I recently got all of these seeds from my friend since they’re 2025 seeds and am wondering if anyone has any tips on which ones to try to grow next to which?
I just prepared two 8’x4’ raised garden beds but wanted to get some last minute advice before I officially plant them tomorrow since it’s my first veggie grow lol.
I know I’m later in the season for some of these to grow well but honestly I’ve only grown flowers and have so many house plants, it’s crazy but I absolutely want to take on growing a veggie garden. Please give me any and all advice 🫶🏻
by dairyer
8 Comments
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You have way more seeds than you have space, so you’ll want to do some planning. The squash and the watermelon would both consume all the available space you have by themselves.
Whats your priority, growing things just to see what grows? Growing a significant portion of what you eat? Making it pretty? You can plant two watermelon in one bed and two butternut squash in the other, put down some plastic for mulch and call it a day if you wanted to.
Or you can carefully figure out a square foot plan and plan for multiple plantings of multiple varieties a few at a time so you get waves harvest.
As far as the 8×4 beds is concerned, the watermelon, pumpkin, winter squash, and cantaloupe will absolutely take over. You probably want a trellis to attempt those, unless you have a patch of backyard that you dont mind losing and you could just grow those in the ground.
Summer squash also gets somewhat big (3’x3′) but its super productive.
Lettuce is a great quick growing crop. Especially if its something you use a lot. It can be susceptible to bolting ( flowering to make seed) when it gets too hot. The lettuce usually becomes bitter once it starts putting out the flower stalk, so it helps to have seedlings planted a few weeks apart so you can replace the old ones once they bolt.
Tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers are fun and taste great from the garden. Also very productive and love heat(peppers and eggplants especially tomatoes slow down above 90 degrees) Definitely get those seeds going as quick as possible.
Broccoli and cabbage like mild temps so you might be a little too late unless ypu have a more temperate climate.
Beans grow fast and love a trellis. They are usually very productive and can be pretty with the flowers.
Yes if you want to maximize, put up some trellises and get the squash and melons to grow vertically. Or you can make a hoop trellis from a cattle panel and grow them over that. If your beds are close enough together, you can run it from one bed over to the other and save the space in the beds. I don’t know what your weather is like, you won’t get tomatoes until later in the summer and your pumpkins might not get done before Halloween. If you aren’t concerned about using every square inch to the max, then just pick a couple of your favorites.
Definitely mix the marigolds in with the veggies, they deter some pests and attract pollinators. But cut the flowers in the fall before they drop their seeds or you’ll have hundreds of them everywhere next year. Just let a few go to seed for next year.
Have fun!
I have lettuce, zucchini and green beans in one corner of my garden so I know those 3 get along. And peas and onions do well together.
Unless you are planning a farm you don’t need nearly that many seeds. You should start by growing 2 of each plant (which means planting 4 seeds of each). This will help you get used to growing the wide array of plants. You need to see what each plant is like to grow. Each plant has it’s own story, and has it own needs, needs for fertilizer, needs for pest control, needs for trellising, needs for staking, needs for water, needs for germination, sun exposure, etc etc. It’s a steep learning curve if you are new so don’t feel obligated to grow too much just because you have a few extra seed packs. Good luck!
The eggplant, peppers and tomatoes, are all too late/too fussy to start now from seed outside. Thies are usually started in seed indoors 2 months before planting. They just take a long time from seed. So buy small plants from the store if you want thoes.
All others will do fine from seed directly planted in the ground. Zucchini is like 2 plants for a whole family kind of plant. Beams are fun and easy to grow and produce alot of beans. Make sire old eother a bush bean, or a climbing bean. The climbing been needs some type of pole or something to grow up.
Some people will disagree with my suggestion, but since you probably missed the window on starting some of these seeds, consider waiting until it’s a better time to start or potentially buy the grown *plants* from a nursery. Some can be pretty inexpensive and will possibly die, but you’ll get a lot of experience and learn a lot in this first season of planting and growing. It’s easier to “succeed” from a plant than a seed, and you’ll get to see the fruits (or vegetables) of your labor!
I know the seeds were free and you just want to use them up, but just wanted to give that suggestion.