Liz Cultivates | L.M. Fern

Here’s what the 2025 garden spot is going to look like:

Yes, I know that just looks like gibberish. The basic gist is this: I have three beds to fill, two in the back and one in the front of the yard. I will be planting tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, and cucumbers, just like last year, albeit fewer individual plants this time around. I had more peppers than I knew what to do with.

Here’s what I’m hoping to plant this year:

• Tomatoes (Roma, Beefsteak, Cherry)
• Peppers (Jalapeño, Serrano, Banana, Pepperoncini, Bell, Habanero)
• Cucumbers
• Squash (Hubbard, Zucchini, Butternut, Spaghetti)
• Beans and snow peas
• Carrots
• Watermelons
• Pumpkins

As ever, I know this is ambitious, and I reserve the right to change my plan at any point.

One of my bigger architectural goals for the garden this year is to place paver stones between my larger beds. The lawn mower doesn’t fit in there, and I’d rather not use mulch, so I need to come up with a stone-and-pebble-based solution. Consequently, this will also make the whole garden look a little nicer and more inviting, along with at least one arching trellis I’m hoping to place over the beds.

I’d also like to consider fruit. Strawberries, Raspberries. I’m going to attempt to take better care of the apple trees, as well.

We’re in the part of the year where I want to do everything and grow every plant and eat every vegetable. We’ll see how long that lasts! Ohio feels like it wants to be warm lately, and spring is struggling to emerge — to the point that the other day, we had rain, hail, and sun all in the same afternoon. This time of year always gives me a small surge of hope and excitement, especially since my birthday also falls right around now. I’m looking forward to seeing what this new year brings.