ghostly white, thin-skinned, and bitter-free! 70 days from setting out transplants. White Comet is the eggplant you've been dreaming of. This Asian variety has far fewer seeds than the traditional teardrop-shaped types. Its gorgeous ivory-white skin is quite thin and tender. The flesh is pure white, succulent, and absolutely delicious. Even the extra-large foliage and bright purple blooms are attractive! And you can pick White Comet young, if you need to, without sacrificing one jot of flavor. Fewer seeds means less bitterness, and White Comet is entirely bitter-free. No soaking, no salting, no puckering at the flavor! These long, slender fruits are packed with white flesh, sweet and meaty. About 10 inches long and 2 inches wide at full maturity, these eggplants are substantial, and the thinner, more delicate skin means less waste and more useable "meat"! And White Comet can also picked young, as a gourmet baby veggie, without loss of flavor or texture. This means that you can stagger your harvest, picking just what you need without having to worry about bringing in the whole crop at once.
Eggplant 101' 3"1' 1" x 1' 5"This Asian eggplant sets long, meaty, succulent fruit. 51 days from setting out transplants. Swallow Hybrid is an Asian Eggplant with so many merits we're tempted to just say, "Put it on your 'must-grow' list!" It's easier to grow than other varieties, quicker to finish than almost any, and simply more delicious, with a meaty, succulent, tender bite that imparts a mouthful of true eggplant flavor without a trace of bitterness or toughness. These fruits mature to about 7 inches long and nearly 2 inches in diameter. Deep violet, they have the elongated shape typical of Asian eggplants, but a good bit more meat on their bones! Don't worry about picking them early unless you absolutely have to -- they reach full size without losing one iota of their flavor or texture.
Gourd 162' 11"2' 11" x 2' 11" 
Muskmelon 22' 11"2' 11" x 2' 11" 
Onion 1305"3" x 7" 
Parsnip 227"7" x 11" 
Pepper
 Red Flame (F1) (OG)
31' 1"11" x 1' 3"A perfectly calibrated blend of sweetness and heat, with a big nutritional bonus. Red peppers boast 65% higher vitamin C than average peppers. 10" tall plants bear 3.5" x 1.5" fruit in 52-56 days. Gentle heat at 329 Scoville units when green; 235 when red.
Pepper
 Orange Sun
31' 1"11" x 1' 3"Thick-walled, crisp, and so sweet! 4 to 6 inches long, these tapered fruits are excellent for stuffing. 70 days from setting out transplants. As sugary and refreshing as a popsicle in August, this sweet pepper tops all other salad types for bright orange color, thick-walled texture, and crisp flavor! Available only here at Park, Park's Orangesicle is a treat no gardener should be denied! The fruit is smooth, glossy, and tapered, reaching 4 to 6 inches long. The thick interior walls make it superb for stuffing, slicing into rings for appetizers, or chopping up for salad. Aromatic and zesty-fresh, it is mouth-wateringly appealing. Park's Orangesicle arises on very compact plants that set a heavy load of fruit over a long season. Expect them to continue well into fall, extending your pepper season by a few extra weeks. Easy and highly productive!
Pepper
 Thai Hot
31' 1"11" x 1' 3"Flame-thrower Hot! A Thai pepper that came to us by way of Portugal. Burpee Exclusive. Some like hotand some like it really hot. For these heat-seeking gourmets, Diablito is the pepper of choice. A Thai pepper that came to us by way of Portugal, the 2 long ruby-red fruit works diabolically well in a stir-fry or lending piquant flame-throwing commoción to Mexican dishes. Conical 2 long pepper is excellent for fresh use and dried.
Pepper
 Salsa Mixture
31' 1"11" x 1' 3"The 8- to 9-inch fruit is just right with 3,000 Scovilles of heat! 73 days. Just the right amount of heat (3,000 Scovilles) for the Mexican sauces and fresh salsa you love! This chili pepper grows to 8 or 9 inches, with glossy green skin that will turn red if left on the plant (but is best picked green for salsa). The fruit is skinny and succulent on plants that demonstrate excellent resistance to Tobacco Mosaic Virus.
Pepper
 Jalapeno Gigante
31' 1"11" x 1' 3"The largest jalapeo on the market in our offering and the perfect pepper for pickling, stuffing and slicing. At 5" long and 1" thick, this pepper is ready to spark up any salsa.
Pepper
 Carolina Reaper
31' 1"11" x 1' 3"A press release came out on August 27th, 2012 to introduce the Carolina Reaper to the World. Then FINALLY on November 14th, 2013 Guinness declared the Carolina Reaper the Hottest Pepper in the World. Yeah! This new Carolina Reaper is an absolutley amazing pepper. It has a sweet chocolate-cherry under tone with a hint of citrus. It's as tasty as it is hot. HOT? The Guinness Book Of World Records has documented the heat level at 1,569,000 Scoville Heat Units. And according to our Facebook page of over 60,000 fans/customers they're having a blast growing the Carolina Reaper.
Pepper
 Big Bertha Hybrid
31' 1"11" x 1' 3" 
Pepper
 Habanero
31' 1"11" x 1' 3"Delivers a searing degree of heat at 215,000 Scovilles! 90 days. Among the hottest peppers anywhere, Habanero reaches up to 215,000 Scovilles of heat! These little peppers look harmless, but use them very sparingly, and remember to wear gloves when handling them to avoid transferring that heat to your eye! Blocky, wrinklked peppers measure about 2 inches long and slightly less wide, maturing from silvery-green to bright orange on the plant.
Pepper
 Cayenne Long Thin
31' 1"11" x 1' 3"Display a rainbow of hot peppers in the garden or on the plate from this jazzy blend of red, yellow, purple, and orange varieties. The most attractive blend we have ever seen, these cayennes turn up the heat for lively salsas and sauces . . . not to mention their ornamental appeal when dried and strung! Certified Organic, this blend from seed contains all the bright colors you love on tapered peppers about 3 inches long. They keep their colors even after drying, so you can grind them into bold spice mixes or use them as ornaments indoors and out.
Potatoes (Maincrop) 2001' 5"1' 1" x 2' 5"Single Plants: 1' 6" each way (minimum) Rows: 1' 2" with 2' 6" row gap (minimum) Grow from sprouting potatoes or seed potatoes, cut into chunks so that each piece has 2 growing "eyes," or sprouts. Let the cut pieces dry for a day before planting 3 inches deep. Try different types with red, tan or purple skins, but avoid big baking potatoes, which require a long, cool season. Keep potatoes mulched to protect shallow tubers from sun, which turns them green and bitter.
Pumpkin 32' 11"2' 11" x 2' 11" 
Raspberry 212' 3"1' 11" x 2' 11" 
Rhubarb 42' 11"2' 11" x 2' 11" 
Squash (Summer) 91' 11"1' 11" x 1' 11" 
Squash (Winter)
 Spaghetti
42' 11"2' 11" x 2' 11"Delicious yellow flesh is just enough for one or two people -- no need to waste half of every fruit! 80 days from sowing. The savory, ultra-healthy alternative to pasta, Spaghetti Squash has always had just one disadvantage: unlike the real thing, you can't eat the leftovers cold for breakfast! Now Small Wonder Hybrid has come along to solve that problem and get rid of the guilt Spaaghetti Squash lovers have felt about not being able to eat an entire monster-sized squash! Small Wonder comes in "single serving" size, with just enough yummy strands to satisfy one or two hungry people. Sounds odd, but it's true -- you'll actually get MORE fruit from this smaller variety, because you needn't waste a single savory strand! Small Wonder Hybrid is an attractive golden-orange oval with a pleasantly chunky shape and creamy yellow flesh. It is well "stranded" -- just slice it in half, steam, and fluff up the "noodles" for a delicious dinner! Just like its pasta counterpart, spaghetti squash is yummy with tomato- and cream-based sauces, as well as on its own with a little salt and butter or a squeeze of lemon juice. What a healthy, flavorful alternative to pasta! This plant reaches 4 to 6 feet long, with a vining habit and superior productivity. Plan on a summer-long feast of delicious spaghetti squash with Small Wonder -- and if you can't eat it all at once, don't worry. Small Wonder has some of the best after-harvest holding ability of any squash we've seen! Like all squash, Small Wonder grows best in full sunshine and rich, well-drained soil. Pick the fruit when it's 5 or 6 inches long and weighs about 3 pounds.
Squash (Winter)
 Lakota
12' 11"2' 11" x 2' 11" 
Squash (Winter)
 Acorn
42' 11"2' 11" x 2' 11" 
Squash (Winter)
 Butternut Waltham
42' 11"2' 11" x 2' 11" 
Strawberry 181' 7"1' 5" x 1' 11" 
Sweet Potato 171' 5"1' 5" x 1' 11" 
Tomato (Large) 151' 7"1' 5" x 1' 11"Firm fruit won't crack, and grows very uniform in size for easier cooking. 95 days from setting out transplants. F1TVaVD. Indeterminate. When it's time to make tomato paste, what you want is armloads of ripe, delicious fruit, all about the same size so they will cook down evenly. That's what you get with this new variety from Germany -- masses of plump, firm, bright red fruit full of flavorful solids and fewer gels, for a very long season of harvest. Agro Hybrid is a San Marzano type, with firm-skinned fruit that won't crack or burst on the plant. This is the type of Tomato for which the Mt. Vesuvius region of Italy is famous, and the sauces and pastes it makes are renowned for their full, tangy flavor. When it's time for authentic Neopolitan cuisine, rely on Agro! A very heavy producer all season, this is the cook's best friend. It is highly adaptable to different climates, and a dependable performer in all. Give it a try this season!
Tomato (Small) 21' 7"1' 5" x 1' 11"60 days from setting out transplants. Indeterminate. Ready in a trice, this "baby plum" tomato sets masses and masses of grape-shaped fruit weighing just ounce each, yet packed with bright color and sweet flavor! The shape of the tomatoes is unique, with a decided point at the end and a well-filled oblong length. Heavy yielding and vigorous, it is a pleasure to grow! Tinkerbell is indeterminate, meaning that it continues to grow and set new fruit all season long, so you'll want to stake or cage this plant to hold up its bounty of hundreds upon hundreds of bite-sized fruit. The tomatoes are great fresh off the vine, but they also do well in salads and as a snack, being just the right size to pop in your mouth for a single bite of sweet tomato flavor. Irresistible!
Turnip
 Purple Top Globe
767"5" x 11" 
Watermelon
 Early Silverline
32' 11"2' 11" x 2' 11"HEIRLOOM. A small delicious gourmet melon rarely found in markets. Fruit Weight: 6 pounds Days to Maturity: 76 days Unique, elongated oriental melon. White, crisp flesh sweet and fragrant. Yellow skin lined with silvery furrows, so thin it can be peeled like an apple. GARDEN HINTS: For early fruiting and to overcome a short growing season, start seeds in a warm, well-lighted indoor area 3 to 4 weeks before last spring frost. Before transfer to garden, accustom plants to outdoor conditions by moving to a sheltered area outside for a week. Grow on plastic mulch to control weeds, conserve soil moisture and protect fruit by keeping it off the ground.
Watermelon
 Big Tasty Seedless
32' 11"2' 11" x 2' 11"Divinely sweet, perfectly textured jewel red flesh, won our summer tasting of over 50 varieties. At 10-12" in diameter and 6-8 lb., this seedless watermelon is the classic "icebox" size, like a smaller but seedless Charleston Gray. Fruit has gray-green outer skin and a firm, crisp, bright red interior. Keeps its superb taste and ripe texture an extra-long time after cutting. Fruit Weight: 5 pounds Days to Maturity: 85 days
Zucchini
 Northern States Hybrid
31' 11"1' 11" x 1' 11" 

Planting Times

Plant List key
 PlantJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Asparagus
Beans (Bush Snap)
 Derby
Beans (Bush Snap)
 Capitano
Beans (Dry)
 Navy Pea
Beans (Dry)
 Pinto
Beans (Dry)
 Cannellini
Beans (Dry)
 Adzuki
Beans (Pole)
 Asparagus Yard Long
Broccoli
 Packman
Cabbage (Spring)
 Tropic Giant Hybrid
Cabbage (Summer)
 Gonzales Hybrid
Cauliflower
Corn
 Mirai 308bc Hybrid
Corn
 Early Sunglow - hybrid
Cucumber
 Sweet Burpless Hybrid
Cucumber
 National Pickling
Cucumber
 Homemade Pickles
Dill
Eggplant
 White Beauty
Eggplant
Gourd
Muskmelon
Onion
Parsnip
Pepper
 Red Flame (F1) (OG)
Pepper
 Orange Sun
Pepper
 Thai Hot
Pepper
 Salsa Mixture
Pepper
 Jalapeno Gigante
Pepper
 Carolina Reaper
Pepper
 Big Bertha Hybrid
Pepper
 Habanero
Pepper
 Cayenne Long Thin
Potatoes (Maincrop)
Pumpkin
Raspberry
Rhubarb
Squash (Summer)
Squash (Winter)
 Spaghetti
Squash (Winter)
 Lakota
Squash (Winter)
 Acorn
Squash (Winter)
 Butternut Waltham
Strawberry
Sweet Potato
Tomato (Large)
Tomato (Small)
Turnip
 Purple Top Globe
Watermelon
 Early Silverline
Watermelon
 Big Tasty Seedless
Zucchini
 Northern States Hybrid



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