# Spring 2026 Fenced Garden Planting Plan

*Generated 2026-05-05 from current garden state (areas, plantings, watering stations, fertilization plan, and ~10-day forecast for Courtenay BC). This plan was committed to **planting #26 "2026 Fenced Garden"** (status `planned`) plus a separate **planting #54 "Comfrey (Perennial)"**. 65 plant_groups total across 12 areas.*

## Conditions snapshot at planning

- **10-day forecast (May 4–13):** highs 17–28°C, lows 6.5–15°C, no precipitation, light winds. Frost risk effectively nil. May 7 cool low (6.5°C) is the only borderline day for warm-season transplants.
- **Plant timing:**
  - **Now (May 5–7):** direct-seed snap peas, bush beans, carrots, beets, spinach, radish; plant lettuce, brassica, cilantro, parsley transplants.
  - **May 8–10+:** plant warm-season transplants (tomato, pepper, eggplant, cucumber, cantaloupe, pole beans, zucchini, yam slips).
- **Supplies on hand cover the entire plan:** 6-8-6 All-Purpose, 10-15-9 Vegetable, Bone Meal, Blood Meal, Sulfur-90, Compost, Garden Mix Soil. No fertilizer purchases needed.
- **Watering reality:** drip stations cover Big/Middle/Climbing/Tall Trellis; sprinkler covers the back patches (foliar wet → morning only); see the separate watering-schedule artifact.

## Strategy notes

- **Variety mix per crop** — every crop with multiple plants uses 2–3 cultivars at different maturities so you're not buried in one harvest peak.
- **Sprinkler-friendly crops only on the back patches** (brassicas, root crops, lettuce, potatoes, peas, beans). No tomatoes / peppers / squash in sprinkler zones.
- **Containers chosen to match the structure:**
  - String Tomato Trellis → 3 indeterminate tomatoes (fewer than original idea of 6 — that was crowded).
  - Squash Pergola → 2 vining squash (down from idea of 4).
  - Climbing Containers — angled containers for cucurbits (easier vertical climb), fence containers for legumes (climb the vertical fence themselves).
- **Skipping corn entirely** — coastal Vancouver Island doesn't deliver good yields in the time available; better uses for the space.
- **Fence lines (#127, #128, #129) skipped this season** per owner preference.
- **Comfrey** (Bocking 14, sterile) added as a one-time perennial planting at the corner of #57 NW Back Patch. Free liquid fertilizer + mulch source for years.

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## Per-area placement

### #51 Center Container — warm-season heroes + brassica anchor
- 3× Cauliflower (Snow Crown — harvested by mid-June, peppers expand into space)
- 4× Bell Pepper (Yellow California Wonder + Red Bell Boy + Orange Sun + Purple Beauty — color rainbow, slight maturity stagger)
- 2× Hot Pepper (Jalapeño + Anaheim — moderate heat, both useful fresh & dried)
- 2× Eggplant (Black Beauty + Japanese Long Purple — different shape/use)
- **Companions:** 6× French Marigold + 6× Sweet Alyssum
- **Plant warm-season transplants May 8+**

### #110 String Tomato Trellis
- *Existing:* 10× Karmen onions (back portion)
- 3× Indeterminate Tomato — Sungold (cherry, prolific, snacking) + San Marzano (paste, sauce/freeze) + Brandywine (slicer, heritage flavor) — climb the strings
- **Companions:** 3× Basil (Genovese — interplanted, deters whitefly)

### #111 Squash Pergola
- 2× Vining Winter Squash — Delicata (early, single-serving, great roasted) + Butternut Waltham (stores all winter)
- **Companions:** 2× Nasturtium (trap crop for squash bugs + edible flowers) + 1× Borage (bee magnet — squash needs bees)

### #112 Tall Trellis Back Area
- *Existing:* 10× Karmen onions
- 1× Patio Tomato (Bush Early Girl — determinate, no staking)
- 8× Carrots (Scarlet Nantes — direct-seed; classic onion+carrot pest-defense pairing)
- **Companions:** 4× Calendula

### #53 Angled Container 1 — cucurbit climber
- 1× Cucumber (Marketmore — slicer)
- **Companions:** 2× Borage (bees love cucumber + borage flowers)

### #54 Angled Container 2 — cucurbit climber
- 1× Cucumber (Diva — burpless, parthenocarpic; reliable in coastal BC)
- **Companions:** 2× Nasturtium (trap crop for aphids)

### #55 Fence Container 1 — legume succession
- 6× Snap Peas (Sugar Snap — direct-seed NOW)
- *Then:* 6× Pole Beans (Kentucky Wonder — replant after peas finish ~late June)
- **Companions:** 3× Sweet Alyssum

### #56 Fence Container 2 — pole bean
- 6× Pole Beans (Scarlet Runner — red flowers, hummingbird magnet)
- **Companion:** 1× Borage

### #57 Northwest Back Patch (sprinkler) — brassica + root + greens block
- 3× Cabbage (Early Jersey Wakefield + Red Acre + Savoy — variety mix for staggered harvest)
- 4× Cauliflower (Snow Crown)
- 1× Zucchini (Costata Romanesco — Italian ribbed, less prolific than Black Beauty)
- 30× Carrots direct-seed (Scarlet Nantes)
- 30× Radish direct-seed (Cherry Belle — succession every 2 weeks)
- 20× Spinach direct-seed (Bloomsdale — in AM-shaded back portion)
- 6× Lettuce (Jericho romaine — bolt-resistant, in shaded back third)
- **Companions:** 8× French Marigold (perimeter) + 4× Calendula
- **Cover/soil:** 50× Buckwheat between rows (60-day green manure, dig in pre-fall) + 50× White Clover undersown (living mulch, N-fixer)
- **Plus 1× Comfrey** (Bocking 14) at one corner — perennial, planting #54

### #58 Southeast Back Patch (sprinkler) — potato + interplant
- *Existing:* 45× Potato (Spring 2026 Potatoes, planting #51) — 2 ft × 1.5 ft spacing
- **Between potato rows:**
  - 12× Bush Beans (Provider — direct-seed; N-fixer for potatoes)
  - 20× Spinach direct-seed (early-season; harvests before potatoes shade out)
  - 3× Borage scattered (bee + soil mineralizer, deep taproot)
- **Perimeter:** 12× French Marigold (Colorado potato beetle deterrent — classic pairing)
- **Corner:** 1× Zucchini (Costata Romanesco)
- **One end:** 6× Sweet Alyssum (beneficial insects)

### #116 Big Container Front — salad + bush succession
- 2× Determinate Tomato (Bush Early Girl + Patio Princess — compact, no staking)
- 4× Lettuce (Buttercrunch + Salanova red oakleaf + Black Seeded Simpson + Jericho — mix)
- 4× Bush Beans (Provider — 50-day, very early)
- 4× Beet (Detroit Dark Red — direct-seed; harvest greens then roots)
- 20× Radish (Cherry Belle — direct-seed band; succession every 2 weeks)
- 1× Basil (Genovese — beside tomatoes)
- 1× Parsley (Italian Flat — biennial, perennial-ish)
- 1× Cilantro (Slow Bolt)
- **Companions:** 4× Sweet Alyssum at corners
- **Succession ~May 25:** sow another 4 lettuce + 4 bush beans + radish

### #117 Big Container Middle
- *Existing:* 1× Green onion clump
- 4× Chives (perennial herb, pollinator flowers)

### #118 Big Container Back
- *Existing:* 60× Garlic (planting #46 — harvests ~July 15)
- **After garlic harvest:** plant fall lettuce, spinach, scallions; plant 80× garlic for 2027

### Already perennial (no action)
- **#49 Blueberry Path** — 11 blueberries
- **#59 Back Gate Planters** — 2 dwarf cherries (Romeo + Juliet)

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## Buy list

### Transplants (~50 items, $120–160)
| Plant | Variety(s) | Count | Goes in |
|---|---|---:|---|
| Tomato (indeterminate) | Sungold, San Marzano, Brandywine | 3 | #110 |
| Tomato (determinate/bush) | Bush Early Girl ×2, Patio Princess | 3 | #116 (×2), #112 (×1) |
| Bell Pepper | Yellow CA Wonder, Red Bell Boy, Orange Sun, Purple Beauty | 4 | #51 |
| Hot Pepper | Jalapeño, Anaheim | 2 | #51 |
| Eggplant | Black Beauty, Japanese Long Purple | 2 | #51 |
| Cauliflower | Snow Crown | 4 (+3 already idea-assigned in #51) | #57 |
| Cabbage | Early Jersey Wakefield, Red Acre, Savoy | 3 | #57 |
| Squash (vining) | Delicata, Butternut Waltham | 2 | #111 |
| Zucchini | Costata Romanesco | 2 | #57, #58 |
| Cucumber | Marketmore, Diva | 2 | #53, #54 |
| Lettuce (6-pack mix) | Buttercrunch, Salanova red oakleaf, Black Seeded Simpson, Jericho | ~14 | #116, #57 |
| Basil | Genovese | 4 | #110 (×3), #116 (×1) |
| Parsley | Italian Flat | 1 | #116 |
| Cilantro | Slow Bolt | 1 | #116 |
| Chives | Common | 4 | #117 |

### Companion plants (~$25)
| Plant | Count | Notes |
|---|---:|---|
| French Marigold (Tagetes patula) | ~30 (3 packs) | #51, #57, #58 perimeters — pest deterrent #1 |
| Calendula (Pacific Beauty) | ~10 | #112, #57 — pollinator + edible petals |
| Sweet Alyssum | ~12 | edges of #51, #55, #58, #116 — hoverfly magnet |
| Borage | 5–6 | #111, #53, #56, #58 — bee magnet, soil mineralizer |
| Nasturtium (Jewel Mix) | ~4 | #54, #111 — squash bug trap + edible |

### Direct-seed (~$15–25; mostly already in your inventory)
- Snap Peas (Sugar Snap)
- Bush Bean (Provider)
- Pole Bean (Kentucky Wonder, Scarlet Runner)
- Beet (Detroit Dark Red)
- Carrot (Scarlet Nantes)
- Radish (Cherry Belle)
- Spinach (Bloomsdale)
- Buckwheat — cover crop seed
- White Clover (mini perennial / microclover) — for living mulch in #57

### Perennial (one-time purchase)
- Comfrey **Bocking 14** root cutting (sterile cultivar — won't seed-spread)

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## Fertilizer at planting (uses what's on hand)

**Per transplant hole:**
- 1 tbsp Bone Meal + handful Compost in the bottom of the hole.
- After planting, scratch 1 tsp 6-8-6 All Purpose into surrounding soil, then water deeply (1 gal at planting).
- *Brassicas in #57 instead get* ¼ cup 10-15-9 Vegetable side-dressed (P/K-leaning, what brassicas want).

**Per bed (pre-plant):**
- 1 cup 6-8-6 per ~20 sqft container, mixed into top 4" of soil.
- Top with ~1" Compost layer.

**Direct-seeded crops:**
- Legumes (peas, beans): no fertilizer at planting — they fix their own N.
- Beets, carrots, lettuce, spinach, radish: light pre-plant compost only.

**Watering after planting:** with no rain forecast, deep water every 2–3 days for the first 2 weeks, then drip/sprinkler schedule takes over.

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## Succession & timing summary

| When | Action |
|---|---|
| **Now (May 5–7)** | Direct-seed snap peas, bush beans, carrots, beets, spinach, radish. Plant lettuce, brassica, cilantro, parsley transplants. Plant comfrey. |
| **May 8–10** | Plant warm-season transplants: tomato, pepper, eggplant (#51), cucumber (#53, #54), pole bean (#54, #56 direct-seed or transplant), zucchini + yam slips (#58). |
| **~May 25** | Succession sow: 4 more lettuce in #116, 4 more bush beans in #58, more radish. |
| **Late June** | When snap peas finish in #55, replant with pole beans. |
| **Mid-July (after garlic harvest)** | #118 frees up — plant fall lettuce, spinach, or fall garlic for 2027. |

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## Open follow-ups

- **Counts for #33 brassicas already entered** (Broccoli/Gypsy ×4, Brussels Sprouts/Jade Cross ×4, Kale/Red Russian ×6). Area #33 was renamed to just **"Back Patch"** to disambiguate from the two fenced-garden back patches.
- As you transplant each item, flip the plant_group's status from `planned` → `planted`.
- Status of planting #26 will move from `planned` → `planted` once everything is in the ground.

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*Source records: planting #26 "2026 Fenced Garden" (planned, 64 plant_groups across 12 areas), planting #54 "Comfrey (Perennial)" (1 plant_group at #57). For the watering side of this plan, see the separate watering-plan artifact.*