So I’m going to try blogging daily if I have something worth posting, or at the least, once a week. Today’s post is going to be my ambitious list of crops that I want to plant. The list is pretty big, so I think I might not go all out unless I really get the farming bug. Now, due to the unique nature of my yard and the adjoining BG&E property, I’ll have the ability to have a herb garden in my yard, and the bulk of the veggies and grains on the BG&E easement land. This should save me quite a bit of money, since I won’t be as concerned about “ascetics”, such as raised beds, nice trim, and layout. I’m going to use the easement land and just put row after row of seeds or transplants until I feel I won’t have the energy to weed that amount of land. So for the purposes of following along when I use certain lingo, I’ll clarify.
“The Garden” – This will be on my property. This will be primarily herbs, flowers, and spice plants. Since it will be in my backyard/side yard, I will make this look really nice and have paths and whatever else to make sure my wife doesn’t start complaining that I’m making the house look too trashy.
“The Farm” – This is the name I’m giving to the BG&E easement land that I’m allowed to use behind my house. In case you’re wondering up until now, the easement is BG&E owned land that has power lines on it. No, not normal neighborhood lines, but the HUGE metal tower high voltage intrastate transmission lines. Yes, I’ve heard they can cause cancer. I actually went back to the original study conducted that started all the hype, and I can tell you as a former biologist, the results are pretty inconclusive. I will probably post the study at a later point if anyone is interested.
The fact of the matter is, in Howard county Maryland, it’s hard to escape those power lines. They crisscross through most of Maryland actually, and many houses are being built practically underneath them. The cancer rates would be much higher in Howard county if the electromagnetic radiation coming off of those lines were hazardous. Quite frankly, after looking at the study, you’re more at risk for cancer using your cell phone everyday and sitting at your computer at work for 8 hours a day than living 100 feet away from high power transmission lines.
Woo, anyways, I digress. So, back to “the farm”. This is where the bulk of my growing is going to be. I plan to have two sections. One will be standard rows of veggies, and the other will be experimenting with the native American “Three Sisters” plotting. The native Americans grew crops very well for hundreds of years using the three sisters planting method, so I figure I’ll give it a shot. More on that later.
So here is the list of what I’d like to grow in each (not alphabetically unless I get REALLY bored and reorganize it):
The Garden
Apothecary rose
Garlic
Marjoram
Cilantro
Basil
Parsley
Dill
Mint
Lavender
Rosemary
Thai Basil
Thyme
The Farm
Artichokes
Asparagus
Blackberries
Blueberries
Carrots
Tomatoes (big boys, Roma, cherry)
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Onions
Gourds (Luffa, Bottle, Birdhouse)
Lettuce
Squash, yellow and zucchini
Green onions
Parsnips
Bell peppers
Hot peppers
Cabbage
Radishes
Swiss chard
Wheat
“The Three Sisters”
Corn
Black Beans
Squash (spaghetti and butternut)
The Suburban Farmer 
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