Time to Start Planning Next Year’s Garden – Try This Little Garden with Mini Pumpkins & Morning Glories

It is officially too hot to be outside and therefore, I am inside today and planning my next year’s garden.

The plan centers around a bean pole teepee. You see some of my bean pole teepees in the back of the following photo of my garden:

It is too hot to do much gardening outside now, and I thought that I’d share a little garden plan that I recommend for people who want to get a taste of growing vegetables in their yards. This is a Better Homes and Gardens Plan. It fits an area 6′ x 6′.

Plants for Creating the Small Children’s Vegetable Garden Plan

“On just a six-foot-square piece of land, you can create a colorful child-size wonderland filled with a few fast-growing veggies, fruits, and flowers. A simple bamboo-pole tepee covered with morning glory and pumpkin vines adds an irresistible element of fun where kids can hide and play. While the vines grow, seed the ground within the ring of poles with radishes. By the time your root crop matures enough to harvest, the vines will be starting to shade the space. Other edible favorites that children can snack on right from the plants include luscious tomatoes and sweet strawberries. Marigolds and tall sunflowers add some cheerful floral color, too.” Better Homes and Gardens

Plant List & Where to Buy Plants

You can buy Baby Boo and Jack-be-Little pumpkins everywhere. I ordered mine from Amazon.

‘Baby Boo’ pumpkin
‘Jack-be-little’ pumpkin

Burpee Heirloom Heavenly Blue Morning Glories Growing in Jacki Kellum Garden

‘Heavenly Blue’ morning glory

I only plant morning glories that I buy online from Burpee, The flowers from this heirloom favorite are 5 times larger than other morning glory flowers.

https://www.burpee.com/morning-glory-heavenly-blue-prod000284.html

‘Mammoth’ or ‘California Greystripe’ sunflower

You can buy Mammoth Sunflowers everywhere, too. You can even get them at Walmart.

‘Easter Egg’ radish

Or I might try:

Crayon Mix Radish

Ozark Beauty Strawberries

I grow Ozark Beauties in my garden, but I don’t get many berries. I probably need to throw something different at my plants, but they are a beautiful groundcover for along a path.
‘Tristar’ or ‘Ozark Beauty’ strawberry

‘Sungold’ tomato – Cherry Tomato

The plan calls for Sungold Cherry Tomatoes. I may try those in 2023–the color works well for this little garden–but I normally plant Super Sweet 100 Cherry Tomatoes. Sungold tomatoes are rather orange and Super Sweet 100 tomatoes are very red.

Marigold Gem Mix

The plan calls for the Sophia mix of marigolds, but I think I’ll try the Gem Mix.