Tim's Square Foot Garden Blog

Early Spring Garden Update

timbeckman — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:14:41 +0000

The early spring garden is starting to take shape. Garden activities have really picked up over the last few months. The cold frame was put up in the garden around the middle of February. The two compost bins were emptied and the compost was put on all of the garden beds on February 27th. Lettuce seeds were started indoors on February 28th. Celery, brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, cabbage, and broccoli seeds were started indoors on March 8th. Lastly, tomato and pepper seeds were started indoors on March 18th. The lettuce seedlings were moved out into the cold frame on March 5th and the cole crop seedlings were moved out into the cold frame around the middle of March. The tomato and pepper seedlings will be moved out into the cold frame either today or tomorrow.

The fall planted top setting onions did not fare to well. About half of them did not make it through the winter. Not sure what happened to them, but it appears that they rotted in the ground. I have never had that happen to these since I have been growing them. I did manage to replant most of them and at least some of those have started to grow now. The overwintered lettuce (variety Nevada) did okay covered by a plastic covered hoop, but they look a little rough.

204 onion transplants were planted out into the garden on March 20th. Approximately 1/3 were red blush hybrid and 2/3 were yellow candy hybrid. 46 lettuce seedlings were planted out into the garden on April 2nd, under a plastic covered hoop. The cole crop seedlings will not be planted out into the garden for another 2-3 weeks. I plan on seeding my garden peas and the Red Norland potatoes sometime within the next week.

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Seedlings in Cold Frame, Picture Taken 4-1-26

More Seedlings in Cold Frame, Picture Taken 4-1-26

Onions in the Garden, Picture Taken 4-2-26

Newly Planted Lettuce Seedlings in the Garden, Picture Taken 4-2-26

Overwintered Lettuce (Nevada) in the Garden. Picture Taken 4-2-26

Last of the Fall Carrots Harvested, 2025 Garden Review

timbeckman — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 18:07:32 +0000

The last of the fall carrots were harvested on January 14, 2026, which were about 1/3 or the total harvest. The first harvest of these took place in early October. They faired really well under the plastic covered hoop and the dry leaves (see pictures below). Currently my garden is buried under about 10 inches of snow. If you live anywhere east of the Rockies then you know that it has been very very cold over the last month. I am still hopeful to be able to get the cold frame up in the garden by the end of February, even if I do have to shovel snow off of the garden bed!!

I had a very productive garden in 2025. The biggest surprise was the Plum Regal tomatoes that I tried growing for the first time. They grew really well, with no signs of the blight disease that I have battled for the last several years. I will certainly be growing that tomato variety again next year. I tried to grow a different variety of celery in 2025, Hadrian, and it grew very well with no sign of the celery disease of past years. The rest of the garden also grew very well, despite the very dry conditions that existed later in the growing season. The Castle Dome broccoli grew well, but I still miss my Packman variety, which is no longer available. I was very impressed with the Katarina cabbage, as well as the Matchbox chili pepper (of which I saved the seeds from). I am really looking forward to warmer weather and to the start of the 2026 growing season.

The Last of the 2025 Scarlet Nantes Carrots Before Harvest, Picture Taken 1-14-26

The Last of the 2025 Carrot Harvest, Picture Taken 1-14-26

2025 Fall Garden Update

timbeckman — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 17:46:16 +0000

Another garden season has come and gone. As of now, the garden is covered with about 5 inches of snow and temperatures have been sub zero a few times over the last few days, but the weather forecast is for much warmer weather over the next ten days, so all the snow should be melted soon.

Wow, this year’s fall garden produced really really well, despite the drought. The weather was abnormally warm until October 24th, when the garden experienced the first frost and minor freeze. Despite that, the fall garden continued to produce, with the help of some row covers. The warm season peppers and tomatoes were pulled up shortly after this time. The first harvest of fall cabbage and kohlrabi occurred around the third week of October and continued until almost the end of November. The first harvest or carrots started around the first week of October. I still have about half of the carrots in the ground covered with shredded tree leaves and a plastic covered hoop. I sure hope they made it through the very frigid temperatures (I think the snow cover should have helped to insulate them and keep them from freezing). I was able to get the topsetting onions planted in the garden on October 31st. These should overwinter with no issues. The first of the fall cauliflower was harvested on October 31st. It grew really well this fall with 5 of the 6 plants producing very large heads. The brussels sprouts harvest started on November 9th and finished up a few weeks later. The brussels sprouts harvest was about average this year. The last of the kohlrabi and cabbage did survive the very hard freeze and about 2 inches of snow on November 10th/11th, because the plants were covered with 2 row covers (they are pretty tough plants).

Just a few observations from this year’s fall garden. The fast maturing cabbage (Katarina) that I grew for the first time this year has impressed me. I think it is an excellent cabbage for the fall garden as it matures fast and also has great flavor. I will definitely be growing this again next year. The other cabbage variety that I have been growing for years, Golden Acre, also did very well in my fall garden. It takes a little longer to mature than Katarina, but it is also larger and I think it has good cold tolerance. Castle Dome, the new variety of broccoli I tried this year, did very well this fall, perhaps better than the spring planting. This is one of the varieties that is a replacement for my beloved Packman broccoli that is no longer available. I would like to trial another broccoli variety next spring, Pak-Pro, which is touted as another replacement to Packman.

Two Giant Heads of Castle Dome Broccoli Harvested on 10/22/25

Two Very Large Heads of Snow Crown Cauliflower Harvested on 10/31/25

My Chickens Feasting on What’s Left of the Fall Broccoli Plants, Picture Taken 11/22/25

Still Very Very Dry, Fall Harvest Update, Garden Visitor

timbeckman — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 17:20:51 +0000

Wow, it remains very very dry here in Central Indiana and it has also been unusually warm over the last several weeks, which has only made the drought worse. The temperatures have at least cooled down over the last day or so. Despite the dryness, the garden keeps producing since I have been doing some additional watering. Harvest continues on the lettuce, although probably not for much longer. The celery has really done well for me so far this year with more to come. Harvest has just finished up on the late planting of bush green beans. The tomatoes continue to produce but ripening is now at a much slower pace. Harvest continues on the jalapeno, hot banana, super chili (match box), and ancho (poblano) peppers. The four ancho pepper plants have now grown to nearly seven feet tall and are absolutely loaded with peppers, with so many that I have been giving them away. The first fall harvest of broccoli began on October 6th, with more to come. The first fall harvest of cabbage and kohlrabi is anticipated tomorrow. The carrots have really started to grow and look really good right now. The brussels sprouts are also doing pretty good right now with many small sprouts starting to form on the stalks. The cauliflower is just starting to push on small heads, but it won’t be ready to harvest for about another month or so.

I have had an occasional garden visitor over the last month or so, a groundhog! So far it has stayed away from the vegetable beds, which I am thankful for. Hopefully it stays away from them for the rest of the season. I have nicknamed it Pok Chop.

Groundhog “Pok Chop” Visiting the Garden, Picture Taken 9-25-25

Fall Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Cabbage Growing Well, Picture Taken 10-9-25

Scarlet Nante Carrots Looking Good, Picture Taken 10-9/25

Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kohlrabi, and Cabbage Growing Well in the Old Corn Plot, Picture Taken 10-9-25

Two Broccoli Plants Ready to Harvest, Picture Taken 10-6-25

The Four Ancho Poblano Pepper Plants Have Turned Into Trees, Picture Taken 10-2-25

Dry, Dry, Dry, Lots of Tomatoes and Peppers, Fall Garden Doing Well

timbeckman — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 16:17:12 +0000

The weather has been very very dry over the last month, but at least it has cooled down a bit over the last week or so. Wow, the Plum Regal tomatoes have been outstanding so far this year!! I have processed two batches of Italian sauce for the freezer as well as multiple batches of salsa. I have also enjoyed eating fresh tomatoes on my salad. These tomatoes are very large and meaty for a plum tomato. I will definitely be growing this variety again next year. All of my peppers have been producing like crazy, with more coming on. I have just started to harvest the early August planted lettuce, with more to come. The August planted cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, and broccoli seedlings are starting to get some size to them, although the heat and the dry conditions have been a challenge so far. I have also been harvesting celery over the past month. This celery (variety Hadrian) has shown some resistant to the Celery Anthracnose disease that I have been battling over the last several years. I did have three celery plants exhibit some signs of this disease earlier this year, and they were promptly pulled out. The other celery plants seem do be growing well right now. The two plots of late planted bush green beans have started to flower and I have noticed some very small beans forming on the plants, so it won’t be too much longer before harvest begins on them. The Scarlet Nantes carrots still seem a bit small, but continue to grow and should be fine as long as I keep them watered. I am hoping we get some rain soon, but the forecast does not look promising. Happy fall gardening!

Very Large Plum Regal Tomatoes

Plum Regal Tomatoes Still Producing, Picture Taken 9-9-25

Sierra and Winter Density Lettuce, Picture Taken 9-9-25

Cabbage, Kohlrabi, Broccoli, and Cauliflower Starting to Grow, Picture Taken 9-9-25

Celery Looking Good, Picture Taken 9-9-25

Snow Crown Cauliflower Getting Bigger, Picture Taken 9-9-25

Plot of Bush Green Beans Nearing Harvest Time, Picture Taken 9-9-25

Brussel Spouts (Left) and Broccoli (Right), Picture Taken 9-9-25

Cabbage, Cauliflower, and Broccoli, Picture Taken 9-9-25

Mid Summer Garden Update – Lots of Good Produce – Fall Garden Planted

timbeckman — Sun, 10 Aug 2025 16:30:20 +0000

Wow, the garden keeps producing a really good harvest. The first Silver Queen white corn was harvest on July 20th. The Silver Queen sweet corn harvest ended with a total of 32 good sized ears harvested from 34 total plants. Six smaller sized ears were harvested that did not fully fill out an ear. Overall, the corn harvest was decent, but the overall size of the ears were smaller than normal. I would attribute that to the very hot temperatures at the time the corn was pollinating. I have been harvesting Diva cucumbers over about the last three weeks or so and had enough to put up twelve jars of refrigerator pickles. The cucumber vines have only recently started to wither a little, probably due to vine bores, but that is okay as I have all the cucumbers I need for this year. Harvest continues on green beans, now mostly from the rattlesnake pole beans. More bush green beans were sown a few weeks ago and they are growing nicely. Harvest began on the Plum Regal tomatoes about five days ago with many more tomatoes to come. Harvest has also started on the celery. The last of the spring broccoli was pulled up last week. Scarlet Nantes carrot seeds were sown on August 4th. The fall garden has now been planted. 18 broccoli seedlings, 18 cabbage seedlings, 8 cauliflower seedlings, 12 kohlrabi seedlings, and 18 lettuce seedlings were transplanted out into the garden on August 5th and 6th. Since the weather has been very hot and dry, I had to make sure that these seedlings received plenty of water. Harvest is starting to ramp up on the hot banana peppers and the jalapeno peppers. The pepper harvest has been delayed a little this year due to the mid to late June heat wave. The first of the Match Box red chili peppers were harvested a few days ago and dried.

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Silver Queen White Corn Awaiting Harvest, Picture Taken 7-21-25

Ears of First Silver Queen Corn Harvested on July 20, 2025

Summer Garden Producing Well, Did Receive Some Much Needed Rain

timbeckman — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 17:50:56 +0000

The summer garden is really starting to produce. The garden did receive some much needed rain over the last week or so, but it still remains somewhat drier than normal. At least the temperatures have fallen to near normal levels, which has helped the plants.

I picked the first batch of bush green beans on July 11th and was able to pressure can 7 quarts of beans on July 14th. I will be planting another two plots of bush green beans soon. I pulled up the onions on July 4th to dry in the barn (see pics below) and, after drying, trimmed and sorted them into mesh bags on July 15th. They will be stored in my basement. Overall, the Candy yellow onions produced very well again this year and the Red Candy Apple onions did not produce as well as previous years. I will be harvesting all of the top settings onions very soon. I will let those dry and then store them until late October, when they get planted back out into the garden. Despite the heat, I have been able to pick some lettuce that was sown in late May (growing under shade cloth). The remaining early spring planted lettuce has all started to bolt. All of the Green Arrow peas have been harvested, with the rest being saved for seeds.

I finished harvesting the last two cabbage heads a few days ago. I still have a few kohlrabi heads still left to harvest. The Diva cucumber vines are growing like crazy and have started to see some small cucumbers on most of the vines, so it won’t be long until pickling time. Started harvesting hot banana peppers about one week ago, with many more on the plants. Still waiting on the Early Jalapeno peppers, although I do see a few small jalapenos on a few of the plants. The Silver Queen white corn is starting to silk, so it will probably be ready to harvest in another few weeks.

The Plum Regal paste tomatoes look really good with many green tomatoes observed on the plants. I did see that one of the tomatoes has started to turn red this morning. I have noticed a little bit of flea beetle damage on some of the leaves, but overall I am very impressed with the growth of these tomatoes. I found a really good website from the University of Maryland Extension titled Key to Common Problems of Tomatoes. What I like most about the site are the pictures, which makes diagnosis of diseases and pests very helpful. Click here to view the page

All of the Red Norland potatoes have been harvested from the five grow bags and some of the Red Norland potatoes have been harvested from the two raised beds. All of the potatoes out of these two beds will be harvested over the next week or so.

The celery is growing pretty good despite all of the heat, although it is still a little small.

All of seeds for the fall crop of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, and lettuce were sown into cell packs on June 30th, and all have since germinated and are growing under the awning on my back porch.

One Shelf of Onions Drying on Raised Hardware Cloth in Barn, Picture Taken 7-13-25

Another Shelf of Onions Drying on Raised Hardware Cloth in Barn, Picture Taken 7-13-25

Early Sumer Garden Growing Well, Very Hot and Very Dry

timbeckman — Sun, 29 Jun 2025 15:46:16 +0000

The early summer garden is growing well despite the very hot and dry conditions. After all of the rain we received this spring, the weather has turned really dry and very hot. Temperatures have been 90 degrees or higher the last 7 days with very little rain. Needless to say, the garden has been getting dry and I have had to start to water most of the garden. I have finished harvesting all of the main heads of the Castle Dome broccoli. To my surprise, most of the plants have produced some side shoots, which is good. Harvest has also begun on the kohlrabi and cabbage. The new cabbage (Katarina) has grown really well for me this spring and I have already harvested 3 small to medium sized heads of cabbage with no slug issues, yeah!! All of the Red Norland potato vines have started to die back and I have been harvesting a few of the potatoes that have started to grow out of the soil. I will let the vines die back and then start harvesting these potatoes, probably in another 2 weeks or so. I still have 2 bags of later planted Elba white potatoes that are still growing (this is a new potato variety I am trying this year). All of the bush green beans have started to flower, so harvest will not be too far away for those. The Green Arrow peas have suffered a little from all of this heat. Harvest will start on these peas over the next few days. The lettuce is also a little heat stressed, even though I have them well watered and most of the plants covered with shade netting. I was able to harvest a good amount of lettuce, about one week ago, before the heat really kicked in. I am trying a new variety of celery this year, Hadrian. It is tolerant to celery anthracnose (more commonly called leaf curl disease) which I have been battling for the last several years. So far, it is growing well, although the plants are still a little small. The Rattlesnake pole beans have already reached the top of the bean towers and should be starting to flower soon. The peppers and tomatoes have really started to grow. The hot banana peppers even have some small to medium sized peppers already on the plants. I am also trying a new small chili pepper to replace the Super Chili hybrid, called Match Box. It is an open pollinated variety (so I will be saving the seeds of these peppers, if all goes well). So far, it is growing well and it already has a few small peppers on the plants. The Diva cucumber vines are starting to grow up their cages, but no signs of flowers as of yet. The Silver Queen sweet corn is growing like mad and has already started to tassel. A strong storm blew down several of the plants about a week ago, so they had to be propped back up with some twine and stakes. Those plants have since grown back straight and look good. All of my March planted onions have had most of their tops flop over, so harvest and drying on those will probably begin over the next few weeks.

Seeding of broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, and cauliflower into cell packs will begin over the next several days. It is hard to believe that fall is right around the corner!! Please enjoy the photos of the garden below.

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Tomatoes (Variety Plum Regal) Getting Some Good Size, Picture Taken 6/28/25

Red Norland Potatoes in One of the Two Raised Beds Nearly Ready for Harvesting, Picture Taken 6/28/25

Red Norland Potatoes in Grow Bags Almost Ready for Harvesting, Picture Taken 6/28/25

Rattlesnake Pole Beans Reaching the Top of the Bean Tower, Picture Taken 6/28/25

Green Arrow Peas Awaiting Harvesting, Picture Taken 6/28/25

Onions (Candy and Red Candy Apple) Tops Falling Over, Picture Taken 6/28/25

Lettuce Growing Under Shade Netting, Picture Taken 6/28/25

Match Box Chili Peppers Growing Nicely, Picture Taken 6/28/25

Hot Banana Pepper Almost Ready to Harvest, Picture Taken 6/28/25

Elba White Potatoes in Grown Bags Still Flowering, Picture Taken 6/28/25

Silver Queen Sweet Corn Starting to Tassel, Picture Taken 6/28/25

Celery (Hadrian) Getting Bigger, Picture Taken 6/28/25

Katarina Cabbage Ready to Harvest, Picture Taken 6/28/25

Diva Cucumber (Right), Peppers (Center), and Bush Green Beans (Left), Picture Taken 6/28/25

Garden Fully Planted, Warmer Weather Has Finally Arrived

timbeckman — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 17:02:00 +0000

The 2025 garden has now been fully planted. Warmer and somewhat drier weather has also arrive, which I am thankful for. Over the last several weeks I have been able to seed both bush and pole beans and cucumbers. All have since germinated and are starting to grow. With the warmer weather the tomatoes and peppers have started to look much better. The potatoes continue to look very good and some of the vines have started to flower. The spring planted lettuce has also started to grow faster with the warmer temperatures, so harvest continues on the lettuce. The first broccoli harvest of the season took place yesterday. This is a new broccoli variety I am growing this year called Castle Dome. It is a little earlier than the my old stand by variety Packman, but Castle Dome has smaller heads. It also appears that it will not have the good side shoot production as Packman. For whatever reason, Packman is not available any more. I will have to see if I can find a better replacement for Packman in the future. The cabbage continues to get bigger and it looks like it will be ready to harvest in another 2-3 weeks. This is a new extra early variety of cabbage I am trying out this spring called Katarina (matures in 45 days). I am hopeful that it will form heads before the slugs find it. The last of the green onions will be harvested over the next few days. The peas continue to grow despite being picked to death by the sparrows. I had to remove the netting as the peas were starting to grow through it and I replaced it with a row cover. Hopefully they will continue to grow. Some of the pea vines are starting to flower, which is a good sign. Here is hoping that the warmer weather continues.

Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Peppers, and Bush Green Beans, Picture Taken 6/9/25

Peas (Covered), Ancho Peppers, Bush Green Beans, Pole Green Beans, Picture Taken 6/9/25

Spring Planted Lettuce and Onions, Picture Taken 6/9/25

Silver Queen White Corn Growing Well, Picture Taken 6/9/25

Broccoli (Variety Castle Dome) Waiting to be Harvested, Picture Taken 6/9/25

The Plot of Brussels Spouts, Overwintered Lettuce, Green Onion, Broccoli, Cabbage and Kohlrabi, Picture Taken 6/9/25

Still Very Wet, Garden Continues to Get Planted

timbeckman — Wed, 21 May 2025 14:59:18 +0000

Sorry for the delay in posting. The weather has been very wet over the past several weeks, but despite the rain, garden activities continue. The Silver Queen white corn was seeded near the end of April and almost all of the seeds have since germinated and are now growing nicely. l did manage to plant the majority of the pepper and the tomato seedlings on May 11th. A few of the pepper seedlings were planted a few days before that. I also planted the brussels sprout seedlings out into the garden around around May 9th. The very small celery seedlings were finally transplanted out into the garden a few days ago. Harvest started on the spring planted lettuce and radishes a few weeks ago. Harvest also continues on the green onions. I still have not seeded my green beans or cucumbers as of yet, as the soil remains very cool and wet. Hopefully, I will get some of those seeded within the next week. The Red Norland potatoes are growing really well and the vines will probably start to flower in the next few weeks. The spring planted broccoli, kohlrabi, and cabbage are looking really good right now. The spring seeded Green Arrow peas were being picked to death by sparrows once again this year, so I had to cover them with bird netting. I hope you enjoy the several pictures below of the May garden. Here’s hoping that the weather turns drier and warmer!

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Tomato and Pepper Transplants Out in the Garden, Picture Taken 5/16/25

One of the Two Raised Beds of Red Norland Potatoes Growing Nicely, Picture Taken 5/16/25

Grow Bags With Red Norland Potatoes Growing Really Well, Picture Taken 5/16/25

Two Rows of Green Arrow Peas Along With Kohlrabi and Green Onions, Picture Taken 5/16/25

Spring Planted Lettuce Starting to Get Some Size, Along With Top Setting Onions, Candy Onions, and Red Candy Apple Onions Growing Well, Picture Taken 5/16/25

Silver Queen White Corn Starting to Get Taller, Picture Taken 5/16/25

Broccoli, Cabbage, Kohlrabi, Brussels Sprouts, Radishes, Green Onions, and What’s Left of the Overwintered Lettuce, Picture Taken 5/16/25