In what’s becoming a terribly common trend in my work / life habits, this year’s veg patch has me wondering if I’ve bit off a little more than I can chew.

This afternoon, in my first little exercise in Gardening 2011, I listed everything I wanted to grow, when they needed to be sown, and what I’ve got to grow things in. For a newbie gardener, the list seems a bit long:

Potatoes:

• Dunbar Rover
• Highland Burgundy
• Pink Fir Apple

Peppers:

• Jalapeno
• Red Cherry
• Serrano
• Red fresno peppers
• Pepperoncinis

Tomatoes:

• ‘Latah’ Very Early Red Tomato
• ‘Gold Medal’ Bicolour Tomato
• ‘Costuluto Genovese’ Vine Tomato

Herbs:

• Dill
• Parsley
• Cilantro

Lettuces:

• Mizuna
• Rocket
• Mixed Lettuce

Other Fruit / Veg:

• French Beans
• ‘Leaf Beet’ Chard / Perpetual Spinach
• ‘Paris pickling’ cucumber
• Radish
• Melon

Ambitious? Probably. But I can’t seem to stop myself. Earlier in the year I decided to grow potatoes again, plus some more suitably English produce like French beans and perpetual spinach, verses last year’s garden which consisted entirely of Mediterranean-type veggies (tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers).

But once I started shopping for seeds, I just couldn’t stop. I’m a huge fan of The Real Seed Catalogue, whose entries read better than most novels. And then I discovered Wiggly Wigglers, who sells funky “heritage” varieties of potatoes – how could I resist the variety pack?

So, whatever, I’m just going to go for it. One step at a time. Today’s step: planning and seed sowing.

I created a spreadsheet listing all of the veg I want to grow with the dates when things should be sown and what I plan to sow them in. Click here to view the spreadsheet if you’re so inclined.

I also did a little garden evaluation to see if anything survived from last year. The strawberries are looking a little said, but I hope they’ll perk up over the next few months.

Same for the mint and oregano.

I’m excited about this year’s garden, but overwhelmed by my next task: clean up the garden itself. It’s not a terrible mess – just a lot of weeding, and raking to do. The major thing I’m stumped by is what to do about this:

That is what remains of the clay oven. It imploded a few months ago and I’ve been putting off the task of cleaning it up. I mean, how do you dispose of this sort of thing?

I’m planning to use the bricks to create a raised bed along the far wall, along the gate you see behind the oven. But its the huge pile of clay/sand that I’m not sure what to do with. Any ideas?

Click here to view a spreadsheet of my Gardening 2011 plan