⚠️ First priority before anything goes in the ground: Deer fencing around the perimeter — especially beans, tomatoes, and peppers. No companion planting stops a determined deer. Everything else in this plan is secondary to that.
Bed Axis
NW → SE at ~140°
Short 4' sides face NE and SW. Long 8' sides run NW–SE.
NW End — Bed 1
🌳 Most shaded
Large tree to the east partially shades this end for much of the day. Assign shade-tolerant crops: herbs, arugula, cool greens.
SE End — Tunnel Beds
☀️ Most sun
Away from treeline, maximum sun exposure. Best spot for heat-hungry crops: zucchini succession, cucumbers, beans.
North Tilled Strip
NW face · behind Beds 1–5 only
Does not extend behind tunnel beds. Existing trellis runs full length. Shaded end (NW) = herbs; sunny end (SE) = beans + beets.
South Tilled Strip (New)
SE face · full bed row length
Maximum sun exposure. New ground — amend well before planting. Best for potatoes, squash, carrots, beets.
Overview
Garden Layout Map
▲ NORTH FACE · North Tilled Strip · ~4' wide · trellis full length · behind Beds 1–5 only
NW end (behind Bed 1): Permanent Herb Zone — oregano, thyme, dill (stop tilling here)
· Center: Pole Beans succession + Borage + Beets
· SE end (behind Bed 5): Beans first sowing + Summer Savory + Beets
Trellis runs full length — beans climb it from SE end toward center. Herb zone anchors the shaded NW end permanently.
NW ←——— SHADE GRADIENT ———————————— SUN ———→ SE
Bed 1 · NW
8'×4'
🌿 Herbs
+ Arugula
+ Arugula
🌳 most shaded
walk
Bed 2
8'×4'
🥒 Cucumbers
+ Dill
+ Dill
🌤 partial shade
walk
Bed 3
8'×4'
🍅 Paste
Tomatoes
Tomatoes
🌤 improving sun
walk
Bed 4
8'×4'
🍅 Slicer
Tomatoes
Tomatoes
☀️ good sun
walk
Bed 5
8'×4'
🌶 Peppers
+ Marigolds
+ Marigolds
☀️ full sun
walk
Tunnel A
8'×2'
🫛 Peas →
🌿 Herbs
🌿 Herbs
☀️ most sun
Tunnel B · SE
8'×2'
🫛 Peas →
🥒 Cucumbers
🥒 Cucumbers
☀️ most sun
🌳 NW — large tree shade (Bed 1 most affected)SE — clear of treeline, full sun (tunnel beds) ☀️
North tilled strip extends only behind Beds 1–5. Tunnel beds are freestanding to the SE with open sky.
▼ SOUTH FACE · South Tilled Strip · ~4' wide · full bed row length · NEW this year · no trellis
NW end: Potatoes (Kennebec + Yukon Gold)
· Center-NW: Carrots + Radish interplant
· Center-SE: Beets → Winter Squash (vines trail south)
· SE end: Extra Pickling Cucumbers
SE-facing strip gets maximum sun all day. New ground — work in compost + balanced organic fertilizer before any seeds. Squash vines trail away from beds to the south.
Note: south strip extends full length including in front of tunnel beds — extra SE sun is ideal for cucumber overflow.
Raised Beds Detail
All Seven Beds — Assignments & Planting Notes
Bed 1 · NW End · Herbs + Greens
🌳 SHADED · COOL CROPSArugula — succession sow every 3 weeks Start Now
Flat-Leaf Parsley · half of bed Sow Now
Cilantro — succession every 3 weeks Sow Now
Dill — succession alongside cilantro Sow Now
The shade from the large tree is a genuine advantage here — arugula, cilantro, parsley, and dill all bolt quickly in full sun heat. This partial shade extends your harvest window by weeks. Let cilantro and dill flower: the umbrella blooms are among the best recruiters of predatory wasps that fight aphids and cucumber beetles across the whole garden. Sow arugula again in August for a strong fall harvest.
Bed 2 · Cucumbers (Main)
🌤 PART SHADE OKCalypso Pickling Cucumbers · 4–5 plants on vertical trellis or cage After Frost
Dill · 3–4 plants as companion + pickling supply Sow Now
Nasturtiums · all bed edges After Frost
Cucumbers are more shade-tolerant than tomatoes or peppers — they actually benefit from relief from the hottest afternoon sun, which is when most mid-season stress and disease hits. This positioning plus the tunnel bed succession in July solves your consistent mid-season falloff problem. Grow vertically to maximize airflow and reduce disease pressure.
Bed 3 · Paste Tomatoes
☀️ IMPROVING SUNAmish Paste · 3 plants, stake heavily Transplant May 15
Genovese Basil · between plants After Frost
French Marigolds · front edge After Frost
Amish Paste outperforms San Marzano in zone 6 — meatier, higher yield, more forgiving in variable weather. Tomatoes need 6+ hours of direct sun; Bed 3 delivers this as it clears the tree shadow. Expect 15–20 lbs per plant in a good year. Your best canning tomato.
Bed 4 · Slicer + Cherry Tomatoes
☀️ GOOD SUNRutgers · 2 plants Transplant May 15
Sungold Cherry · 1 plant Transplant May 15
Basil + Marigolds throughout After Frost
Rutgers is the classic canning slicer — excellent acid balance for crushed tomatoes and sauce. Sungold cans beautifully as whole cherries and can be halved for drying. Three tomato varieties across Beds 3 and 4 gives a long, staggered harvest window from July through October.
Bed 5 · Peppers
☀️ FULL SUNCalifornia Wonder (bell) · 3 plants Transplant May 15+
Sweet Banana (pickling rings) · 2 plants Transplant May 15+
Marigolds + Basil throughout After Frost
⚠️ Peppers are the most heat-dependent crop in the plan — they belong in your sunniest raised bed. Bed 5 delivers that. Buy the most mature transplants available (6"+ with visible buds if possible) in mid-May. Never direct sow peppers in zone 6. Banana peppers produce abundantly and make excellent pickled rings.
Tunnel Beds · Spring · SE End
☀️ SOW NOWSuper Sugar Snap Peas — both tunnel beds, direct sow as soon as ground is workable. Frost-hardy to ~28°F. Late March
Harvest: late June → clear both beds by early July
Even in the sunniest spot, peas are a spring crop and will finish before the heat sets in. The existing trellis between the two beds is already in place — nothing to set up. Peas fix nitrogen in the soil, leaving it improved for the summer succession.
Tunnel Beds · Summer Succession
☀️ JULY 1Tunnel A: Basil + Cilantro — direct sow after peas clear July 1
Tunnel B: Calypso Pickling Cucumbers — second succession on trellis July 1–5
This is your mid-season insurance. Bed 2 cucumbers go in after frost; Tunnel B goes in July 1. You'll have continuous pickler harvest from late July through September instead of everything crashing at once. The full SE sun of the tunnel beds drives fast, productive growth even from a late July sowing.
Zucchini · South Tilled SE End
☀️ IN-GROUNDBlack Beauty Zucchini · 2 plants in south tilled strip SE end After Frost
Nasturtiums — planted around both plants After Frost
Borage — 1 plant nearby After Frost
With all five raised beds now assigned to crops that need vertical space or specific companions, zucchini moves to the south tilled strip where it can sprawl freely alongside the winter squash. Use row cover for the first 3 weeks after germination to exclude cucumber beetles. Remove when female flowers appear for pollination.
Tilled Rows
North & South Tilled Strips
▲ North Strip · ~4' wide · Behind Beds 1–5 · Existing Trellis
NW End (behind Bed 1) — Permanent Herb Zone
Oregano — plant once, returns every year
Thyme — spreads as ground cover between oregano
Dill — let flower; umbrella blooms attract predatory wasps
Stop tilling this end once oregano and thyme establish. Mark it and leave it alone year after year — disturbing perennial roots is the most common reason these herbs underperform.
Center (behind Beds 2–3) — Beans + Beets
Pole Beans second succession on trellis June 1
Detroit Dark Red Beets — succession sowing May–June
Borage — 2–3 plants, let self-seed annually
SE End (behind Beds 4–5) — First Bean Sowing
Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans — first sowing on trellis May 15
Detroit Dark Red Beets — first sowing Sow Now
Summer Savory — at base of beans, deters bean beetles
▼ South Strip · ~4' wide · Full Length · New This Year
NW End — Potatoes
Kennebec + Yukon Gold Mid-April
Hill up 2–3x as foliage grows. Kennebec stores 6+ months. Cure at room temp 2 weeks after harvest before moving to cool storage (38–45°F).
Center-NW — Carrots + Radishes
Chantenay Red Core — shorter roots forgive new tilled soil Now → every 3 weeks through July
French Breakfast Radishes — interplanted with every carrot sowing Sow Now
Radishes germinate in 5 days, marking your slow carrot rows. Pull at 3 weeks — they've already loosened soil for developing carrot roots. Never let the seed bed dry out during the 10–14 day carrot germination window. Thin to 2" apart when 2" tall.
Center-SE — Beets → Winter Squash
Detroit Dark Red Beets Sow Now
Butternut or Delicata — 2–3 hills, vines trail south Direct sow late May
Beets done by early July, squash goes in. Delicata has smaller vines. Butternut stores 3–6 months. Let vines sprawl south into open lawn away from beds.
SE End — Zucchini + Cucumber Overflow
Black Beauty Zucchini · 2 plants After Frost
Extra Calypso Pickling Cucumbers on low trellis or cage After Frost
The sunniest ground in the whole garden. Zucchini and cucumbers thrive here. Row cover on zucchini for first 3 weeks — remove when female flowers appear.
Planting Calendar
Succession Planting Timeline
Now → Late March · Ground workable, frosts OK
🌱 First Seeds in Ground
- Sugar snap peas — both tunnel beds (frost-hardy, go as early as ground is workable)
- Arugula — Bed 1, first sowing
- Parsley, cilantro, dill — Bed 1
- Dill first sowing — also into north tilled NW herb zone if established
- Radishes + Carrots first sowing — south tilled center-NW
- Beets first sowing — south tilled center-SE and north tilled SE end
Mid-April
🥔 Potatoes + Second Successions
- Potato sets in ground — south tilled NW end (4" deep, eyes up)
- Carrots second sowing + radishes second sowing — south tilled
- Beets second sowing — north tilled center
- Arugula second sowing — Bed 1
- Cilantro + dill second sowings — Bed 1
- Top all 5 raised beds with 2–3" compost; work in lightly
- Work compost + balanced organic fertilizer into entire south tilled strip
May 10–15 · After Last Frost
🌿 Main Season Goes In
- Pole beans — north tilled SE end, first sowing at trellis base
- Summer savory — at base of first bean sowing
- Cucumbers — Bed 2, direct sow at trellis or cage base
- Nasturtiums + marigolds — all beds and tilled edges
- Basil — Beds 3 & 4, direct sow or small starts
- Tomato transplants — Beds 3 & 4
- Pepper transplants — Bed 5 (buy most mature available, ideally budding)
- Zucchini — south tilled SE end, 2 seeds per spot; add row cover immediately
- Extra cucumbers — south tilled SE end alongside zucchini
- Winter squash — 2–3 hills, south tilled center-SE
- Borage — north tilled center section
- Oregano + thyme transplants — north tilled NW permanent herb zone
- Carrots third sowing — south tilled
June 1
📋 Bean Succession + Fill-In
- Pole beans second sowing — north tilled center section (3 weeks after first)
- Remove row cover from zucchini as female flowers appear
- Arugula third sowing — Bed 1
- Dill + cilantro third sowings — Bed 1
- Carrots fourth sowing — south tilled (last useful succession before peak heat)
July 1–5 · Peas clear, tunnel beds open
🥒 Cucumber Round 2 + Summer Herbs
- Pull pea vines from both tunnel beds — compost them
- Tunnel A: direct sow basil + cilantro for summer herb production in SE sun
- Tunnel B: direct sow Calypso cucumbers — second succession on existing trellis
- Tunnel B cucumbers will produce through September — your pickling window extends 6–8 weeks
August · Fall Successions
🍂 Cool Season Returns
- Arugula — Bed 1 (sow ~Aug 15 = 45 days before first frost Oct 1)
- Beets final sowing — north or south tilled (55 days to harvest)
- Radishes final sowing — quick fall crop
- Cilantro — sow again in Aug, cool weather prevents immediate bolting
Pollinator Strategy
Attracting & Supporting Pollinators
Planted Throughout
- 🌸 Nasturtiums — every raised bed edge, south tilled zucchini area
- 🌼 French Marigolds — Beds 3, 4, 5
- 🔵 Borage — north tilled center; self-seeds reliably
- 💜 Thyme + oregano flowers — permanent NW herb zone
Let These Bolt + Flower
- 🌿 Dill — umbrella heads attract predatory wasps; let a few go every sowing
- 🌿 Cilantro — one of the best beneficial insect attractors in a kitchen garden
- 🌱 Arugula — let 1–2 plants bolt in Bed 1 each succession
- 💐 Borage — let it self-seed; bees prioritize it above almost everything
Why This Matters Here
- 🥒 Cucumbers require bee pollination — no bees, no fruit, no pickles
- 🌿 Zucchini needs pollen transferred from male to female flowers
- 🪲 Predatory wasps drawn by flowering herbs patrol the whole garden for aphids and cucumber beetles
Plant Relationships
Companion Planting Guide
🍅 Tomatoes (Beds 3 + 4)
✓ Basil — repels aphids & whitefly, classic pairing
✓ Marigolds — repels nematodes and whitefly
✓ Borage nearby in north tilled — deters hornworm
✗ Keep away from fennel, brassicas, corn
🥒 Cucumbers (Bed 2 + Tunnel B + South Tilled)
✓ Dill — repels aphids, attracts beneficial wasps
✓ Nasturtiums — cucumber beetle trap crop
✓ Borage — repels hornworm, attracts pollinators
✗ Keep away from sage, potatoes, strong aromatic herbs (except dill)
🫘 Beans (North Tilled)
✓ Summer savory — deters bean beetles, traditional pairing
✓ Borage — general pest deterrence, pollinator magnet
✓ Beets — excellent neighbors in the same tilled strip
✗ Keep away from onions, garlic, fennel
🌿 Zucchini (South Tilled SE)
✓ Nasturtiums — border both plants, #1 cucumber beetle deterrent
✓ Borage — repels hornworm, improves fruit set via pollinators
✓ Dill nearby (not touching) — attracts predatory wasps
✗ Give it room to sprawl — crowding causes disease and reduces yield
🌶 Peppers (Bed 5)
✓ Basil — repels aphids and spider mites
✓ Marigolds — general pest deterrence
✓ Parsley nearby — attracts predatory insects
✗ Keep away from fennel; give airflow, don't crowd
🥕 Carrots + Beets (South + North Tilled)
✓ Radishes — loosen soil, mark rows, harvest before competing
✓ Beans (sharing north tilled strip) — nitrogen fixing benefits
✓ Dill flowers — attract carrot fly predators
✗ Carrots: keep away from dill plant itself — flowers at bloom stage are fine
Seed Selection
Recommended Varieties — Pickling, Canning & Storage Focus
| Crop | Variety | Why This One | Best Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato (paste) | Amish Paste | Meaty, low moisture, outperforms San Marzano in zone 6, 15–20 lbs/plant | SauceCanning |
| Tomato (slicer) | Rutgers | Classic NJ canning tomato, excellent acid balance, proven zone 6 performer | CanningFresh |
| Tomato (cherry) | Sungold | Extraordinary flavor, prolific, cans whole, bees love the flowers | Canned wholeFresh |
| Cucumber | Calypso | AAS winner, disease resistant, no bitterness, holds crunch after pickling | Pickling |
| Beans (pole) | Kentucky Wonder | Classic, very high yield, long season on trellis, ideal for dilly beans | Dilly BeansCanning |
| Beets | Detroit Dark Red | Standard pickling beet for 150 years — reliable germinator, sweet, uniform | PicklingStorage |
| Carrots | Chantenay Red Core | Shorter roots handle new/heavier tilled soil far better than Nantes types | PicklingStorage |
| Pepper (sweet) | California Wonder | Heavy-yielding bell as transplant — buy mature starts in May, never direct sow | RoastedFrozen |
| Pepper (pickling) | Sweet Banana | Perfect for pickled rings, very prolific, mild heat, easy to process | Pickled Rings |
| Potatoes | Kennebec + Yukon Gold | Kennebec: 6-month+ storage, blight resistant. Yukon Gold: best fresh eating | Long Storage |
| Winter Squash | Butternut or Delicata | Butternut: 3–6 month storage. Delicata: smaller vines, no peeling, 3-month storage | Long Storage |
| Radish | French Breakfast | 5-day germinator, marks carrot rows, mild elongated shape, great quick pickle | Quick Pickle |
| Peas | Super Sugar Snap | Best eating snap pea, disease resistant, tall vines fit existing tunnel trellis | Fresh / Frozen |
| Zucchini | Black Beauty | Most reliable direct-sow variety, very high yield, harvest young for best flavor | RelishFresh |
Key Considerations
Critical Notes for This Season
🦌 Deer + Insects
- Fence the perimeter before anything goes in — beans, tomatoes, and peppers are prime targets
- Row cover on south tilled zucchini and cucumbers for first 3 weeks after germination
- Marigolds and nasturtiums throughout are your organic pest barrier — don't skip them
- Let dill and cilantro flower — best natural tool against cucumber beetles
- Garlic spray on bean seedlings buys time if full fencing isn't ready yet
💧 Watering Without Irrigation
- Mulch everything — 2–3" of straw dramatically cuts watering frequency
- Water deeply and infrequently rather than shallow and daily
- Priority when time is short: Tomatoes → Cucumbers → Peppers → everything else
- Raised beds dry faster than tilled ground — check them first in hot weather
- A soaker hose on the tilled rows (even without a timer) meaningfully improves cucumber and carrot results
🥕 Carrot Success Protocol
- Chantenay only — shorter roots forgive voids in new tilled south strip
- Interplant French Breakfast radishes every time you sow carrots
- Never let the seed bed dry out during the 10–14 day germination window — most failures happen here
- Thin to 2" apart when seedlings hit 2" tall — non-negotiable for root development
- New tilled south strip with fresh soil is your best shot at consistent carrots yet
🌱 Soil Prep
- Top all 5 raised beds with 2–3" compost before planting; work in lightly
- South tilled (new ground): compost + balanced organic fertilizer before anything goes in
- North tilled NW herb zone: go light — established perennials don't need heavy feeding
- Side-dress tomatoes and peppers with compost when first flowers appear
📦 Canning + Storage Priorities
- Dilly beans: Kentucky Wonder + your own dill — easiest canning project, huge yield
- Pickled beets: Detroit Dark Red + basic brine — 30-minute project per batch
- Crushed tomatoes / sauce: Amish Paste in Bed 3 is your workhorse
- Pickled cucumbers: Calypso bred specifically for crunch retention after processing
- Potatoes: cure 2 weeks room temp, then 38–45°F for up to 6 months
- Pickled banana pepper rings: prolific and a 15-minute processing project
⏰ Do These Things First
- Right now: Order seeds — Calypso cucumbers, Kentucky Wonder beans, Detroit Dark Red beets, and Chantenay carrots sell out early
- Ground workable: Peas (tunnel beds), arugula, radishes, beets, carrots, parsley, cilantro, dill
- Mid-April: Potatoes into south tilled NW end
- May 10–15: All warm-season direct sow + transplants
- Transplants only: Tomatoes + Peppers — buy peppers as mature as possible