Prepping My Garden for 2026

As I am prepping my garden for 2026, here is a look back at 2025. It was the first year that I went all in on a big garden. Our neighbor came over and tilled a spot for me, and since the area I chose was on a slope, I built three separate tiers, each about 6′ x 35′.

For my first year, more grew than I expected, but I was definitely heartbroken over the plants that didn’t fully produce. I lost all my Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage to bugs. The vines on my pumpkins and watermelons burned before the fruit ripened. My cantaloupe and beans never grew, and only two pea plants survived. I had a few stalks of corn grow, but not enough to pollinate, so that was a bust as well.

On the positive side, my tomato and pepper plants produced for months — even after I stopped caring for the garden as much once everything else had died off. Once I got the bugs under control on my tomatillos, they wouldn’t stop growing, and I learned that I need higher and stronger supports for them this year. My basil and spinach didn’t do well in the ground, but when I started them in pots, both performed great.

My zucchini did well, like it always seems to do. It’s one of those plants that doesn’t need much fuss. The carrots and cucumbers did okay. I do need to improve weed control around the carrots, and I think that will help this year.

For Christmas, I received the EGO Cultivator attachment and tested it out the other day. As long as I plan my garden spacing accordingly, I think it will be a game changer for weed control. Hand-weeding a garden that size was a lot of work.

Plan for 2026

Start more seeds indoors

I started about half of my seeds indoors last year, and those plants definitely did better. This year I plan to start everything indoors except corn.

Add raised beds or pots

I want to add raised beds or pots at the end of each tier for peas, beans, lettuce, and herbs. Since these didn’t do well in the ground, I’m hoping better soil and smaller spaces will help.

Figure out bug control

I’ve read that neem oil is helpful for controlling bugs. I used something similar last year, but I realized I probably wasn’t using enough when it came to my brussel sprouts, cabbage, etc.

More fertilizer

Based on my soil test, I added nitrogen and phosphorus last year. This year I also plan to add some type of manure to improve soil health.

What I am Planting

• Rainbow Bell Pepper
• Tomatillos
• Blue Lake Pole Stringless Beans
• Oregon Sugar Pods
• Early White Hybrid Cauliflower
• ButterStem Hybrid Sprouting Broccoli
• Long Island Brussel Sprouts
• Charleston Wakefield Cabbage
• Italian Large Leaf Basil
• Black Beauty Zucchini
• Sweet Corn on Deck
• Baby Leaf Hybrid Spinach
• Mango Hybrid Melon
• Raindrop Cherry Tomato
• Wildflower Hummingbird Mix
• Wildflower Fragrant Mix
• Blue Lake 274 Bush Bean
• Carnival Blend Carrot
• True Greek Oregano
• Rosemary
• Gourmet Blend Beet
• Arugula
• California Wonder Peppers
• Large Red Cherry Tomato
• Tenderette Bush Beans
• Sugar Snap Garden Pea
• Party Time Snacking Cucumbers

Cheers to a great year in the garden! I’ll be sure to share my progress and let everyone know how this year shapes up.