Transplants
Tomatoes and peppers moved from hardened seedlings into the plot.
Part II · Inside the 14 × 9 plot
The garden that changes with the season
An illustrated field map of the garlic, roots, brassicas, fruiting crops, cucurbits, beans, and the spaces that were harvested and planted again.
The living garden map
Move through four versions of the same ground
Choose a season stage, then select any crop area for its field note. Harvested beds fade; succession plantings enter the page in green.
Fall transitionAll eight lunar-timed lettuce and spinach rows emerge; seven broccoli establish, then animal browsing leaves one survivor.
14 feet · southwest to northeast9 feetSWNE
The production arc
14 turning points in the main garden
The map changes because the season changes: establish, harvest, correct, cure, and begin again.
First abundance
Green beans and cucumbers marked the shift from tending plants to managing a harvest.
Targeted response
Aphids, brassica caterpillars, and groundhog damage each received a different correction and a next-day check.
Roots & peppers
Carrot shoulders reached 1–1½ inches and the first banana peppers were picked.
Roots leave the rows
Potatoes were dug and curing began; onions followed as their tops fell naturally.
Two seasons at once
Summer crops produced while broccoli, cauliflower, and beans began again under lights.
Succession enters the plot
The new green-bean row was transplanted and stood upright without wilting.
Honest accounting
A mixed harvest came in, one zucchini was pollinated, and two succession beans were recorded as losses.
Precise pest control
Caterpillars, squash-bug eggs, and two adult squash bugs were removed; Bt protected broccoli and cauliflower.
A fall bed begins
Finished Batch 4 compost was mixed into fresh soil and covered with straw for lettuce and spinach.
Cool rows return
Eight broccoli seedlings entered the old potato row; five lettuce rows and three spinach rows were direct-sown.
Firsts under fog
Seven fall broccoli plants stood healthy, the first bean succession carried pods, and the older beans became the garden's first three-flush crop.
Every fall seed row emerges
All five lettuce rows and all three spinach rows germinated while seven fall broccoli plants continued strong center growth.
Browsing changes the fall plot
Only one of the seven established fall broccoli transplants remained after animal browsing, so the lunar-timed trial stayed open rather than being judged from survival alone.
Integrated pest notes
Scout early. Act precisely.
Most inspections found no pests. When a problem appeared, the treatment stayed specific to the pest and the crop.
Brassica caterpillars
Inspect crowns and leaf folds, remove larvae, then place Bt where feeding occurs. Recheck after rain and new damage.
Squash bugs
Check open flowers, stems, and leaf undersides. Hand-remove adults and nymphs and destroy egg clusters before they hatch.
Japanese beetles
Morning and evening hand-picking kept berry damage limited. Most scouting rounds were pest-free.
Aphids & ants
A targeted soap treatment cleared the potato infestation, followed by careful observation for plant stress.
Animal browsing
A damaged carrot row and tunnel required a physical barrier earlier in the season. Later browsing reached one established blueberry and reduced the fall broccoli planting to one survivor, so damage was recorded separately from crop performance.
Blister beetles
Adults were removed from the older bean row on August 17; the newer beans remained clear, and no blister beetles appeared during the cool August 20 scout.
Fall succession
Begin again while summer is still producing.
By August 22 the first intentional bean succession carried flowers and pods, seven broccoli transplants showed strong new center growth in the old potato row, and all five lettuce rows plus all three spinach rows had germinated. Animal browsing reduced the fall broccoli to one survivor by September 2, so the garden's first lunar-timed planting experiment remains open through the end of the season. The record separates early establishment from later outside damage instead of using one number as a verdict on the timing method.