For my 2025 garden, my primary focus has been on reclaiming the parts of it that have been overcome by grass.  My garden is very close to our hay field, and keeping grass/hay out of my garden beds is always a constant battle.  Admittedly, I didn’t do much weed control during the winter, and now I’m playing catch-up. This spring has been flying by already! 

What I’m Growing Now

I’ve planted a lot of onions. The birds like to pull them out and toss them about the garden beds. I also have some mice or voles that have made a home in my garden beds, so that has also been a challenge. I’ve been hoping my mouser cat or a falcon or owl would scoop it up, but no luck yet! 

I have one planter for my potatoes. I had to pull out a lot of newly sprouted thistles. That is also an ongoing thing for me.

My medicinal herb bed is made up of many perennials, so I don’t have to do much planting. I did add a horehound plant to it, though.  

Some seeds I have started are: ashwagandha, basil, bok choy, clary sage, garden sage, and splianthes.

Garden Maintenance

A couple years ago, I planted just two calendula plants.  Every year since I’ve had an abundance of self-seeded calendulas pop up every spring. At first, this was delightful! I use a lot of calendula when I make my salves. But last year, they started to become a “garden thug” where they got so out of control they would choke out other plants. How much calendula does a girl need?! So this year, I’m taking a proactive approach, and as much as it saddens me, I’ve been plucking out calendula seedlings all over the place. I will leave a few, of course. 

April means it’s time for me to give my lavender plants their springtime “haircut.”  This keeps their shape nice and rounded and spurs on new plant growth. 

Plans for Spring

I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me before summer arrives. I have one corner of my garden where there are tree roots very close to the surface. Every plant I’ve tried to grow in the ground there dies. This year I want to try a “no-dig garden bed,” where I will lay down layers of cardboard in a row and then cover up the cardboard with several inches of soil. You then plant directly into your piled soil, so there is no digging required. I’ve never grown anything this way, so I hope it goes well. 

Thanks for reading my springtime garden journal! My garden is sure to be buzzing with new excitement soon and I’ll be posting again.

‘Curry’ is actually a loose, catch-all term that doesn’t properly refer to any specific dish. In its originating culture, each dish would have its own unique name. That being said, many dishes that could be loosely grouped as ‘curry-style’ dishes can be created using many of the same core plants in the garden. Let’s explore some potential ways to plan a culinary curry garden in Planter!

Curry garden base plan

Our sample curry garden base plan starts with a standard 4’ x 8’ garden in Planter. We’ve filled the garden with uber-versatile plants that form the backbone of many great curry dishes:

• Garlic
• Ginger
• Cilantro
• Hot peppers
• Tomatoes
• Onions

Garlic and cooking onions were placed on the outside because they are slow growers and need to be harvested by pulling or forking them out of the soil. Two hot pepper plants might not seem like a lot, but they’ll likely be prolific enough to provide your family with ample chili harvests (of course if you’re major spice lovers feel free to add more!) While cilantro is associated with cuisines from some of the hotter parts of the world, it actually can’t take the heat all that well and has a tendency to bolt. Because of this, you might want to plan to plant your cilantro in successions.

Roma tomatoes were chosen because they are a nice meaty tomato that work well for cooking. Ginger is kept in containers because a) it grows slowly and needs to be started indoors well in advance if you live in a cooler climate and b) the containers can be moved and positioned around the garden so the plants receive dappled sun- ginger loves the heat but not direct, scorching sunlight.

When choosing locations for the plants in your own plan, be sure to position them so they’ll be easily accessible for harvesting and where they won’t shade each other out unintentionally. This base plan is just a starting point that you can adapt to your unique garden conditions.

If you happen to have some more space to play with in your garden, consider branching out into some specific cuisines:

Thai curry garden plan

Thai food is vibrant and features an array of different veggies. To prepare some tasty Thai dishes, the following plants were added to the base plan:

• Peas
• Eggplant
• Carrots
• Lemongrass
• Thai basil
• Thai mint
• Peanuts
• Dwarf lime

The Thai curry garden plan incorporates most of the plants from the base curry garden plan and adds on from there. The serrano chiles were swapped for Thai chiles, and more garlic and onions were added. Lemongrass is a staple ingredient in many Thai dishes- its included in a container so it can be started early indoors and easily transitioned outside. Mint was also added in a container to prevent it from spreading and taking over the entire garden! Basil plays more nicely so it can be incorporated right into the garden bed. If possible, try to find Thai varieties of mint and basil for a more authentic flavor.

For something slightly more adventurous peanuts and a dwarf lime were added to the plan- these ingredients are often incorporated in Thai dishes or used as accompaniments. Peanuts can grow well even in somewhat northern climates as long as you select an appropriate variety and ensure they are planted with enough time to mature. Limes on the other hand are frost sensitive, but dwarf varieties can be grown as container plants that can be brought inside over winter. If overwintering a lime tree seems like too much work, forgo it and plant something else instead- just be sure not to fill the middle of the garden space with plants that will be hard to reach.

Indian curry garden plan

The Indian curry garden plan also works off the same base curry garden plan, but includes some unique ingredients favored in Indian cooking:

• Turmeric
• Cauliflower
• Potatoes
• Okra
• Kidney beans
• Mustard
• Spinach

Turmeric is a plant that spreads and grows by rhizomes, similar to ginger. Since turmeric isn’t available in Planter (yet!) one workaround is to create a custom variety of ginger and name it turmeric (turmeric isn’t technically a ginger variety but this is just a quick fix). Like ginger, turmeric is grown in pots so it can be started well in advance and moved around in the garden to capture the perfect balance of sun and shade.

Cauliflower and potatoes are included in the plan as core ingredients in the popular and delicious dish ‘aloo gobi’. Okra is added as the key component of ‘bhindi masala’, and the kidney beans can be used to prepare delicious ‘rajma’. With drying beans you’ll want to have several plants to get a yield that is substantial enough to make bean-based dishes. Rounding out the list we have spinach and mustard- spinach can be used to make a mouth-watering ‘saag paneer’ and along with mustard greens (and other mixed greens) can be used to create delicious ‘saag’ curries. And if your mustard bolts and goes to seed no worries- mustard seed is also a key spice in many Indian dishes!

We hope these curry garden plans have provided some inspiration to plan a fun and practical cuisine-themed garden! Having all the veggies at hand to create a whole range of dishes will help you make the best use of your garden produce in the kitchen. Planter makes it easy and fun to explore garden design possibilities to compliment your culinary adventures!

Tomatillos

If you’ve ever enjoyed ‘salsa verde’ at a Mexican restaurant, you should definitely give tomatillos a try in your garden! Tomatillos are in the Solanaceae (nightshade) family like tomatoes and peppers, but in many ways they are easier to grow. They enjoy heat and a long growing season, but as long as you get them up and growing in time they will produce like crazy until frost comes. They are relatively disease and pest resistant, and pruning or fancy trellising is not required! You can let your tomatillos bush out and offer them some support in a sturdy tomato cage- then watch them take off!

Potatoes

Potatoes are another Solanaceae family member that can be overlooked in the garden. Why bother using precious garden space to grow something that is so cheap in the grocery store? If you can eke out a few square feet somewhere in your garden (it doesn’t need to be prime real estate) it is worth giving potatoes a go. It is recommended to use seed potatoes purchased from a garden center for the best yields, but some success can be had by popping a few sprouting potatoes from your pantry into the ground Potatoes do prefer loose, fluffy soil and will appreciate sufficient moisture and nutrients, but otherwise they are a set-it-and-forget-it crop. Once you’ve tasted a garden-grown potato you’ll find space to grow them every year!

Spinach

Lettuce is often the go-to when it comes to leafy garden greens, but spinach is a true powerhouse plant. It is hardier than lettuce and contains more vitamins and nutrients. It’s also more versatile in the kitchen- you can grow lots of small spinach plants for tender ‘baby spinach’ that can be regularly plucked for fresh salads. Or you can let the plants grow larger for more substantial leaves that can be cooked or frozen. Like lettuce, spinach can be prone to bolting so you’ll want to consider succession planting for ongoing harvests. If you’re looking to add more greens to your garden and your diet, swap spinach into the rotation!

Turnip

Thinking about turnip might conjure up memories of mushy puree served exclusively over the holidays. But you might not know that there are some types of turnips that are deliciously sweet, crispy, and can be eaten raw or cooked. ‘Hakurei turnips’ are a farmer’s market favorite that are super easy to grow. They look like a jumbo-size white radish, and grow similarly to radishes, but the taste is fresh and juicy without any of the signature radish kick (radish haters love them!) The greens are also excellent for stir-frying. Even if adding turnips to your garden has never crossed your mind, be sure to give hakurei a try!

Winter Squash

Summer squash such as zucchini often takes front row in the summer garden, but winter squash that can be stored such as butternut, acorn, and spaghetti squash let you enjoy your garden-fresh harvest well into the winter months when other crops have long since been eaten. ‘Winter squash’ suggests a plant that should be grown in cooler weather, but they are in fact heat-loving plants that grow through the summer months (depending on your location). While winter squash plants can get large and ramble-y, one healthy plant can produce several squashes. And if space is tight, you can also trellis them vertically to free up precious square footage in your garden beds. Check out Grow Super Squash to learn how to grow winter (and summer!) squash.

Raspberries

While many gardeners jump straight into growing strawberries, raspberries are arguably the easiest berries to grow. And considering how expensive a small pint of raspberries can cost, they are well worth it! Red raspberry bushes do tend to spread over time- which can be a blessing but also can become a problem- so you’ll want to think about how to contain them. Raspberries need pruning each year to maximize the harvest, and how you prune them depends on which type of raspberry you are growing. Be sure to research this before hacking away! Other than an annual boost of nutrients and the occasional haircut, raspberries are easy-peasy to grow! For more info on growing raspberries check out Grow Bountiful Berries.

Rhubarb

Rhubarb might feel like an old-timey (dare I say boring?) plant, but they are a cornerstone of home gardening for a reason. Once they’re up and growing rhubarb plants are hardy as anything and require almost no maintenance, with some plants living on for several decades. And while the stalks are typically processed for baking and preserving, there’s really nothing easier than chopping up some rhubarb and freezing it to be able to make delicious rhubarb crisp! If you have a spot anywhere in your yard that gets sun exposure- even at the side of your house, mixed in with landscaping plants- just stick a rhubarb plant in there! You’ll appreciate having it every time you whip up a sweet-tart rhubarb delicacy.

You don’t need to give up all your garden go-tos to make way for new plants. Just Keep an open mind and try at least one or two plants you may have never thought of growing. You might just find they end up in your regular garden rotation!